Spotlight
Joanne F. Goldstein ’74 { Making Her Mark By Andrew Clark
N
o matter what stage of life you are in, you should
something I had originally planned on,” says Goldstein.
never fear a shift in careers, says Joanne
“But it’s something that I would recommend to everybody.
Goldstein ’74. It’s a scary proposition, she
Jobs in the public sector are something to keep an open
admits. And Goldstein can speak from personal experience.
mind about. Give back whenever you can, whether it’s to a
After spending nearly her entire career in the private
state or to a city. If you ever have the opportunity to do public service, do it.”
sector of labor law, Goldstein has spent the
Goldstein was appointed to her current
past four years tirelessly working for the
post at the beginning of 2010 by Governor
public.
Deval Patrick after only three years with the
But for Goldstein, who is currently Secretary
Labor
and
state. She was originally appointed chief of the
Workforce of
Fair Labor Division by Massachusetts attorney
Massachusetts, having the opportunity to
general and former Senate candidate Martha
serve the public is an opportunity that she
Coakley. During Goldstein’s time in that role,
just had to seize. “At the time, when I had the
her main focus was enforcing wage and hour
opportunity to work for the state, it wasn’t
laws in the state.
Development
Photo courtesy of the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development
of
for
her
home
state
Joanne F. Goldstein ’74, Massachusetts Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development
“
Give back whenever you can, whether it’s to a state or
”
to a city. If you ever have the opportunity to do public service, do it. 35
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