dif ferenceThe dms

Calendar

a monthly newsletter for employees Vol 1 | Issue 9 | May 2012

Public Service Recognition Week (May 6-12)Celebrated in the first week of May since 1985, PSRW honors the men and women who serve our nation as federal, state, county, and local government employees.

Police & Firefighters Pension Trustee School (May 14-16)The 33rd annual Police & Firefighters Trustee School, which is sponsored by DMS in conjunction with the Florida State University Center for Academic & Professional Development, is designed to update police and fire pension representatives and members on system and benefit changes.

Greetings,

The week of May 6 through 12 marks Public Service Recognition Week, and May 9 is State Employee Recognition Day. As a 20-year state employee, I know the hard work and dedication of Florida’s public servants firsthand.

As the Governor stated in his proclamation, “the efficiency and effectiveness of government depends on public employees ensuring government services are accessible and responsive…” And here at DMS, we are leaders in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of government in our diverse program areas.

Thank you to all of our DMS team members across the state for the work you do every day.

I also recognize the hard work done by so many on our DMS Team during the Legislative Session.

Our divisions tracked 193 bills, of which 19 were passed by both chambers and 17 were signed into law by the Governor.

There was legislation passed and signed by the Governor impacting every area of our department. Two bills in particular that our team pushed forward were House Bill 7079, which cleans up previous legislation in the state retirement system, and House Bill 1261, which improves our human resources processes. Another bill affecting our team was House Bill 945, which transfers the broadband initiative to the Department of Economic Opportunity. I appreciate the work everyone is doing to implement these and other legislative changes.

For more information on legislation affecting DMS, read the 2012 Session Summary PDF.

Scott Stewart, Interim Secretary

Tallahassee MatchMaker and Luncheon (May 24)DMS State Purchasing Director Kelly Loll will provide welcome comments, and a representative from State Purchasing and MyFloridaMarketPlace will be on hand to support one-on-one appointments with vendors.

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Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day 2012More than 60 youngsters visited the Tallahassee offices of the Department of Management Services last month for the annual Take Our Daughters & Sons to Work Day event. Several children visited the Governor’s Mansion (pictured bottom left) and received a surprise visit by First Lady Ann Scott and the family dog.

DMS children also had an opportunity to take a tour of the Historic Capitol (pictured right), get fingerprinted by the Inspector General’s Office (left), learn about health insurance, visit with CCOC police officers, and learn about sign making in the DMS Sign Shop.

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Employee Spotlight

Q. In what division do you work and how long have you worked at DMS?A. I have worked for DMS for four years; however, I have been a state employee for 27 years.

Q. What do you do for your division?A. I work in the Workforce Development and Benefits section of HRM. As a Human Resource (HR)

Consultant, I am designated as the subject-matter expert in several areas of HR. I assist the State Personnel System (SPS) agency personnel offices with resolving questions and concerns as they relate to state HR operations, policies, and procedures. In addition, I monitor changes in federal and state laws that affect HR operations and advise our agencies accordingly through the issuance of Program Guidelines, Rule Interpretations, and Policy Clarifications. I also provide guidance on HR best practices through the development of manuals and guides for my functional areas.

I also work on special project initiatives for our section. A couple of the most recent initiatives I have worked on are E-Verify and the Social Security Alternative Plan for OPS employees. The latter resulted in a Davis Productivity Award for Anna Gray and myself.

Q. What would people be surprised to know about you?A. I am certified through the Society of Human Resource Management as a Senior Professional in

Human Resources (SPHR), and I am currently attending Tallahassee Community College (TCC) part time to earn my degree. I am an honors student at TCC and a member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society. Attending school has been a challenge with working full time and raising a family, but it is my goal to finish my bachelor’s degree within the next couple of years. I will be graduating from TCC in the spring of 2013 with my associate’s degree and plan to transfer to the University of Florida or Barry University upon graduation to complete my bachelor’s degree in Human Resources.

Q. Do you have any hidden talents? If so what are they? A. I am a fairly crafty person. I sew, crochet, draw and paint, do bead weaving, make jewelry, and

sculpt using polymer clay. I do not get to enjoy these activities as much as I would like to, but I squeeze them in as often as I can. I also enjoy cooking and fishing (not so much the cleaning part).

Q. What do you like best about working for DMS? A. The best part about working at DMS are the people I work with each day. I work with a great

group of people, and we are like family. In addition, I really like my work and enjoy helping my customers. The work is different every day. You never know what tomorrow will bring, and that keeps my work challenging, interesting, and enjoyable.

DMS’ Gubernatorial Fellow Lorraine Young holds her certificate alongside Governor Rick Scott, First Lady Ann Scott, and Lieutenant Governor Jennifer Carroll.

DMS’ Gubernatorial Fellow Hal Houston holds his certificate alongside Governor Rick Scott, First Lady Ann Scott, and Lieutenant Governor Jennifer Carroll.

(Left to right) Governor Rick Scott and First Lady Ann Scott pose with DMS General Counsel Jason Dimitris, State Purchasing Director Kelly Loll, Chief of Litigation Cliff Taylor, and Assistant General Counsel Kristin Klein.

Donna O’Steen Human Resource Consultant

Division of Human Resource Management Tallahassee, Fla.

Gubernatorial FellowsOn April 24, Florida’s 7th Class of Gubernatorial Fellows met with Governor Rick Scott, Lieutenant Governor Jennifer Carroll, and past Gubernatorial Fellows at the Governor’s Mansion for a reception for this year’s graduating class, which included DMS’ own Lorraine Young (General Counsel’s Office) and Hal Houston (State Purchasing).

For more information about DMS’ Gubernatorial Fellows, check out the February edition of the DMS Difference.

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in the Life of A Day

HillTJ

The DMS Difference recently spent a day with SUNCOM Specialist TJ Hill, who works for DMS’ Division of Telecommunications.

On any given day, Hill provides Engineering Support and Project Management for the SUNCOM Engineering Bureau by overseeing the process for evaluating new appliances, reviewing and summarizing products in the technology market, assisting in marketing for the Telecommunications Infrastructure Project Services, providing aid in SUNCOM assignments and migrations, working with projects for protecting the Capital Circle Office Center (CCOC) network, helping with CCOC troubleshooting and updates, and working in connection with the State Shared Resource Center (SSRC) for its engineering needs.

On this particular day, Hill made rounds at Buildings 4030 and 4050 in Tallahassee’s CCOC.

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7:29 a.m. – Arrives at work, the Division of Telecommunications’ Engineering Support Section

9:02 a.m. – Plugs in his test laptop for scanning a port’s network location

8:48 a.m. – Verifies data billing utilization information with a People First employee

9:24 a.m. – Records data from his earlier port scan

7:41 a.m. – Sits down to check e-mail before starting his day

8:37 a.m. – Takes the elevator up to the second floor to get to People First

8:17 a.m. – Receives a visit from Engineer David Radcliffe regarding an upcoming project for the CCOC

8:35 a.m. – Heads over to Building 4050 at the CCOC to check on network connections

8:41 a.m. – Moves his laptop and red testing cable into a cubicle to begin checking networks

9:29 a.m. – Inspects some wear and tear on a computer cable

9:17 a.m. – Maps out agency location for network map

3:11 p.m. – Logs in and updates his database with the new port information from the earlier port scan

11:11 a.m. – Takes a training session with David Radcliffe on how to write programming scripts

10:01 a.m. – Takes part in a conference call with DMS IT and David Radcliffe about migrating printer ports

3:28 p.m. – Examines the new APD setup for verifications

3:49 p.m. – Talks to Telecommunications Budget Analyst Karen Edwards about a tech purchase

2:31 p.m. – Talks to Nick Platt regarding ordering parts for SSRC reconfiguration

10:32 a.m. – Reviews configuration script for future migrations

9:31 a.m. – Talks to People First Director David DiSalvo about getting him a replacement Ethernet cable

3 p.m. – Discusses resolving preconfigurations for migrating a phone system with Phone Support Specialist Pete Sinclair

9:46 a.m. – Returns to his desk to schedule meetings with vendors

9:51 a.m. – Talks to Engineering Bureau Supervisor Nick Platt about heading up a new project

9:40 a.m. – Wraps up port scanning for the morning and responds to a few e-mails

2:39 p.m. – Checks status of a demo security appliance

2:52 p.m. – Traces a cabling pair from the cross connect to the patch panel for port verification

2:44 p.m. – Reassigns cables to redirect traffic for demo security appliance testing

4:36 p.m. – Reads and responds to e-mail before he leaves for the day

3:24 p.m. – Heads upstairs to the Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD) for a follow-up meeting with its IT team

11:28 a.m. – Discusses an upcoming event with Engineering Support Specialist Paul McGinniss

2:17 p.m. – Checks on e-mails that he missed while at his lunch meeting

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Scott Stewart, Interim Secretary

Michael Sivilla, General Counsel’s Office

Georgia Campbell-Thomas, Finance & Accounting

Casey Naylor, Real Estate

Claude Raley, Real Estate

Governor Rick Scott’s Lease Cost Savings Goal - $25,000,000

“We Serve Those Who Serve Florida”

*This represents a net reduction of 356,139 Square Feet of office space

$5 Million (20%)

(Stretch Objective)

$16.3 Million (65%)* as of April 27, 2012

Ending Date June 30, 2013

Beginning Date July 1, 2011

$20 Million (80%)

$25 Million (100%)

$30 Million (120%)

$10 Million (40%)

$15 Million (60%)

$12.5 Million (50%)

Recent HiresWayne Mitchell, State Purchasing

Marjorie Rubenstein, State Purchasing

Brian Lamb, State Group Insurance

Kelly Rau, General Counsel’s Office

Amber Jones, Retirement

ofThe Hat

Tip

Hats off to Mary Leslie from DMS

Communications for putting together

an excellent program for last month’s

“Take Our Daughters & Sons to Work

Day.” There was excellent feedback

from employees who were appreciative

of Mary’s organizing and chaperoning

throughout the event. The kids were

motivated and interested and were

very eager to interact and learn. Hats

off to all the presenters and those who

helped organize.

Many thanks to Taylor Ann Drew for

an outstanding presentation for the

children on Take Our Daughters &

Sons to Work Day. Taylor Ann, from

the Division of State Group Insurance,

explained the complicated topic of

health insurance and its importance

through an interactive game to several

of the children who attended her

session.

Kudos to Brittany Long from the

General Counsel’s Office, who received

commendation from the Department

of Veterans’ Affairs for her assistance

with questions related to bid protest

procedures and interpretation of

laws. In addition to her timely and

professional guidance, she provided

DVA’s General Counsel’s Office with

supplemental documentation and

references for future use and research.