February 9, 2021 From the left, Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted; Jennifer Oddo, executive director of the YSU Center for Workforce Education and Innovation; Lydia Mihalik, director of the Ohio Development Services Agency; and YSU President Jim Tressel. Ohio Lt. Governor Jon Husted joined Youngstown State University President Jim Tressel and other state and local officials today to highlight the Mahoning Valley’s numerous multi-million-dollar initiatives to develop a skilled workforce to meet the growing needs of the region’s emerging high-tech markets, including electric vehicle, battery and additive manufacturing. The news conference, which also included Lydia Mihalik, director of the Ohio Development Services Agency, was held inside the Excellence Training Center, now under construction on the YSU campus, and comes three weeks after Husted announced a $12 million community investment in the Mahoning Valley as part of General Motors’ repayment of tax credit incentives. The investment includes $5 million to YSU for workforce development and for the creation of the YSU Energy Storage Innovation and Training Center.