RALEIGH -- Jessica Englert will become the North Carolina Commerce Department’s Assistant Secretary of the Division of Workforce Solutions (DWS), Commerce Secretary Anthony M. Copeland has announced.

She will succeed current Assistant Secretary Linda Cheatham, who will remain at the agency in a part-time role during a transition period.

Englert currently serves as Workforce Development Policy Advisor for Governor Roy Cooper. In that role, she has worked closely with DWS on the Finish Line Grants program and other elements of Gov. Cooper’s NC Job Ready initiative.

“To continue our state’s strong job growth, we must meet the needs of employers for a skilled workforce, which is the most important factor in economic development,” Secretary Copeland said. “Jess Englert is one of our state’s top workforce policy experts, and I look forward to her innovative leadership in this critical position.”

As one of the key partners in the NCWorks system, DWS administers workforce programs that prepare North Carolinians for employment and help businesses find the talent they need to thrive.

Prior to joining the Governor’s Office in January 2017, Englert was an associate with the law firm of Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP in Washington, D.C. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University Bloomington and a law degree from the University of Michigan.

Cheatham has served as Assistant Secretary since April of 2019. She is also a former official at the Division of Employment Security within N.C. Commerce and a former member of the North Carolina Industrial Commission. “It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve alongside the dedicated professionals at the Division of Workforce Solutions and to collaborate with our NCWorks partners,” Cheatham said.

Englert’s appointment is effective January 1, 2020.