Southwest Michigan Workforce Leaders Honored as Shining Stars by Michigan Works! Association

Two local workforce development leaders were awarded Michigan Works! ‘Shining Star’ awards by the Michigan Works! Association for going above and beyond to help job seekers and employers in Southwestern Michigan.
 
The Shining Star awards celebrate Michigan Works! frontline staff who, through dedication and outstanding contributions to workforce development, personify the Michigan Works! mission.
 
This year’s local honorees include:
 
Lynette Page is the Business Solutions Coordinator for Michigan Works! Southwest in Branch and St. Joseph Counties, which gives her the opportunity to interact with the businesses in her community and focus on career events where local middle and high school students explore opportunities and connect with employers.    Lynn hit the ground running in 2024, doing incredible research into how employers and job seekers can utilize the MiREACH grant and identifying ways to connect them to this resource.
 
“Lynn has an exceptional willingness to take on new challenges and lead new projects and her innovative thinking creates opportunities for employer customers to be successful in talent attraction and retention,” said Ashley Iovieno, Director of Business Solutions for MWSW.
 
Mark O’Reilly is Director of Business Solutions for Michigan Works! Berrien, Cass, Van Buren. As an individual contributor and a leader of eight team members, he tackles all projects with confidence and determination. During his seven years at Michigan Works!, he has served as a subject matter expert among employers and he is known for being the glue that brings the talent team and the business team together and having a strong voice in the community on behalf of employers
 
"It's an honor to recognize Mark for his contributions to not only our team, but to the entire Michigan Works! system. He often goes above and beyond to provide exceptional service while creating meaningful connections and providing personalized support to ensure every business we work with is successful. Mark truly exemplifies our organization’s purpose of inspiring positive economic change one person, one business, and one community at a time,” said Paul Kirk, Vice President of Workforce at Michigan Works! Berrien, Cass, Van Buren.

“Hardworking frontline staff like Lynette and Mark are why Michigan’s workforce development system is so strong,” said Michigan Works! Association CEO Ryan Hundt. “Their focus and commitment to helping job seekers and employers in our state is improving lives of Michiganders every day and that is why they are Shining Stars.”
 
The awards were presented at the association’s annual conference in Traverse City.
 
Established in 1987, the Michigan Works! Association fosters high-quality employment and training programs serving employers and workers by providing support activities and a forum for information exchange for Michigan's talent development system. For more information, visit http://www.michiganworks.org, or call (517) 371-1100.