Neel Mehta
Beth Cobert, former acting director of the Office of Personnel Management, has been named CEO of the Markle Foundation’s Skillful program.
Cobert will work with Andi Rugg, Skillful’s Colorado executive director, and Denis McDonough, former chief of staff at the White House who moved to Markle in February, to oversee Skillful’s efforts to provide employment opportunities for job seekers and help employers implement skills-based recruitment practices, Markle said Monday.
Cobert “offers unparalleled business acumen, and expertise in recruitment, hiring practices and information technology,†said Zoe Baird, president and CEO of the Markle Foundation.
Skillful is a Colorado-based initiative of the Markle Foundation, LinkedIn, the state of Colorado and other local partners and aims to remove employment barriers to job applicants without college degrees.
The initiative also seeks to assist employers and educators to offer training programs that intend to hone in-demand skills through the use of technology and data tools.
Cobert previously served as chief performance officer and deputy director for management at the Office of Management and Budget before she moved to OPM.
She spent nearly three decades at management consulting firm McKinsey & Co. and held the roles of co-leader of the firm’s global social sector practice and head of the global marketing and sales practice.
She is a former member of the Stanford Graduate School of Business Advisory Council and former chair and board member of the United Way of the San Francisco Bay Area.
