Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz has announced the appointment of Jacqueline N. Hall to the position of Director of Workforce Development and Felice E. Krycia to the position of Director of the Erie County Veterans Service Agency. Both appointments are effective Oct. 17.

“I am pleased to appoint Jacqueline Hall and Felice Krycia to these important leadership positions. They both have been assets to county government and each have played an instrumental role in the development and implementation of policies and programs that the residents of Erie County have directly benefited from,” said Poloncarz. “Their knowledge and expertise about county government and creative proposals shared during the interview process represent the type of leadership I need in order for my administration to continue successfully serving our community.”

Hall, who currently serves as an assistant deputy commissioner in the Erie County Department of Social Services as executive director of Family Independence, has worked for the county since 2014. Her eight years of employment has included time spent managing the supplemental nutrition assistance program, Medicaid, child care and employment divisions of the department.

A resident of Buffalo, Hall holds degrees from Buffalo State College and the University at Buffalo and is currently a candidate to receive her doctorate from the University at Buffalo School of Social Work.

Her new duties will include overseeing the development and coordination of publicly funded workforce development and job training initiatives that will include a focus on constructing a more prepared and inclusive county workforce to meet the growing demand of job seekers who desire long-term career opportunities in a specific field.

Her employment prior to working for Erie County included a stint as director of the Community Action Organization of Erie County’s Master Resource Center, a job that included managing multiple program budgets. She also oversaw the implementation of the Fillmore Avenue Streetscape Initiative to beautify the commercial business corridor and advocated for funding of future community development projects. Hall also previously worked as the program director for the WNY Women’s Foundation and was an employee of Kaleida Health, serving as a social worker at Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo.

“I thank County Executive Poloncarz for his leadership and promoting me to lead the Workforce Investment Board,” said Hall. “This opportunity will allow me to further support the economic development initiatives by designing workforce related programs, resources and services to train and educate Erie County’s dislocated workforce. I believe the time I have spent working with communities throughout the City of Buffalo in various roles have prepared me to help with the development of Erie County’s workforce by promoting an understanding of workforce trends and issues in an economy and to facilitate lifelong learning for individuals and businesses. I look forward to working with all community partners, stakeholders and residents in creating a system that will support a thriving workforce throughout Erie County.”

A resident of Eden, Krycia is a graduate of Buffalo State College and Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, Michigan. A Vietnam era veteran with the United States Air Force, she is an American Legion certified veterans service officer who has served as a mentor with the Buffalo Veterans Court and regularly worked with local military veterans seeking assistance at the Veterans Outreach Center.

Her previous professional experience prior to county employment included nearly two decades working as a journalist covering local news stories as an associate editor and reporter for various publications in the Southtowns. Her writing and reporting helped The Sun newspaper in Hamburg earn several awards from the New York Press Association for editorial excellence.

“I am honored and humbled to have the opportunity to serve the people of Erie County in this new role,” said Krycia. “Having spent the last nine years assisting many veterans and their families with a wide variety of needs, I’m ready to continue that service with my colleagues in the Veterans Service Agency by putting a special emphasis on community outreach. I look forward to continuing my work interacting with local veterans and their families on a daily basis and publicly representing Erie County at special events held throughout the region.”