Interested in serving on the Willamette Workforce Partnership Board of Directors? There are current openings, for private sector members. Please visit the WWP website before January 15^th to complete an Interest Form:

Gary Mueller, Willamette Workforce Partnership’s (WWP’s) Director of Administration and Finance is retiring on December 21, 2023.

Gary began his career in workforce development in November 2007, when WWP was The Enterprise for Employment and Education. In that role he was the Finance Manager and was instrumental in helping create the new regional workforce board. Thus began his sixteen-year career with the board which was known as the Enterprise, then Job Growers, next Incite and finally, Willamette Workforce Partnership.

He has had many different roles throughout his career with the board and successfully created by-laws, contracts, intergovernmental agreements, and accounting systems in addition to assisting other Oregon workforce boards with their accounting processes. He has been referred to by colleagues as an icon!

Gary leaves WWP in very good shape with stable administrative and finance procedures and practices. He hand-picked and trained his successor, Amy Harrison, who although has big shoes to fill, has been at WWP for two years and is a strong member of the team!

Happily retiring, he will have more time to play his drums and hit the gym. He and his partner Jennifer will spend the month of February in Tucson, Arizona and also continue their frequent trips to Colorado to visit his family.

Gary plans to continue as a very part-time consultant with WWP and other organizations like the Oregon Workforce Partnership by helping the organization manage grants by monitoring and fulfilling reporting requirements. He said, “I’m happy to continue to be involved and keep my mind active.”

According to Kim Parker-Llerenas, WWP’s Executive Director, “Gary will be deeply missed. His institutional knowledge and his ability to understand and strategize in both the fiscal and program arenas has made a tremendous impact on the organization over the years! I’m thrilled he’ll still be available for conversations and consultation.”

Please join us in thanking Gary for his years of service and wishing him well in his retirement!