NEW DIRECTOR NAMED AT MINGO JOB CORPS CENTER

William “Don” Riggle, a six-year veteran of Job Corps Program administration, has been named Director of the Mingo Job Corps Center in Puxico, Missouri. Riggle, 46, had been serving as Deputy Center Director at Pine Ridge Job Corps Center in Chadron, Nebraska, before his appointment to the top job at Mingo. Riggle will begin his duties at Mingo in mid-April.

A native of Bensenville, Illinois, Riggle received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point where he studied forestry and resource management. He began work for the U.S. Forest Service in Alaska in 1975, and then served two years with the Peace Corps in Honduras. Returning to the Forest Service in 1979, Riggle worked in timber and resource management at national forests in California, Louisiana, and Texas. Riggle began his Job Corps career in 1992 at the LBJ Job Corps Center in Franklin, North Carolina, where he served as Works Program officer and administrative officer, and directed education programs. He moved to the Pine Ridge Center in 1995.

During his career with Job Corps, Riggle’s responsibilities included all facets of Job Corps center management and administration, including directing education, counseling, residential and recreation programs, implementing Job Corps policies and programs, and supervision of staff and students.

"I am very pleased to name Don Riggle as the Center Director at Mingo," said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Director William Hartwig. "Don comes highly recommended by the U.S. Forest Service and the Kansas City Department of the Labor Management. His previous experience as Deputy Director at Pine Ridge Center and Works Program administrator at the LBJ Center will provide the leadership needed at Mingo. We look forward to Mingos continued success under Dons direction."

“I am pleased to be coming to southern Missouri and the Mingo Job Corps Center,” said Riggle. “I believe that Job Corps is a great opportunity for young people, and I look forward to the challenge of directing the center and working with the local community.” Riggle said his goal for Mingo is to make it one of the top centers in the country.

Administered by the U.S. Department of Labor, Job Corps provides job training, basic education, and support services to young people. There are 108 Job Corps centers nationwide, including 30 civilian conservation centers.

Mingo is one of two Job Corps Civilian Conservation centers administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Mingo offers students training in a variety of job skills, from carpentry to masonry to culinary, the opportunity to complete a high school education, and various social skills.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 530 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies. For further information about the programs and activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region, please visit our home page at: http://midwest.fws.gov