BISMARCK, N.D. – Gov. Kelly Armstrong announced today he has aligned the state’s workforce-related programs and services into a single agency structure and named Katie Ralston Howe, deputy commissioner and director of the Department of Commerce’s Workforce Development Division, to serve as the state’s first workforce commissioner, effective immediately.
Armstrong, who made the announcement at the 2026 Governor’s Workforce Summit in Bismarck attended by nearly 200 workforce leaders from across North Dakota, plans to ask the state Legislature to formalize the agency structure by creating the Department of Workforce Development when the assembly convenes in regular session in January.
“North Dakota’s workforce system is fragmented, with programs and services scattered across multiple agencies. By aligning programs and appointing a cabinet-level workforce commissioner to coordinate their efforts, we can better meet the needs of the state’s workers and businesses while also achieving long-term cost savings and operational efficiencies,” Armstrong said. “And we can do this without growing government and by utilizing existing talent within our agencies under the capable leadership of Katie Ralston Howe, whose experience and vision in this area will serve our citizens well.”
A Workforce Subcabinet created by Armstrong last year concluded that the current patchwork of programs and services would benefit from a more unified leadership vision to drive outcomes. It also determined that the current structure is not sustainable long-term, with reduced funding at the federal level and challenges in securing adequate state funding across agencies creating a need to reconfigure the structure of the system to better align resources.
“This new agency will set a single strategic vision and better align all workforce programs so we operate as one coordinated system rather than in silos,” Ralston Howe said. “By creating a ‘front door’ to the workforce system for customers, our goal is to reduce confusion, make services easier to navigate, and ensure people and employers get the support they need more efficiently. A more connected structure also will allow for tighter collaboration between employers, education systems and workforce programs, especially around skill gaps and talent pipelines.”
That “front door” is now available through the recently launched ndwin.gov website, which provides easier navigation to quickly find support programs and services.
The new agency structure encompasses the staff and resources of Commerce’s Division of Workforce Development; Job Service North Dakota; North Dakota Adult Education, which currently is under the Department of Public Instruction; and North Dakota Vocational Rehabilitation and the Office of Refugee Resettlement, which both currently reside within the Department of Health and Human Services. The combined agency will have approximately 300 total staff members.
The agency will also house the State Apprenticeship Office, with the goal of growing Registered Apprenticeship Programs as a valuable tool for workforce development and retention. North Dakota has an opportunity to develop a more comprehensive, state-led strategy to increase utilization of apprenticeships across industry throughout the state, Ralston Howe said.
There are no plans to add or reduce staffing as part of the restructuring. Some roles may be adjusted once the agency is created by the Legislature as the agency explores more opportunities for efficiencies, alignment and enhanced service delivery, Ralston Howe noted.
If approved by the Legislature, the bill creating the new agency will become law July 1, 2027. Staff will report to their current division director until the new agency’s structure is finalized.