Lenita Jacobs-Simmons - Regional Administrator - Region 2 - Philadelphia

Lenita Jacobs-Simmons was appointed Regional Administrator, Employment and Training Administration, Region 2 in July of 2002. In this capacity, she is responsible for oversight of ETA's Philadelphia region that includes Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia . Programs administered in the region by ETA and its State and grantee partners include Workforce Investment Act, Unemployment Insurance, Adult and Youth Services. Ms. Jacobs-Simmons is responsible for the oversight of over $2 billion in Federal grants administered by more than 120 grantee organizations.

Prior to coming to Philadelphia , Ms. Jacobs-Simmons was the ETA Deputy Assistant Secretary for Field Operations. In this capacity, she was responsible for the management and direction of field operations and implementing the reforms required under the Workforce Investment Act.

Ms. Jacobs-Simmons has a distinguished history of public service in South Carolina where she served as the Grants Administrator for the Charleston County government, and Executive Director of the Trident Workforce Development Board. In these capacities, she was responsible for unifying a tri-county area and implementing the first One-Stop Delivery System in the State of South Carolina . She also managed the County's Grants and Community Development Programs. In addition, Ms. Jacobs-Simmons has more than 13 years experience as an educational fundraiser.

A Philadelphia native, Ms. Jacobs-Simmons is a graduate of Temple University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill . She is also an outspoken advocate of performance excellence.

Regional Office Contacts