Chamber Welcomes Givens to Staff

The Effingham County Chamber of Commerce is welcoming their newest employee, JoAnn Sasse Givens, who is filling the newly-created position of Workforce Development Coordinator.

(JOANN SASSE GIVENS)

In this new position, Ms. Givens will act as a liaison between the Chamber, employers, and community partners to research, recommend, and develop programs needed to meet current and future employment needs in the Effingham County area. She will be gathering information from students, employers, and industry professionals to formulate a planned response to workforce needs. She will also be involved in planning the 2016 Effingham County Manufacturing Day held in October.

Ms. Givens comes to the Chamber with experience in education, and both the private and public sector. She has held management positions in HR Recruitment, Training and Development, Marketing, and Economic Development in multiple industry sectors including communications, environmental, health care and government. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, and resides near her family in Augsburg, Illinois.

“As we’ve looked to grow the Chamber staff over the past six months, the need of local businesses for a more highly trained workforce and the need of our community to build skills and knowledge for the future job market was a deciding factor in developing the new Workforce Development Coordinator position. We are pleased to have someone with JoAnn’s credentials join our team and help the Chamber lead workforce development initiatives for Chamber members and the community,” said Norma Lansing, Chamber President & CEO.

Givens stated, “It is truly a pleasure to be working with the Effingham County Chamber, which has been such a positive force for building businesses in Effingham County. It will be very rewarding and exciting to work to make sure that our employers have the workforce they need for all the job growth this area continues to experience.” 

Ms. Givens can be reached at the Chamber Office at 217.342.4147 or by email at  jgivens@effinghamcountychamber.com.