Steve Playl, Jr.

Steve Playl, Jr. was appointed Assistant Commissioner for the Division of Workforce Services at the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development in May 2021.

In this role, Assistant Commissioner Playl oversees the implementation of several federal and state workforce development programs in Tennessee. These programs support employers and a broad range of individuals engaging in the workforce, such as incumbent and dislocated workers, in- and out-of-school youth, military veterans, justice-involved persons, apprentices, adult learners, and disadvantaged and historically marginalized individuals.

Throughout his career, Playl has worked in multiple national, state, and local leadership capacities focused on career education and workforce training.

Most recently, Playl served as Senior Director in the Division of College, Career and Technical Education (CTE) at the Tennessee Department of Education. In this role, he supported a holistic focus on college and career readiness through high-quality and industry-aligned CTE pathways.

Prior to this, Playl was Director of CTE for Bristol Tennessee City Schools and regularly partnered with workforce partners, higher education, and community organizations in Northeast Tennessee to expand early postsecondary and work-based learning opportunities for students. Playl is also a former high school teacher and coach with Knox County Schools in Knoxville, TN.

Playl currently serves on the national board for the ASE Education Foundation and has previously served on the national board of directors and on multiple working groups with Advance CTE. He has also worked with several workforce development and career education organizations, including the National Association of State Workforce Agencies, Association for Career and Technical Education, Jobs for the Future, New Skills for Youth, and the Coalition for Career Development Center.

A lifelong Tennessean, Playl now resides in the Nashville, TN area with his wife, Whitney, and their two sons, Grayson and Anderson.