Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has tapped an experienced manager to head the Mayor's Office of Employment Development, after the retirement of the agency's longtime director last month.
Jason Perkins-Cohen, director of the Job Opportunities Task Force, which advocates for low-income workers, will join city government on March 3, according to the mayor's office.
"I've very excited about this position," Perkins-Cohen said. "It's about jobs and getting city residents ready for the work force."
Perkins-Cohen, 47, will make a salary of $130,000. He replaces Karen Sitnick, 64, who worked for the city for more than 30 years. She retired in January.
The Mayor's Office of Employment Development is a $24.9 million, 191-person agency whose mission is to connect Baltimore residents with local employers.
As the head of the Jobs Opportunities Task Force, Perkins-Cohen created JumpStart, a program that trained nearly 400 workers for construction jobs. He regularly testified before the General Assembly on a wide range of workforce issues, the mayor's office said.
"I was very impressed with his background," Rawlings-Blake said. "We want to continue our track record of connecting those who have been left behind in this economic recovery with jobs."
William Cole IV, the president of the Baltimore Development Corp., the city's business development arm, said he planned to work closely with Perkins-Cohen.
"As Baltimore continues to grow, we must make sure that Baltimore residents continue to benefit from that job growth," Cole said. "There is a thirst for jobs in Baltimore."
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