PROVIDENCE – Scott Jensen was among a handful of state department staffing changes that then-Gov. Gina M. Raimondo made in 2021 when she left the state to become the U.S. commerce secretary within the Biden administration.
Now, Jensen will be joining Raimondo in Washington, D.C., in the U.S. Department of Commerce.
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Jensen, a former R.I. Department of Labor and Training director, announced on LinkedIn Friday that he will join U.S. Commerce to lead workforce strategy for the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors Act, or CHIPS Act. The major national initiative spearheaded by Raimondo was passed by Congress last year to help strengthen semiconductor manufacturing and reinforce chip supply chains in the U.S.
“Working with Secretary Raimondo and the CHIPS team will be a once-in-a-lifetime honor,” Jensen posted Friday.
It is currently unclear what Jensen will specifically do in his new role with U.S. Commerce, and the department has yet to make a formal announcement on Jensen’s appointment. U.S. Commerce representatives did not immediately respond Friday to a request for comment.
Jensen led RIDLT for six years until early 2021 when he resigned from the position before Raimondo stepped down as governor. In his time at RIDLT, Jensen launched Real Jobs RI, an initiative to help expand workforce development within the state. RIDLT also created under Jensen’s leadership the “Back to Work RI” initiative to help the state recover economically from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since March 2021, Jensen has been CEO of Annapolis, Md.-based nonprofit Research Improving People’s Lives. The organization, according to Jensen’s profile, works with governments to help them use data, science and technology to improve policy and the lives of individuals. Jensen will be resigning from his CEO role as part of his move to U.S. Commerce, he posted.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
