Blog

Good things are happening at the N.C. Department of Transportation, and people are noticing.

I’m proud to announce the department received two national awards last Saturday night at the National Transportation Public Affairs Workshop in Boise, Id. NCDOT won “Best Photo” for an image of crews working hard to stabilize the mountains above I-40 in Haywood County after a rockslide shut down the road near the Tennessee state line last October. The department also won “Best Public Involvement Plan” for its Driving 95 campaign, which is currently under way and relies on broad public input to determine what type of improvements are needed along aging I-95 and how those improvements could be funded. It’s a great example of how NCDOT is trying to better engage citizens in an open and transparent way.

A NTPAW site selection committee also picked NCDOT to host the national conference in Raleigh in 2012. The department competed against four other states for the honor. The judges found NCDOT offered the breadth of expertise and the resources necessary to educate transportation communicators on the latest developments in their profession.

I congratulate for NCDOT for its great work and look forward to welcoming members of other state DOTs to North Carolina in 2012.

I rarely need to look far to find something to admire in our dedicated employees. Today I found it in the form of a marked donation box at the back entrance of our building.

A few days ago, Barbara Coram, Administrative Manager at the Mail Service Center, heard about a local business that was collecting new and gently worn closed-toe shoes to send to survivors of the earthquake in Haiti. Rather than just drop off a donation on her own, she asked co-workers if they thought it might make a good group project. They did.

So did the rest of us here at the Department of Administration. On behalf of our employees, I invite those who work for other agencies in the Administration Building, as well others who visit here, to join us in this simple humanitarian effort. Earthquake survivors need decent footwear to avoid additional injury from the debris that litters their communities. This small gift could go a long way toward helping Haitians heal from this tragedy.

Donations will be accepted through Feb. 25. We send our thanks to the kind folks at the Mail Service Center, and to Fleet Feet shoe store, which will arrange for the donations to be sent to Haiti. Involving us in your generous actions make us all better people.

The Department of Administration brought back an old tradition for this year’s holiday reception. For the first time in more than a decade, we invited colleagues to submit nominations for the DOA Employee of the Year. Joined by Zach Ambrose, Chief of Staff to Governor Perdue, I today presented the award to Stephanie Nantz, Assistant Director of the Youth Advocacy & Involvement Office.

Nantz, who joined DOA in 2005, was praised as an “unselfish supervisor who always puts others’ needs before her own.” This was especially seen this past year, when she stepped up to cover for a colleague who needed extended time off for a family emergency.

Nantz serves on several boards committed to youth advocacy and professional development. She is the lead staff person to the N.C. Child and Family Leadership Council and a facilitator with the Youth Accountability Task Force. She also volunteers her time with the Training Committee of the Grants Information Network, which has provided grant-writing programs to hundreds of North Carolina citizens through Wake Technical Community College.

A consummate professional who recently earned her Master’s Degree in Public Administration from N.C. Central University, she also is a classic practical joker, amusing colleagues with her quick wit and self-deprecating humor.

Other nominees were: Beth Allison, Human Resources Management; Felix DeSantis, Director of the Mail Service Center; Jill Hammergren, Agency for Public Telecommunications; Rod Helder, Director of Division of Non-Public Education ; Robert Matney, Division of Purchase & Contract; Glenda McLeod, Mail Service Center; Catherine Reeve, Director of the State Parking Division ; Greg Richardson, Executive Director of the Commission of Indian Affairs; and Charlie Smith, Assistant Secretary for Veterans Affairs.

Meeting our Governor’s Pages and learning about their goals is always one of the highlights of my week. As a career public servant, I appreciate the commitment of high school students from across our state who spend a week in Raleigh to learn about government from the inside.

This week, I had the chance to view this through the eyes and enthusiasm of a special Page:  Dominika Krizanovicova, a high school junior from Slovakia in Central Europe, who is attending Cape Fear High School as a foreign exchange student. In flawless English, she explained why this volunteer opportunity was an important aspect of her American experience.

“I am very interested in learning how government works here and look forward to meeting the Governor,” she said. “I saw her lead the Council of State meeting and was impressed by how authoritative she is. Women in our government are not as prominent.”

Dominika, who hopes to return to America to study law, was surprised by the accessibility of state government leaders and awed by the office towers that dot the city. “We do not have many tall buildings at home,” she said. “I looked out at the city from the 14th floor of the Archdale Building and was so impressed.”

In addition to spending a week in the State Capitol, Dominka has seen much of North Carolina and plans to visit the mountains over winter break with her host family. “I’ve also been to New York City and Myrtle Beach, S.C.,” she said. “I had hoped to visit California, too, but I think instead I will try to see North Carolina’s beaches, especially the Outer Banks. I want to see and remember all these good things from my time here.”

Charlie Smith could hardly believe his good fortune at featuring Tammy Duckworth, Assistant Secretary for Public Policy and Intergovernmental Policy at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, at the annual conference of the National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs (NASDVA) last week in Asheville.

“While she was speaking, I was just standing to the side, enjoying it,” recalled Charlie, Director of the N.C. Division of Veterans Affairs and immediate past president of NASDVA. “It was a complete surprise when she called me to the stage. She really got me.”

Duckworth presented Charlie with the prestigious Secretary’s Award, signed by General Erik K. Shinseki, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

“It means so much to receive this from Tammy, since she’s really one of us,” said Charlie, noting that Duckworth was previously director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs.

Charlie said he was especially proud that General Shinseki’s signature is on the plaque.

“I really have the highest regard for him,” he said of the former Commander of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “He lost half his foot in Vietnam when he was a young officer. He was going to be discharged for disability but he fought it. He stayed in a military hospital for 10 months and was able to rehab sufficiently to be deemed fit for military service.

“He went from there to four-star general,” Charlie said with evident admiration, “He’s just a hero’s hero.”

While he’d be loath to boast of it, Charlie also has a distinguished career of service, which no doubt earned him this high honor. We are fortunate that he has been Director of the state VA since 1989, served as assistant director the previous year, plus another 17 years as a District Service Officer in Kinston. Additionally, he served three years of active duty in the U.S. Army, including one year in Vietnam, and 23 years in the U.S. Army Reserve, from which he retired as a Colonel in 2006.

I always look forward to meeting the Governor’s Page assigned to the Department of Administration. These young people represent – consistently – the energy, enthusiasm and intellect necessary to ensure a bright future for our state.

To be honest, though, I never really knew much about what they do outside of performing helpful clerical tasks and meeting Division leaders here at DOA. Today, by taking off my jacket and rolling up my sleeves, I found out.

Through the United We Serve volunteerism campaign, I enjoyed a special opportunity to accompany nine Governor’s Pages from across our state at the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle in Raleigh. In a short hour and a half, we packed 100 backpacks with nutritional weekend meals for qualified schoolchildren; sorted and repacked hundreds of pounds of donated summer squash; checked donated bread for freshness and bundled countless loaves for delivery, and even  scrubbed a mountain of plastic tubs and bins.

It sounds like a lot of work, but I think everyone there would agree that it also was fun. Pages shared stories about other volunteer and leadership activities in which they participate, and I got to hear about their plans for higher education and joining the workforce. As a career state employee, I encouraged them all to consider public service, since it is evident that they already understand the importance of doing their share to improve the public good.

If you need helping connecting with a volunteer organization that serves your community, please contact the Governor’s Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service (919-715-3470). Take it from me, you’ll be glad you got involved.

As chair of the 2009 State Employees Combined Campaign – and on behalf of our vice chair, Cultural Resources Secretary Linda Carlisle – I would like to invite all state employees to join us between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. July 31 for the annual Hot Dog Kickoff (PDF) event on the Bicentennial Plaza. Several participating charities will be there to talk about their programs, and hot dogs lunches will be sold for $1 each – with proceeds to benefit the SECC.

State employees have a proud tradition of supporting the SECC. Even during tough economic times, they contributed more than $5 million to the Campaign last year. The need for financial support among charitable organizations remains high as agencies struggle to meet the needs of constituents.

The SECC carefully screens its applicants to find those that meet community needs in the most cost-effective manner. It also has scrutinized its own operations, resulting in a leaner organization that, through reduced operating costs, will direct more resources to participating charities.

All state agencies have a Department Executive who coordinates its campaign with the help of Division Coordinators. If you are unsure who to contact within your Department and need help locating or completing your pledge form, call the SECC at 919-821-2886 or visit its website.

When Governor Perdue announced her support of President Obama’s “United We Serve” volunteer initiative, we immediately started looking for ways to get involved. We found our first opportunity just down the road in Fayetteville, where every member of my Executive Team joined me to help cook and serve meals at the State Veterans Nursing Home’s annual July 4th holiday cookout.

Joined by Charlie Smith, Director of the Division of Veterans Affairs, we were put to work right away. Donning aprons and paper chef hats, we grilled dozens of hamburgers and hot dogs, which were then served – with all the trimmings – to veterans and their guests in festively decorated dining halls.

I don’t mind telling you that it was hot work – but it also was fun and deeply rewarding. The veterans and their families expressed surprise and appreciation that state officials were on hand to help, and we also heard kind words from nursing home staff, who we hope got a little break from their daily duties.

The stated goal of United We Serve is to bolster civic engagement by empowering people to participate in service opportunities to address unmet needs in their communities. I encourage all DOA employees and other state workers to participate in this worthy program and to register their volunteer activities with www.serve.gov. I also remind them that, with supervisor’s approval, they may use community service leave to support a project during work hours.

The recent economic downturn has provided considerable challenges for the Department of Administration and all of state government. But it also has created opportunities to take a fresh look at the way we do business, including how we communicate and provide services.

Gov. Perdue has set high standards for accountability and efficiency in state government. Executive Order No. 3 requires Cabinet agencies to establish formal performance management plans. This week, DOA officially launched a new strategic planning initiative designed to streamline functions, increase transparency and improve customer services.

Each of our divisions will set performance goals that are directly linked to their missions. Taking into account our current challenges, as well as the considerable resources we are fortunate to have (namely, our people), we will plan changes to our business processes to enhance our service to our customers and make our operations more efficient.

On our public-facing website, we will post our strategic plan and update our performance measures periodically for maximum transparency. Additionally, we will revise our performance management system to ensure that every employee’s talents and experience are focused on contributing to our divisions’ performance.

The citizens and state agencies of North Carolina deserve nothing less than our best. By directing our unified efforts on tough but smart and achievable goals, we will make DOA an even more focused and effective agency.

Family reunions can be awkward when it’s not your family, but I have never felt so welcome as when I joined Commission of Indian Affairs Director Greg Richardson last weekend at the Haliwa-Saponi Pow-wow in Hollister.

I had never attended a pow-wow before and really didn’t know what to expect. What I found was a joyous celebration of the Haliwa-Saponi Indian Tribe, a culturally significant institution that not only reveres old ways but also embraces new opportunities to strengthen its people.

I was fortunate to arrive in time for the grand entry, a processional that focused on core traditions and values. While it spotlighted children, dancers and musicians in colorful regalia, I was particularly touched by its tributes to veterans and tribal elders.

Hard work and respect for tradition was evident in numerous special craft displays and cultural demonstrations, but is also is a cornerstone of everyday life for the Haliwa-Saponi. The community operates the only tribally-based charter school in North Carolina and is the largest employer in the Hollister area, administering a housing program, child daycare, and substance abuse and tobacco cessation programs.

While supported by the local community and tribes across North Carolina, the pow-wow also attracted tribal visitors from outside of the state and others interested in American Indian culture. It was clear that everyone present – myself included – enjoyed the crafts, food and folklore, making the pow-wow a great family gathering for any family.