Branstad names Townsend workforce director

DES MOINES - Gov. Terry Branstad announced Tuesday he appointed Beth Townsend to be the permanent director of Iowa Workforce Development, a position she has held on an acting basis since Jan. 11, when IWD director Teresa Wahlert retired.

Townsend, a resident of Granger who received her law degree from the University of Nebraska, previously served as the director of the Iowa Civil Rights Commission. Her appointment is effective immediately and is subject to Iowa Senate confirmation.

'As the director of the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, Beth put in place work standards and accountability measures to ensure employees were no longer making up nasty nicknames for each other and using personal emails while at work,” Branstad said in a statement. 'As director of Iowa Workforce Development, I'm confident Beth will vigorously work to continue our efforts to help job creators find a talented and capable workforce.”

As IWD leader, Townsend presides over a comprehensive statewide system of employment services, education and regulation of health, safety and employment laws.

Townsend previously worked in private practice at Townsend Law Office, where she represented individuals before the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, federal and state jurisdictions in the area of civil rights and employment law.

Before moving to Iowa, she spent more than 11 years as a judge advocate general in the U.S. Air Force, where she served in a variety of positions, including as a prosecutor and a defense counsel of airmen in trials by courts-martial.