issue 7 flying the coop - florida department of … · representatives, who worked together to...

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AN EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER July 2008 Volume 2 Issue 7 Because hurricanes, wildfires and tornadoes constantly threaten our state, DMS recently took a big step to minimize the impact disasters could have on the crucial services we provide to citizens of Florida. Over the last five months, DMS team members worked together with an outside consulting group to build the agency’s Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP). This COOP is a comprehensive and detailed plan outlining the steps each division takes in the event of an emergency or disaster. From unusable buildings at the Capital Circle Office Center, to evacuation of the entire city of Tallahassee, the COOP allows us to adapt our plan based on the type and impact of any disaster. Leading the charge for DMS is Joe Wright who, in addition to his duties as Chief Information Officer, also serves as IncidentCom- mander for the agency. Wright provided guidance and leadership to the more than 40 division and bureau representatives, who worked together to build their plans. Once completed, each division and bureau plan combined to form the final agency-wide COOP . “I am extremely proud of the hard work our division COOP coordinators put into this extremely important project,” said Wright. “Even though we hope we never have to activate our COOP , it’s a great feeling knowing we have one in place.” PUT TO THE TEST The only way to ensure the plan’s thoroughness is through an agency-wide COOP- training exercise. With the Executive Team leading the way, in June each division acted out its plan after be- ing presented with multiple disaster scenarios. Afterward, the teams discussed any gaps or mistakes in their plans and addressed them in their final report. Even though the exercise went well and the agency now has a COOP ready to go, the work doesn’t end here. In fact, it’s only just begun. “It’s important that all employees help their divisions keep our COOP up-to-date and accurate,” said Wright. “Employees should keep their contact information updated and talk to their managers to ensure their division has everything needed to continue operating in the event of an emer - gency.” No matter what event or crisis lies ahead, we should all rest a little easier knowing that DMS has a plan allowing us to continue serving those who serve Florida. FLYING THE COOP By James Miller CREATE A FAMILY EMERGENCY PLAN It’s important for each employee, to create a family emergency plan, if you haven’t done so already. To learn more about what should be included in your family’s plan, visit: www.FloridaDisaster.org/family. Got A Plan?

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Page 1: Issue 7 FLYING THE COOP - Florida Department of … · representatives, who worked together to build their plans. Once completed, each division and bureau plan combined ... S erve

AN EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER Ju l y 2008Volume 2

Issue 7

Because hurricanes, wildfires and tornadoes constantly threaten our state, DMS recently took a big step to minimize the impact disasters could have on the crucial services we provide to citizens of Florida.

Over the last five months, DMS team members worked together with an outside consulting group to build the agency’s Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP). This COOP is a comprehensive and detailed plan outlining the steps each division takes in the event of an emergency or disaster. From unusable buildings at the Capital Circle Office Center, to evacuation of the entire city of Tallahassee, the COOP allows us to adapt our plan based on the type and impact of any disaster.

Leading the charge for DMS is Joe Wright who, in addition to his duties as Chief Information Officer, also serves as IncidentCom-mander for the agency. Wright provided guidance and leadership to the more than 40 division and bureau representatives, who worked together to build their plans. Once completed, each division and bureau plan combined to form the final agency-wide COOP.

“I am extremely proud of the hard work our division COOP coordinators put into this extremely important project,” said Wright. “Even though we hope we never have

to activate our COOP, it’s a great feeling knowing we have one in place.”

PUT TO THE TEST

The only way to ensure the plan’s thoroughness is through an agency-wide COOP-training exercise. With the Executive Team leading the way, in June each division acted out its plan after be-ing presented with multiple disaster scenarios.

Afterward, the teams discussed any gaps or mistakes in their plans and addressed them in their final report. Even though the exercise went well and the agency now has a COOP ready to go, the work doesn’t end here. In fact, it’s only just begun.

“It’s important that all employees help their divisions keep our COOP up-to-date and accurate,” said Wright. “Employees should keep their contact information updated and talk

to their managers to ensure their division has everything needed to continue operating in the event of an emer-gency.”

No matter what event or crisis lies ahead, we should all rest a little easier knowing that DMS has a plan allowing us to continue serving those who serve Florida.

FLYING THE COOPBy James Miller

CREATE A FAMILY EMERGENCY PLAN

It’s important for each employee, to create a family emergency plan, if you haven’t done so already. To learn more about what should be included in your family’s

plan, visit: www.FloridaDisaster.org/family.

Got A Plan?

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2008Priorities

1. Develop HR practices that recruit, retain, develop, recognize and reward employees making DMS a workplace of choice

2. Improve our contract management abilities3. Create a strong strategic plan for each

program area 4. Create world-class performance by

focusing on our core competencies 5. Improve our quality of services by measuring what matters

DMS SERVICE MOTTOWe Serve Those Who Serve FloridaDMS SERVICE VISIONEngaged Employees; Satisfied CustomersDMS SERVICE MISSIONProviding Smarter, Better, Faster ServicesOUR SERVICE PROMISETo Serve with CLASSC ommunicate Concerns ImmediatelyL isten, Learn and Grow TogetherA ct with Integrity and HonorS trive for GreatnessS erve with a Servant’s Heart

It’s the beginning of a new fiscal year with changes for us here at DMS. Recentlegislation changes the Shared Resource Center to the Southwood Shared Resource Center (SSRC). Its management changes from us here at DMS to a board of directors. This new governance means that while we will support them administratively, the customer-represented board will set its policies. This is an ideal situation for this type of service. Who better to make decisions than the customer?

Our role is to ensure a smooth transition. What makes us so unlike other agencies? Lots of risk; less than exciting subject. We play a valuable, behind-the-scenes role to make certain state government runs smoothly. The transition of the SSRC to continue its mission means support from us. And I am proud of the dedicated team there who will make this happen.

As you enjoy vacations this summer and time to yourself or with loved ones, remember how precious our time is here. We have only one opportunity to put our very best forward for the people of Florida – let’s keep up the momentum!

Secretary South enjoys the Fourth of July in the Florida Panhandle.

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meetCharles Ghini

DIRECTOR OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND

RADIO SERVICES

Just what does the Director of Telecommunications and Radio Services do?

I oversee three different areas: SUNCOM telecommunications products and services, Statewide Enhanced 911 (E911) Coordination and the Statewide Law Enforcement Radio System (SLERS).

What takes up most of your time each day?

Reading my e-mail. I receive e-mails from all agencies, counties and customers throughout Florida. The e-mails span from new services people want, to requests for improvements to those services, or simply needing help with something. As product manager for MyFloridaNet, I oversee the product development, which means a large amount of the e-mails I receive I have to take care of myself.

What is the best thing about your job?

The people. When you satisfy a need or make someone happy with your services, it gives you a good feeling. I also enjoy the engineering part, when I have time.

Where are you from originally and how did you land at DMS?

I grew up in Nice, France. I started going back and forth from Nice to the U.S. in July 1981. I became interested in engineering at an early age and ap-prenticed for Boeing in Nice when I was 13. Thanks to a family friend I was able to come over and learn more about engineering. I went to college at Lively Technical Center and Florida State University (FSU), both in Tallahassee, where I earned two bachelor's degrees in computer science. From there, I got a job with the state here in Tallahassee.

What motto do you try to live by?

For work, “Work the problem,” and at home, “Work to live not live to work.” I don’t always succeed at the latter but I definitely try.

What is a unique or startling fact about you that people may not know?

I am a motorcycle fanatic, and I own two motorcycles.

What's the last book you read or movie you watched?

The last book I read was The Universe In a Nutshell by Stephen William Hawking. My wife and I recently watched the movie, The Illusionist.

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By Barry Krauss, Chief Learning Officer

After several months of work, we selected a Learning Management System (LMS) for DMS, called “MOODLE." A LMS is Web-based software that provides a virtual university-like environment for learners, and many features for learning administrators.

Now I know you are thinking, “What’s a MOODLE?” and I’m glad you asked. MOODLE stands for…hey, did you really think I was going to spell out a long acronym using a bunch of words no one understands but me? What’s important to know is that MOODLE supports the development of learning communities, and when you think about it, DMS is a collection of learning communities.

That’s why we’re calling our MOODLE site the DMS Learning Place. We have many service areas at DMS and each is different. It can take time for our people to develop their professional expertise. The DMS Learning Place supports that in an easy-to-use and flexible online environment.

So what else is in it for you? You can share your professional knowledge and expertise with others in your learning community. We can extend these learning opportunities to our customers, whether they are state employees in other agencies, other branches of government or citizens.

You’ll hear more details about all this very soon. If you are one of those early adopter types or if this article makes you want to share your knowledge, please contact me immediately and we’ll meet at the DMS Learning Place.

youAre braincandy

MOODLEin thefor learning?

RED, WHITE AND GREEN By Melissa Leon, Office of Supplier Diversity

The Fourth of July makes us think of fireworks, parades, barbecues, picnics and baseball games as we celebrate U.S. Independence Day. While a great deal of emphasis is on the red, white and blue this month, many small and minority businesses are on the hunt for the "green" and struggle to survive among budget cuts and downsizing.

Through its new “Measuring What Matters” campaign, the Office of Supplier Diversity (OSD) is geared up to help them find more of the money they need. We continuously improve how we track positive “matchmaking” results between minority vendors and purchasing officials who participate in the state’s regional one-on-one sessions.

During those 15-minute sessions, minority vendors meet buyers who need what the vendors are selling. As a result, “matches” are made, contracts are signed and minority vendors gain more business. Unfortunately, OSD is not always aware of these success stories.

Thanks to an improved evaluation and analysis process, we now capture information on our customers’ business income, number of years in business, minority designation, education level, age and gender. We review comments and suggestions from vendors on ways to improve what we do.

More importantly, as the latest evaluation results reveal, business owners are extremely pleased with the events we sponsor, especially the one-on-one sessions, and find them beneficial. Since our tracking started in April, we identified two matches so far between vendors and spenders. With MatchMaker 2008 just around the corner in November, that number is sure to rise.

diversitydetails

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D E P A R T M E N T O F M A N A G E M E N T S E R V I C E S

june accomplishmentsHMO Rate Renewal – Negotiated lower HMO rate renewals for State of Florida benefit coverage; estimated savings of $55 million over the next calendar year and savings projections total $230 million over the next four years.

DMS COOP Tabletop – Finalized Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) and conducted a leadership tabletop exercise to prepare for time of emergency.

Long Distance Network – Dismantled the former statewide long distance network, which results in $1.5 million in cost avoidance.

Partnerships with Independent Groups – Strengthened our communications and understanding of the types of administrative services we provide to independent entities (like the Florida Commission on Human Relations) through letters and memoranda of understanding.

NASTD Conference presentation – Attended the North American State Technology Direction (NASTD) Conference in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Vision Insurance – Finalized the contract for supplemental vision insurance; provides a slightly greater level of benefit at a lower cost than the previous vision plan. Employees will have the option of a materials-only plan.

Bureau of Aircraft Operations – Logged 95.1 hours in June and ended the fiscal year with a total 1,047.5 flight hours, an increase of 36 flight hours from last fiscal year.

Vendor Teleconferences "Fireside Chats" – MyFloridaMarketPlace expanded its customer service outreach with new “Fireside Chats.” (Read more in DMS Happenings, page 8.)

Combined Fuel and Ramp Fees Cost – Decreased the average monthly Combined Fuel and Ramp Fees Cost per flight hour by $23 (3.1 percent); a change in aircraft fueling procedures in March 2008 by using less expensive bulk rate fuel.

OSD Link – Distributed the online newsletter, OSD Link, to more than 4,100 women and minority business enterprises.

We collect accomplishments from each division at the end of the month. Contact your supervisor if you have something to add to the monthly report.

File documents digitally, rather than print them out. Save files as portable document files (PDFs) and keep them in folders on your hard (or external) drive to save paper and printer ink. It also makes it easier to keep track of things. Ask your supervisor for help if you’re not sure how to do this on your computer.

GreenGoing tip

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The Bob Martinez Center i n Ta l l aha s see

The Bob Martinez Center, formerly known as the Twin Towers/DEP Lab office complex, in Tallahassee is a six-story 238,000 square foot building that sits on 10 acres and houses 800 employees. The Department of Children and Families and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) were the first to move in, and by the late 1970s, DEP occupied the entire building.

The Department of General Services, now known as DMS, bought the building in the early 1980s. Since 2003 we made many improvements, including a new chiller plant, new insulation, interior painting, new ceiling tiles, new carpet and more. DEP and Leon County helped us recycle all the old carpet.

In March 2007, the legislature renamed the building the Bob Martinez Center, in honor of Florida’s former governor, who served from 1987 to 1991. Martinez worked to protect and preserve Florida’s environment and natural resources. The environmental efforts he made during his time as governor still protect our great state today.

Tyler Gray, Facility Manager, who has served the state for 37 years, oversees daily operation. Tyler worked at DMS for 28 of those years and as Facility Manager for 16. Randy Blake, 16 years of state service, and Sheldon Bratcher, three years, are Maintenance Mechanics who assist Tyler with the day-to-day operations.

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KEEPIN'itfriendlyin the cubesThese ground rules for cubicle dwellers help us be good neighbors and get our work done.

PRIVACY • Act as though cubicles have doors and enter only with permission.

• Announce yourself at the doorway or lightly knock on the wall so folks don’t feel like you are sneaking up behind them.

• Come back another time if someone is on a phone call rather than waiting outside the cubicle.

• Resist commenting on questions or conversations you overheard in a cubicle near you, or reading someone’s computer screen.

PHONES • Set your phone’s ringer volume on low.

• Use your handset, not the speakerphone, for conversations and checking voicemail. If you must use a speakerphone, keep the volume as low as possible and try to use meeting rooms for conference calls.

• Keep your voice quiet when talking on the phone.

• Set cell phones on low or vibrate, and always turn to off or vibrate before you leave your cube.

• Limit personal calls from your workspace. TALKING • Be aware that your voice projects and a loud voice makes working conditions difficult for your co-workers.

• Move to a conference room or break room for impromptu meetings, rather than talking through cubicle walls or gathering at one cubicle.

• Take clients to an office or conference room instead of meeting in your cubicle.

GENERAL NOISE • Play radios, compact discs or Internet radio at low volumes or use headphones.

• Set your PC volume to a low level and turn off screensaver sound effects.

• Avoid quirks like gum-popping, humming, slurping, burping and pen-tapping that may annoy a neighbor.

SMELLS • Use scented personal products like perfume or aftershave lightly. Your neighbors may have allergies.

• Avoid strong food odors at your desk that might bother your neighbors.

Source unknownSubmitted by Director of Administration Debra Forbess

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DMShappenings

Phat Ho, front, and Willie Hunter, Real Estate

Our grounds crew at the Capital Circle Office Center in Tallahassee replaced 84 Maple trees that were not doing well with Southern Live Oaks.

L-R: Amel Lollie, Albert Jones, Derian Bonds and Jeremiah Gee, Real Estate

Tiffany Planner, daughter of Rose Planner, Finance and Accounting, is a member of Girl Scout Troop 349. She and other troop members recently donated 66 inches of hair to Locks of Love. Congratulations to them all for their terrific generosity to a good cause.

PFC Charles M. “CJ” McCannon, husband of Joelle McCannon, CITS, graduated from the U.S. Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia, June 6. PFC McCannon will be assigned to the 153rd Cavalry National Guard Armory post in Tallahassee upon completion of Airborne Training. Congratulations!

The Governor’s Commission on

Disabilities was created in 2007 to advance

public policy and work within state agencies and

organizations on behalf of Floridians with

disabilities. Read the Commission’s 2008 report

online at http://dms.MyFlorida.com/other_pro-

grams/commission_on_disabilities.

The MyFloridaMarketPlace (MFMP) team expanded its customer service outreach with new “Fireside Chats” (teleconferences) for vendors. With more than 100,000 vendors, MFMP needed to reach as many as possible at one time to share information about how they can do business with the state. Since the first call May 14, the number of participants grew from 10 to 123 (full!) July 9. Way to go MFMP team members Rachael Lieblick, Amy Smyth, Eric Swanson and Kim Koegel with Accenture, our vendor for MFMP, who made this happen.

MFMP recently had visitors from the Singapore Ministry of Trade and Industry. They learned about MFMP, the state’s online, purchasing system for govern-ment agencies and vendors. Team MFMP explained our leading edge technology and how we provide reliable and accurate information for buying professionals to negotiate contracts. Congratulations to the entire MFMP team for a great product that attracts international attention!

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Bond Thornton, Real Estate, and his mini macaw, Cosmo, like to mentor children. Bond tells children macaws like Cosmo live in the wild in Central America and have a life expec-tancy of 30 to 50 years. Cosmo is now 11 and Bond got him at two weeks out of the egg. He eats mostly seeds and fruit. Cosmo doesn’t ride on Bond’s motorcycle with him, but he loves to ride in the golf cart when Bond plays.

At a recent mentoring session, one young boy looked at Cosmo, the mini macaw and asked Bond Thornton, Real Estate, "Are you a pirate?"

RETIREMENTSThe Real Estate division sends two employees off to retirement this month. Emory Stansell ser ved the state 13 years, and Harry Pounsel ser ved the state 12 years. Thank you both and enjoy retired life!

EMPLOYMENT ANNIVERSARIESBob Ferrell, CITS, celebrated 34 years of service with the state July 16. We appreciate your commitment, Bob!

Wanda Spencer, Finance and Accounting, celebrated 14 years of service June 10. Thank you, Wanda, for being part of our team!

Anita Richardson and Marian Deadwiley, Human Resource Management, celebrated one-year anniversaries with DMS, June 25 and June 26 respectively. Thanks for your service!

job changesNew Hires/

Real Estate New Hires:Demar Jackson – Twin Towers BuildingJeremy Tharpe – HVAC SectionVicki Wilson – Jacksonville Regional Service CenterEddie Dorsey – Grounds SectionKevin Robinson – Fort Myers

Human Resource Management New Hires: Rich PughDonna O'SteenMatthew Gregory

Governor's Commission on Disabilities Job Changes:Helen Cooper, Administrative Assistant to Office ManagerStacia Woolverton, Receptionist to Administrative Assistant

Rachel John, Retirement, and her groom, Nick, in 2004.

WEDDING ANNIVERSARIESRachel John, Retirement, and her husband, Nick, celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary July 17. Congratulations!

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OUTSSHOUT Thanks to Sarah Hamilton and Mary Jordan in CITS who do an awesome job helping the Communications Team post things quickly to our DMS Web site, like this monthly newsletter, news releases and more. We appreciate your excellent customer service!

Thanks Suzetta Furlong, People First, and Ann Barfield, Office of the Secretary, for outstanding customer service July 3 to a frantic retiree who feared he was without health insurance. Ann’s Southern TLC calmed him while Suzetta worked to correct the problem in about two hours.

From Debra Forbess, Director of Administration:Big round of applause to the Planning and Budget Team for all of their hard work and efforts to put on a fantastic workshop! Thanks also to our guest speaker, Barry Krauss, Chief Learning Officer, who helped all of us get a better understanding of his role and the exciting new learning management system he is launching for us.

SUNCOM made many changes during the past 18 months that impacted invoicing. They bill approximately $62 million in services each year, which is about $12.4 million per year per staff member on the invoicing team. One staff member handles collections. Laura Towne, Supervisor for the SUNCOM Network Invoicing Section sends her thanks: I want to extend my gratitude for all the hard work of the CITS SUNCOM Network invoicing staff - Carolyne Briggs, Lona Rusk, Ursula Bennett, Karen McDaniel and Arleatha Bronson - who handle invoicing for SUNCOM's long distance and data services.

Thanks to Carol Beck, governor’s mansion, who gave Teresa Douglas Shipley, Orange County Public Schools, and her daughter an “amazing tour.” The highlight of their Tallahassee trip was a visit to the mansion and Carol’s tour “impressed them beyond any expectations” they had. Good job, Carol!

Congratulations to Mark Foss, State Purchasing, who received the PMP certification.

Congratulations to DMS team members in Real Estate who hold the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification:Randall Baker - Sept. 5, 2007Andrew Collins - June 30, 2008James Finch - June 17, 2008Dan Hedrick - June 23, 2008Dean Izzo - Sept. 15, 2006Joanna Price - Nov. 2, 2007Kenneth Taite - April 25, 2008Bond Thornton - Feb. 12, 2008Josh Yaffin - July 2005

Congratulations to Jim Den Bleyker, State Purchasing, on his recertification – and his 20th year – as a Certified Public Purchasing Officer! Jim spent the last 17 of those years in State Purchasing, and we benefit from his mentoring and dedication to the purchasing profession. Congratulations, Jim, and thanks for your commitment!

E-mail from Thomas Philpot, governor’s office to Cathy Schroeder, DMS Communications DirectorThank you! I cannot thank you and your team enough for your incredible help on this event! We appreciate your accommodating us on such short notice.

Secretary South, Ken Granger, Chief of Staff, and Josh Yaffin, Real Estate, attended the summit. Andrew Collins, Real Estate, helped with Web updates to the Serve to Preserve site during the summit. We appreciate everyone at DMS who helped us help Governor Crist and his team succeed.

Great big thank you to Financial Management Services' Mitchell Clark and Donna Bishop and their staff for coming through real large during the closing of fiscal year 2007-08. Thank you for catapulting me into the "Zone of Delight." From Brenda Jackson, Finance and Accounting (Shout Outs continued page 11)

Governor Charlie Crist discusses Florida's energy and economic future at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Serve to Preserve

Florida Summit on Global Climate Change.

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E-mail to Charles Covington and Stu Potlock from Clare McGrane, Pinellas County Purchasing Department: Gentlemen: I would like to thank you for having some great employees. In particular: Mark Foss and Leon Simmonds. Whenever I have a question on one of their contracts, I receive an answer the same day. I always thought that service from the Capital might be slow since you are the Big Guys. I’m happy to learn that isn’t so. Keep up the good work and the great customer service!

During May and June, MyFloridaMarketPlace conducted 10 trainings with 114 attendees. They got an average evaluation score of 4.67, with many comments and feedback. One of the best was “great use of plain language.” A special thanks to Debbie Gries, Kasey Bickley and Anne Rabon for orchestrating these sessions.

E-mail from Doug Black, Department of Health: I want to take this opportunity to thank the staff of the Buyer Help Desk for all the assistance provided to me and the Department of Health MFMP users. We appreciate your dedication to supporting our agency in the MyFloridaMarketPlace. Well done.

announcementsENERGY REDUCTION POLICY

Be sure to keep these things in mind to help reduce our energy use:

1. Temperatures are set two degrees higher during the summer and two degrees lower during the winter to reduce overall energy use.

2. After-hours air conditioning requests are approved only for official business that includes direct contact with the public.

3. Space heaters, refrigerators, hot plates and other unnecessary small appliances cannot be used in individual offices.

4. Turn off personal computers, lights, printers, etc. when leaving for the day.

5. Use Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs) in all personal desk lamps.

6. Open window blinds to let in outside light and warmth during the colder months, and close them to a 45-degree angle, with the outer edge of the blade turned down, during the warmer months to decrease heat gain in the building.

We encourage everyone to consider alternative transportation and telecommuting/flexible work schedules for qualified employees. Read the complete memo from Real Estate at http://dms.MyFlorida.com/business_operations/real_estate_development_manage-ment/facilities_management/energy_initiatives.

2008 GUBERNATORIAL FELLOW JOINS TEAM DMS

Twelve students from across the state are selected through a competitive application process to serve in Governor Crist’s 2008 Gubernatorial Fellowship Class. Fellows are matched with projects based on their expertise and interest. They are treated as high-level staff and are expected to participate, perform and contribute at that level. The program provides leadership experiences to outstanding Florida graduate and undergraduate

students interested in public service. We are fortunate to have one of this year’s outstanding Fellows working with us.Karen Modzelewski, a 2008 Fellow, recently joined Team DMS. Karen received her bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Florida in 2005

and is currently pursuing her Masters of Public Administration degree at Florida State University (FSU). Before starting at FSU, she worked with a national non-profit as a recruiter and support drive coordinator. Welcome, Karen, and thanks for serving DMS!

SHOUT OUTS continued

Public TransportationIf you can, use public transportation to get to and from work. Save gas and wear and tear on your car and put extra “green” in your pocket! Tallahassee's bus service is StarMetro. http://www.talgov.com/starmetro/index.cfm Check information for your area at www.commuterservices.com or www.commuterservices.org

Department Of Highway Safety And Motor Vehicles Web SiteThe Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles released its new Web site with a user friendly layout, a “How Do I” section, and more. Check your driver license or vehicle registration, get live traffic and crash reports, find a convenient office, or contact them at www.flhsmv.gov.

Blood DriveThe next blood drive in Tallahassee is set for Aug. 14 at the Capital Circle Office Center. If you have questions or to sign up, contact Cindy Aaron. [email protected]

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JULY

BIRTHDAYS Recipe

A publication of the Department of Management Services Linda H. South, Secretary, ©2008 by the Department of Management Services, unless otherwise noted. No permission is required to excerpt or copy articles provided they are distributed at no additional cost.

Newsletter TeamCathy Schroeder, Communications Director • Linda McDonald, Deputy Communications Director • James Miller, Marketing and Communications Analyst • Linda Ogle, Creative Director • Vangie Felix, Graphic Designer II • Katelynn Ogle, Apprentice Graphic Designer • Olivia Townsend, Apprentice Graphic Designer • Charlotte Rakestraw, Graphics Design Apprentice

Larry Adams 15 Mindy Rudd 15 Tor Walker 16 Janet Marshall 16 Trish Shoemaker 18Derian Bonds 19 Janice Carraway 20 Christopher Carswell 20Mark Daniel 21 Sharon Heber 21 Catherine Burke 22 Chris Beers 22Secretary South 23 Michael Bell 23 Anita Richardson 23 Rob Reiding 23 William Kerr 25 Laura Towne 26 Joanna Price 27 Christine Boczarska 27 L.C. Weatherspoon 28 Enrique Guevara 28 Erin Thoresen 28 Sarabeth Snuggs 29Charlene Fansler 29 Michael Green 30 Karen McDaniel 31Geoff Amison 31

Adrienne Bowen 1 Tim Traylor 1 Willis McDaniel 1 Jonathan Howell 2 Sharon Larson 2 Elizabeth Hollihand 3 Travis Jones 3Jessie Austin 3Mack Williams 4 Ray Gross 4 Melvin Clemans 5 John Corbin 6 Tyson Pyke 6 Derrick Thomas 7 Samuel Towels 8 Andrew Collins 8 Crystal Cary 8 Al Rozar 9 Jeannie Demma 9Robert Schoon 9 Betty Brandon 9 BJ Borger 10Hilda Gaines 11Albert Jones 12 Aisha Wheatley 12 Patti Harrison 13 Roy Yoerger 13

Belated June BirthdaysPat Williams 4 Tanya Footman 7 Wanda Spencer 12 Linda Hinson 18 Calvin Anderson 26 Lisa Arnold 28

Are you or someone on your team celebrating a birthday? E-mail us at [email protected] so we

can include it in our next newsletter.

Here’s an easy pasta salad, perfect for summer picnics!

Pasta Salad1 bag/box tri-color pasta, cooked according to package directions, drained and cooled

1 pkg. Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix, prepared according to package directions

1 bag shredded carrots (matchstick carrots work, too)

Sliced black olives, as many as you like

Shredded parmesan cheese

Coarse ground black pepper

Combine pasta, carrots and olives in large bowl. Add dressing and stir. Flavor with pepper and cheese to taste and continue stirring in dressing. The cheese soaks up the dressing so watch that it doesn’t get too dry. Chill for an hour or two before serving.

Submitted by Linda McDonald, Communications

oftheMONTH

er v c e sS DEPARTMENT F MANAGEMENT