Alaska’s new labor commissioner, who state officials say attended the University of Alaska Southeast, now appears to not have finished high school.
Dianne Blumer, appointed commissioner of the Department of Labor & Workforce Development by Gov. Sean Parnell, has a GED certificate, or high school equivalency diploma, obtained by those who don’t complete high school for one reason or another.
Parnell spokeswoman Sharon Leighow confirmed some details of Blumer’s educational background this week, nearly two weeks after her appointment.
As commissioner, Blumer earns $135,000 a year for overseeing the department responsible for worker’s compensation, unemployment, labor statistics, and a number of worker training programs aimed at ensuring the state has competent workforce and is a good place to do business.
Leighow defended Blumer’s qualifications for the job.
“There is nothing in statute regarding educational requirements for commissioners,” she said.
Leaders of two state employee unions raised concerns about the appointment, though they also said Blumer may do well in the post.
Previous commissioners have frequently had labor or job training experience that was directly related to the department’s mission.
Blumer, under her former name Dianne Kiesel, served as director of the Division of Personnel and in other positions in state government, and was involved in the ownership of two Juneau businesses, Sunkissed Tanning and Ward Air.
“She has experience dealing with public employee unions, but that’s completely different from dealing with worker’s compensation and labor training programs,” said Jake Metcalfe, business manager for the Public Safety Employees Association.
“So when I hear there’s a GED it makes me wonder what the qualifications are for the job,” he said.
Alaska State Employees Association Business Manager Jim Duncan said he’s known Blumer for many years, but said his concerns about the appointment don’t stem from her GED.
“She may not have a great education background, but I think the experience she’s had and what she’s done show she’s bright enough to do that job,” he said.
Duncan said his concerns stem from Blumer’s lack of experience dealing with trade unions, instead of government unions.
It will take substantial work for her to get acquainted with that aspect of her job, given the lack of relevant experience, he said.
“The governor appoints who he wants to appoint, but I was surprised at the appointment,” he said.
“Commissioner Blumer was appointed by Governor Parnell based on her 20-plus years of management and work experience that includes human resource administration, payroll compensation, pension reporting, collective bargaining, grievance arbitration, mediation, workforce planning and development, job classification and recruitment,” Leighow stated in an email.
Parnell’s appointment, coming after the end of the legislative session’s end, means that legislative confirmation hearings and a vote will not come until the end of next year’s legislative session, nearly a year away. Her appointment took effect May 21.
Metcalfe also said that Blumer’s having been found in contempt by the Alaska Senate after failing to comply with a subpoena as part of the Troopergate investigation may also hamper her relations with the Legislature and potentially her ability to advocate for the department and on labor issues.
Leighow said Blumer received her GED in 1982, but provided no information on who awarded it. She also provided no information about her University of Alaska Southeast attendance, including the name she was using at the time.
The resume Leighow provided makes no mention of education at all, and has no entries between 1982 and 1986, when Blumer began managing a motel in Sitka.
Senate Labor and Commerce Committee Chairman Sen. Dennis Egan, D-Juneau, said he didn’t know Blumer despite her 17 years living in Juneau.
“We’re happy that she has Southeast Alaska ties, but we wished she lived here, that would make me happier,” he said.
Blumer has lived in Anchorage since 2007, and has said she will run the department from there.
“At least she understands the issues of Southeast, that’s a big thing for our delegation, but we're all concerned that it’s not somebody that’s been involved in labor,” Egan said.
• Contact reporter Pat Forgey at 523-2250 or at patrick.forgey@juneauempire.com.
Comments (46)
Add commentyes i have met her
why yes kenb41, i have met her. as a matter of fact the first full day of her employment as commissioner, she invited the respresentatives of the Juneau Building Trades Council to sit and discuss their concerns and issues about the department with her. it is my understanding she spent the next week and a half meeting many other labor leaders throughout the state. I am reserving judgement to see how she acts as opposed to rushing to judgement. Her first steps have been smart.
As an official of an employee labor union, I have a deep and abiding appreciation and respect for the union movement, public and private. I am concerned by the condescending tone of the article. I appreciated the remarks by Mr Duncan whose concern is where Ms Blumer will be on crucial issues for working people - that is what is important. Not whether she received a GED as opposed to a high school diploma.
the final point is one Mr Forgey seems to not understand and that is DOL's primary focus is on private employees and their working conditions. Public employees and their issues are primarily handled through the Department of Adminsitration, and in Mr Metcalf's case, Department of Corrections and the Department of Public Safety - as well as many municipalities.
Mixed message
Apparently, the message from Parnell is that dropout rates are high and that's bad for our state.
But the message he sends by hiring people who have dropped out is one that I feel, as a parent and a fellow Alaskan, is not appropriate.
Maybe she is a great person, smart, hardworking, etc.
But she is now a COMMISSIONER for the State of Alaska... it seems Parnell believes that this person represents our state and our values... or does he not care?
Isn't a high school diploma important in our state? I sure think so! And I hope all the young people out there do, too.
While I don't think this woman should be denied a chance to overcome her dropout status and make a place in the world,
I just don't think a Commissioner appointment is appropriate. A minimum standard of a high school diploma is not much to ask in a great state like Alaska.
You go girl!
Sounds like PP and Jo McNamara have a sheepskin on the wall but dissatisfied with their own lot in life. I would rather have someone like Diane overseeing that department than a favored labor union rep as a political payback which has been pretty much the history of the DOL.
I suspect that is the main gripe against Diane by the sour grape posters today.
I wish her the best, she is a hard worker and I think she will do a fine job for the State.
PS, Governor Parnell is still head and shoulders above Tony Knowles, what did Tony ever do for SE Alaska but saddle us with expensive, problematic fast ferries
Parnell exaggerates her qualifications
with more than 20 years of experience in everything based on her part ownership of 2 very small businesses. Payroll for both businesses combined would only take up 2% of a small business quickbooks.
I don't care about the GED. It's the lack of everything else that makes me shake my head. Parnell is getting something out of this.
Uh Hello?
If you have at least a year of college, it doesn't matter whether you quit high school and passed an equivalency test to get a GED, or whether you stuck it out and got a diploma for good attendance.
If she has attended UAS, I'm assuming she has completed at least a year of college....which means she's not a high school drop out, she's someone with at least a year of college under her belt.
So it's not the same as graduating from Stanford, I don't care. She's shown she knows how to learn.
Can she learn this job? That's what I care about, and I suspect the answer is yes.
Not a commissar...
Just somebody whose appointment shows respect for the people of the state and for those whose needs and rights are supposed to be protected by the agency the appointee has been picked to lead.
Appointees for the post of commissioner of any state agency should have the strongest possible qualifications and education for the job.
This appointment doesn't meet that standard. It's about showing the contempt this administration feels for both working people and for the notion that governing this state is a job that should be taken just as seriously as working for short-term profit in the private sector.
The GED is not the main problem...
Ms. Blumer may have learned some things on the job but a great deal of her career was in lower level jobs. Yes, she has some experience as a Director but that was short lived. Was it 7 months? And as Deputy Director? A bit longer but certainly not as complex as head of a very important department. The bigger issue would be her lack of exposure and connections to labor issues in Alaska. She has no experience with trade unions. As a Labor Relations Analyst, she was a management employee. The bigger issue is her blatant disregard of the subpoena issued by the Senate. I would hope that those in the Senate would question her during her confirmation hearing to find out what she has to say. Using the excuse that this was a long time ago and I am surprised that people remember it, just doesn't cut it. Her part in the Troopergate debacle was inexcusable. I didn't even mention her living in Anchorage... I don't need to.
There is not a problem here
Give the lady a chance. None of the objections seem to hold water.
GED vs. HS Diploma vs "attended UAS"
First, in her defense, if someone has a GED, that tells me that they made a mistake in the past, then took actions to correct that mistake by getting a GED. I think that is admirable.
But the article doesn't say just how much college she has. It says "attended UAS." That could mean anything.
"Attended UAS" can mean she took one class and one class only. It can also mean she has a Doctorate. I am curious just how much college she has.
@ Jess_Wundring: Your comments above were laughable. Just because someone "attended UAS" doesn't mean they have "at least one year of college under their belt." It also doesn't erase the fact that she dropped out of high school. A person can get into college with a GED. It also doesn't show that "she can learn." For all we know, she could have flunked whatever she took at UAS. Your logic is seriously flawed.
My hope too, is that she is grilled by the senate when they ask, "Why did you ignore our subpoena under the previous Governor Palin? Would you show this Senate similar contempt if you were subpoenaed again?"
I've met Commissioners from other states. Most have Doctorate. All have college degrees. I wonder how many other Labor Commissioners have this much limited education, and how many can simply ignore a subpoena.
These are my two major concerns, along with total lack of real labor experience.
I hope the Empire keeps digging.
the GED is only a small piece of the puzzle
The real issue here is that she has ZERO experience with Labor and Workforce Development. During a time when our state is recovering well from the unemployment issues that continue to plague the nation, it was incumbent upon our governor to provide us with a highly qualified candidate. Many unemployment divisions across the nation are insolvent. Ours makes a profit and we would like to continue that momentum. Providing the state with the best candidate means being willing and able to substantiate qualifications (accurately, proactively, and honestly) not making excuses and justifications for obvious gaps in experience, training, and skill sets. His responsibility to his constituents was to provide them with a candidate who can immediately begin the process of labor and workforce development to assure that our state does not make any regression in its status as a strong employment state. Her learning curve is going to be far to steep for my taste and far too risky for the good people of Alaska to be subjected to.
Creating a healthy labor force requires a keen understanding of existing practices, policies, and an ability to retrieve and critique current research data. I wonder how this commissioner is going to identify, access, and judge informed research, best practices, and valid information to create and maintain excellent laws and policies for her division. Universities dont teach those skills until the first two years of college. She comes to any discussion table at clear and significant deficit in background with labor. Her experiences in other venues does not make for direct experience with her division's business (sorry Mr. Parnell, it just doesnt). Her lack of experience with the unions she will daily interact with is a huge missing piece of her background. The fact that her administrative assistant was subject to higher standards for education and training at the time of hire than she was is of major concern as well !!!
We should all be contacting our legislators to beseach them to oppose her confirmation in the next session. We should be strongly suggesting introduction of legislation mandating a minimum standard of experience and education for these positions. We should NOT simply be blogging our discontent with the decision to hire an unqualified candidate for this position. The responsibility for fixing this obvious oversight in legislative quality assurance is now upon the good people of this state. Let us be found addressing this debacle head on with informed suggestions for its immediate remediation in the next legislative session.
Mr. Parnell's boastful and defensive responses to her deficiencies with reiteration of her previous state experience only serves to show how long she has been allowed to interact as an unqualified administrator with State government. Mr. Parnell would do well to minimize further discussion of how often he has allowed this poorly qualified woman to impact law and policy in our state and focus on finding a more suitable candidate. The good people of Alaska are actively engaging in conversation about their dissatisfaction with this candidate.Plan B is in order Mr. Governor !! I believe the people of Alaska spoke loudly and clearly about the last underqualified State administrative staffer that was "elected"... we need someone who will stay the course when things get tough, not quit when things get tough.. There is too much of that implication in Ms. Blumer's background for my taste. The good people of Alaska have "been there, done that !!" and dont want a repeat on any state administrative level.
She's not a supporter of people who labor
My recollection of this under-educated woman is that her experience in "labor & workforce" was her involvement in trying to screw over ferry workers during union negotiations. She was part of the overall effort, still continuing, that prefers to treat state workers as a liability instead of recognizing the good work they do for Alaska. She definitely would not be my choice for the job, but if the high salary would encourage her to retire, it wouldn't be all bad (eventually).
Jake Metcalfe states ...
Jake Metcalfe states "So when I hear there’s a GED it makes me wonder what the qualifications are for the job,” he said."
Good question, Jake. So does getting arrested for "Drunk Person on Licensed Premises" still qualify you for being Executive Director of the Public Safety Employee's Association?
Jake Metcalfe states ...
Jake Metcalfe states "So when I hear there’s a GED it makes me wonder what the qualifications are for the job,” he said."
Good question, Jake. So does being charged with "Drunk Person on Licensed Premises" still qualify you for being Executive Director of the Public Safety Employee's Association? Your constituents might want to rethink their choice.
Jake Metcalfe states ...
Jake Metcalfe states "So when I hear there’s a GED it makes me wonder what the qualifications are for the job,” he said."
Good question, Jake. So does being charged with "Drunk Person on Licensed Premises" still qualify you for being Executive Director of the Public Safety Employee's Association?
Your union might want to "raise concern" about your judgement.
Careful with that paintbrush.....
I am always a little astounded by people who are so ready to define an entire group of people (sometimes in the millions) as if they all act exactly the same way. I find that intellectually lazy, and incredibly short sighted. It doesn't take much basic knowledge or brain power to recognize that within such a group there are all different kinds of people.
I have many friends and neighbors who are state workers, many go in early, stay late, and have high expectations for the customer service they provide. Many teachers take their own time to go to evening performances and events for students, principals spend evenings working with police and trying to track down family members for students who's parents are passed out or 'missing', firefighters drop everthing and leave Thanksgiving dinner with family to report to a fire. These people are your friends, your neighbors, the police and fire and ambulence personnel you count on to show up if you are in trouble.
Yes, some may be lazy freeloaders - you will find those in the private sector as well - I can't tell you how many private businesses I've been in recently where the 'workers' can't even be bothered to look up and say hello, let alone ask if you need help. Last night I was in a local fish shop, and the young girl I finally forced to help me barely spoke to me, and missed an easy opportunity to upsell me on a fish, because she wasn't willing to engage or offer any information. Last Friday I was in a large box store - begins with "C" - and asked a question about the price of an item not currently in stock. The woman at the "customer service" counter clearly did not want to help me, so I made her take a simple message for the supervisor, asking for a price on item 'x' to be left for me at my home number. No one ever called me.
I could list hundreds more examples of lazy, inefficient behavior at private businesses, where employees don't know the product, aren't on the same page as to company policy, or just have no customer service skills. I know of many private business employees I would have fired years ago for lazyness who are still working.
So the perception that somehow union employees are all sloths, and private business employees are all working super hard or being fired immediately is just pure hogwash.