Reclamation Administrative Professionals Advisory Council (RAPAC)

Annual Training and Events – Foundation for the Future

Written by: Levi Hutchinson

Upper Colorado Region hosting RAPACThe Upper Colorado Region recently hosted the Budget Review Committee (BRC), Reclamation Leadership Team (RLT), and the administrative professionals throughout the agency during Administrative Professionals Week, April 25-29, 2016, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Commissioner Estevan López gave a brief background of the Administrative Support Career Management Program as a guide to promote peak performance and enhance career development. He then spoke of the important role administrative professionals have within Reclamation and how they help keep priorities and schedules moving – including his. In addition to the BRC and RLT meetings that took place, leaders thanked their assistants and recognized all individual Administrative Support Council (ASC) winners at the annual award ceremony before the Commissioner announced the two Reclamation-wide winners.

Early in the week, personnel from across Reclamation including ASC chairpersons, winners, and Executive Assistants learned more about communication from Equal Employment Opportunity Specialist, Tim Coplin; the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Programs from “Mr. Salty”, Kib Jacobson; and Water Leasing and Rights from Malcolm Wilson and Jeff Painter. Opportunities for the ASC chairs to network, share successes and failures from their perspectives in regards to the program, and game plan strategies to make it better, happened in an open environment. Linda McFarland and Stacy Leitner from Admin to Admin were brought in for a customized morning workshop helping attendees learn how to lead without authority and take control of their career road map.

This year’s field trip focused more on the agency’s on-the-ground efforts instead of visiting a dam. The group boarded a bus and headed south – first to the Provo Area Office, where Area Manager, Wayne Pullan welcomed everyone. Assistant Area Manager, Paul Christensen and Resource Management Specialist, Scott Blake gave an overview on energy efficiency and green building solutions. The Central Utah Water Conservancy District then provided an excellent and very high-tech presentation on Olmsted as if you could not only fly over, above, and through windows and walls but see through them with x-ray vision similar to the powers of Superman. This technology is not available to the public just yet, but plans are in place for others to be able to see what the attendees saw very soon. Attendees could visualize historical features that no longer exist to obtain a better idea of what the project once was. Afterwards, the group drove to Deer Creek Reservoir where Outdoor Recreation Planner, Valerie Heath-Harrision gave a presentation on invasive species, recreation rehabilitations, and partnerships. The trip ended with almost a hands-on learning experience from Richard Mingo and Paula Trater from the Utah Mitigation Commission educating us on wetlands and invasive species in regards to the Provo River Restoration Project.

Extended thanks goes out to all of those who helped make this happen including but not limited to Tara Ashby, Melynda Roberts, Beth Fox, Tina Villegas, Public Affairs, Human Resources, Information Resources and many more!

Reclamation’s Administrative Professional for 2015 – Charlotte Tucker, Lahontan Basin Area Office

Charlotte worked personally with stakeholders, was polite, competent, proud and excited; exhibited a wonderful attitude, and maintained a high degree of professionalism and exemplary customer service, resulting in positive office morale. A 13-year effort of a partial transfer from a Reclamation storage project comprised of 83,530 acres of Federal lands and irrigation features known as the Humboldt Projects, was completed successfully in 2015. Charlotte scanned records dating as far back as 1934 making them digital identified 300 project folders containing approx. 1,500 records located in an off-site warehouse. Charlotte independently created a tracking system before documents were transferred to the water district in order to carefully monitor the delivery and retrieval of the secured boxes. Charlotte showed integrity in her work thought her professionalism and courteous communications leaving a large footprint of success in the area office.

Reclamation’s Administrative Services Professional for 2015 – Alisha Daniels, Mid-Pacific Regional Office

Alisha’s individual expertise was fire-tested and proven more than once in 2015. The organization saw a 44 percent increase in Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, many drought related and complex. Alisha reviewed over 50,000 pages both in scope and volume, of information for release. When a determination was challenged by a requester in the District of Columbia Federal Court, her efforts ensured the exemption was solid and the courts found Reclamation in favor of their original decision. Referred to as “one of the best organized filing stations reviewed to date” by the Regional Records Officer, her organizational skills are flawless. As a closely watched metric by the Department, she conducted a complete review of existing correspondence, re-wrote, and added the mandatory language to incorporate the new statutory requirements helping the FOAI program maintain a zero backlog status for the 4th year in a row. Alisha strives to improve her value to the organization and succeeds. Her enthusiasm and determination are wonderful assets to the MP Region.

Published on June 02, 2016