The Eastern Connecticut Workforce Investment Board announced Tuesday that its board has unanimously appointed Michael Nogelo as president and CEO, following a search process that ended in late 2022.

Nogelo, who worked as an associate and senior associate at Cross Sector Consulting from 2005 to 2022, fills the vacancy left by the resignation of Mark Hill, who became president and CEO in 2020 when John Beauregard “retired” and became a special advisor.

According to board meeting minutes, the executive committee in September accepted Hill’s resignation due to ongoing health issues. The committee engaged human resources consulting firm Foster & Associates to help with the search process, and senior management jointly handled leadership roles in the interim.

Nogelo, who started in December, said in a press release he was honored to join an innovative organization and to work with its board and staff to build on EWIB’s successes.

“At the same time, we must work together to adapt to the rapidly changing needs of our businesses and workers,” he said. “We will continue to promote economic mobility and equity and elevate our region’s economy by constantly striving to provide the best and most accessible workforce services.”

He told The Day the culture and values of the organization felt like a good match and Beauregard was a mentor to him. He added he was sort of an “extension of the team and got to know everybody” at EWIB when he previously worked with the organization as a consultant.

Nogelo holds a Master of Business Administration degree with a concentration in nonprofit management from the Yale School of Management and a bachelor’s degree from Williams College.

As a consultant, he supported the design, implementation and expansion of EWIB’s Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative, including helping write grant applications. Nogelo said keeping the MPI running is “definitely a top priority because (Electric Boat’s) needs and the supply chain’s needs are only going to get bigger in this year and the coming years.”

With Cross Sector Consulting, Nogelo also helped organizations such as the state’s other four workforce investment boards, Connecticut State Colleges and Universities, and the Connecticut Office of Workforce Strategy, with services such as strategic planning and fund development.

Nogelo said he has also done work with K-12 education, public health, youth services and social services.

“Michael understands EWIB’s values and priorities because, as an extension of the EWIB team, he has played an important role in what we have accomplished over the past 17 years,” EWIB Chairman Chris Jewell said in the press release. “His character, work ethic, and diverse skill set made him a natural choice to lead the organization into the future.”