New Mexico State Senate Reconfirms Celina Bussey as Secretary of the Department of Workforce Solutions
For Immediate
Release
February 26,
2015
Contact: Joy Forehand
Office: 505.841.8450
Media Inquiries: 505.250.3926
New Mexico State
Senate Reconfirms Celina Bussey as Secretary of the Department of Workforce
Solutions
(Santa Fe) – The New Mexico State Senate has reconfirmed
Celina Bussey as Cabinet Secretary of the New Mexico Department of Workforce
Solutions (NMDWS). Secretary Bussey was initially confirmed in March 2011 after
being appointed by Governor Susana Martinez in January 2011.
“I am honored and humbled to have the opportunity to serve
Governor Martinez and the State of New Mexico for a second term,” Secretary
Bussey said. “I truly believe that the department has made great strides to
serve all of its customers with the utmost integrity and compassion. Over the
next four years, it is my sincere hope that we will continue our effort to
build and strengthen a competitive workforce to meet the needs of all
employers.”
Under Secretary Bussey’s leadership, the department has
improved service delivery and increased integrity in the vast array of programs
administered by NMDWS and has worked to align and streamline the services and
resources in areas such as Unemployment Insurance and employment services. The
Department of Workforce Solutions has cut Unemployment Insurance fraud by 60%
and significantly reduced overpayment rates. Currently, New Mexico is ranked in
the top ten of all states in the country for timeliness of benefit payments and
quality of determinations. The department successfully launched the
Unemployment Insurance Tax & Claims System in 2013, marking the first time
any state has simultaneously launched an integrated UI tax and claims system.
Secretary Bussey began her career in state government at the
department in 2002 when she was the State Director of Apprenticeship with the
then New Mexico Department of Labor. Prior to her appointment as Cabinet
Secretary in 2011, Secretary Bussey served as the Executive Director for the
Northern New Mexico Independent Electrical Contractors, Inc. (IEC) for five
years. Born and raised in Albuquerque, Ms. Bussey received a bachelor of arts
in political science and communications from the University of New Mexico.
The Secretary's vision for the department is to become more
engaged with the business community and to promote the vast array of
employment-related services and resources. Her vision includes the Department
of Workforce Solutions as a leader in and a facilitator of a competitive
workforce for the benefit of all New Mexicans.
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