2. News Room

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Mark Reihl to Retire from UI Division Administrator Role, DWD

MADISON – Mark Reihl, division administrator for the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development's Unemployment Insurance Division, is retiring from his role and the department, effective Nov. 5.

DWD Secretary-designee Amy Pechacek thanked Reihl for his service and said the department will immediately begin a search for his successor.

"Mark joined DWD in 2019 with a track record of advocating for workers and a robust unemployment insurance system," Pechacek said. "The COVID-19 pandemic brought with it many challenges and we are now implementing unprecedented, comprehensive strategies to address legacy IT issues and improve timeliness. We thank Mark for his contributions toward these efforts."

DWD is intensely focused on improving customer service throughout its operations for the benefit of job seekers, employers and employees affected by COVID-19 as well as labor market gaps resulting from changing demographics and mismatched skills. Under Pechacek's leadership, DWD is hiring and redeploying staff, applying federal COVID-19 relief funding to fix decades-old IT systems, obtaining federal grants, collaborating with a U.S. Department of Labor Tiger Team, and using innovative Google Cloud technology, artificial intelligence and machine learning to better manage UI claims, appeals, and virtual career center services.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, DWD has paid out some $7.1 billion in state and federal supplemental unemployment insurance benefits.

Reihl joined DWD in 2019 after serving as executive director of the Wisconsin State Council of carpenters, and later, as government affairs and political director for the Wisconsin division of the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters. His policy work has included efforts to combat worker misclassification, an abuse in which employers deliberately misclassify direct employees as independent contractors to avoid paying unemployment-insurance taxes and worker’s compensation premiums.

Reihl also served as a member of the state’s Unemployment Insurance Advisory Council, a panel that advises lawmakers on ways to improve Wisconsin’s unemployment-benefit laws. Until Reihl's successor is named, Deputy Division Administrator Jason Schunk will lead DWD's Unemployment Insurance Division.

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Wisconsin's Department of Workforce Development efficiently delivers effective and inclusive services to meet Wisconsin's diverse workforce needs now and for the future. The department advocates for and invests in the protection and economic advancement of all Wisconsin workers, employers and job seekers through six divisions – Employment and Training, Vocational Rehabilitation, Unemployment Insurance, Equal Rights, Worker's Compensation and Administrative Services. To keep up with DWD announcements and information, sign up for news releases here and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.