The U.S. Department of Labor announced Friday the appointment of Esther R. Johnson as the new national director of the Office of Job Corps, within the U.S. Department of Labor.  Ms. Johnson, a seasoned government executive with considerable career public service experience in education and employment policy, is the first African-American woman to head the Job Corps in the program's 41-year history.

In her new leadership role with the Office of Job Corps, Johnson will administer the program and its 122 Job Corps centers across the country.  The Job Corps serves over 65,000 disadvantaged youth, ages 16-24, each year.  The largely residential program offers opportunities to secure academic and vocational credentials and assists students in securing placements in education, employment or military service upon graduation.

Johnson is a life-long public servant with extensive experience at both federal and state levels. Prior to her appointment as national director of the Office of Job Corps, Johnson served as administrator for the Office of Performance and Technology in the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) at the Department of Labor (DOL). 

Within ETA, Johnson has risen rapidly though several leadership assignments with increasing responsibility, serving as comptroller, associate administrator for the Office of Policy and Research, division chief in the Office of Workforce Security and special assistant to the director of Unemployment Insurance. 

Prior to her service at DOL, Johnson worked with the Arlington County Public Schools in Arlington, Virginia.  She holds a Doctorate in Educational Administration from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and both Master of Arts and Bachelor of Arts degrees in education from Virginia Commonwealth University.