east washington life
Meet Michael Covin
Helping DC Residents Find Jobs for a Better Life
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ard 7 resident Michael Covin spends much of his time helping others secure employment, training, and a better life. The Department of Employment Services Program manager has resided East of the River for more than10 years including a stint in Anacostia, Dupont Park and now Greenway. “We feel this part of the city has a quiet pride to it. We moved here because we chose to not because it was more affordable,” said Covin who lives in a three-bedroom semi-detached house with his wife, Dawn, and three daughters – Logan, Kaylan, and Aydan. Their oldest daughter, Christian, is currently studying at Temple University.
Early Life
Before moving to Southeast, Covin, a North Carolina native born in Fort Bragg to military parents, graduated from Fayetteville State University. After graduation,
by Anthony D. Diallo
Covin worked in New York City for a while then relocated to Logan Circle “before it became desirable” after following “the love of my life here because I had to be closer to her.” Dawn Covin, like her husband, was a military brat and no stranger to moving and relocating from time to time. The couple, who first met in North Carolina, did not hesitate to pull up stakes and move to Atlanta around 2009 for what they thought were better opportunities. It proved to be a mistake for the family after they learned that “Atlanta is not DC further south. There is only one DC!” “It was fine when I was making the same money I made in DC, but when I changed jobs and my salary changed [the Peach State experiment failed],” Covin said recalling his threeyear stint in Georgia as a Workforce Development Manager. The Atlanta experience, even with its significant southern charm and hospitality, made the
Michael and Dawn Covin
Covin family appreciate the DC area even more and particularly East of the River “where it reminds us of the South with its sprawling lawns.”
Public Servant
Michael Covin, far right; Dawn Covin in the middle; and their four daughters Christian, Logan, Kaylan, and Aydan.
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E a s t o f t h e R i v er D C N e w s . c o m
In his work for DOES, Covin, 52, covers and manages the American Job Centers that are located on Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue SE and Minnesota Avenue NE. He was promoted to this position in 2019 after serving residents for the prior five years as a DOES Workforce Development Specialist. It’s his job to make sure that District residents interested in various employment options are efficiently job-ready and appropriately trained. This entails leading clients from orientation and assessment. to services that include resume creation, interviewing skills, and online applications. He reviews hundreds of training folders each quarter to ensure strict Department of Labor compliance while providing millions of dollars in. Covin has touched the lives of literally thousands of residents in all wards of the city, honing their skillsets and assisting them to enhanced futures. Although Covin loves his job, he realizes there is a limit in the amount of people he can effective-
