Utahn helps fight unemployment in Iraq

Centerville resident Robert Gross is one of many Utahns serving in Iraq. But his role is a bit different from those wearing U.S. military uniforms.

For the past six weeks, Gross has served as senior adviser to the Iraq Minister of Labor and Social Services. He was appointed by the White House in late November, and after multiple background checks and extensive preparation, assumed his responsibilities in Baghdad by late January.

Gross operates under the Coalition Provisional Authority, which is responsible for post-war planning and reconstruction in Iraq. The authority has appointed senior advisers for each new Iraqi ministry.

The Ministry of Labor and Social Services is aimed at providing a social safety net to Iraq's work force and disadvantaged populace. Its areas of responsibility include all labor and social care systems, like welfare, social security, national employment, job training and orphanages.

As senior adviser, Gross works in assisting and advising his Iraqi counterparts with the rebuilding, management and future development of these systems and services. He reports to Ambassador L. Paul Bremer, the top U.S. civilian official in Iraq.

"Iraq and the Coalition share the goal of a secure, democratic and prosperous Iraq," Bremer said in a recent press release. "Bob Gross is playing a substantial role in the social and economic sectors by helping to implement modern labor laws, increase employment and help provide social services to Iraqis who were under-served by the former regime. This is important work."

Gross recently told the Deseret Morning News, "I'm honored and humbled at the same time the administration has confidence in me."

Gross brings extensive private and public sector experience to his new responsibilities. He is the former and founding executive director of Utah's Department of Workforce Services (DWS).

Prior to his government service, he served as president and executive board chairman of First Interstate Bank of Utah. Then he was appointed by former Gov. Mike Leavitt to oversee the consolidation of five existing state agencies into the newly formed DWS.

He has also served as president of the National Association of State Workforce Agencies and has worked extensively with Congress and the executive branch.

"The key to our efforts will be a stable government, economic development, vocational training and the development of a sound social safety net," said Gross. "The task is enormous, yet so are the opportunities."

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E-mail: terickson@desnews.com