Taking chances, Making Change, Preparing Leaders!

President’s Pen April 2014 Issue 15

First, I would like to thank each of you for all the

help and support you have given me since I took office. I

am truly blessed to have taken over a successful chapter

where all our members work together and resolve our

differences in a productive manner. It is a chapter that is

fiscally sound, with a history of officers who have been

excellent stewards of our member’s dues and other

resources generated from fundraising efforts; a chapter

that has designed and implemented one of GAO’s most

well-known and well-respected community events; and a

chapter where current members have worked with and

Blacks in Government GAO–USACE Chapter

Save the Date!!

May 10

Region XI Council Mtg.

Come for Regional Representatives & Officer Leadership training! 10 a.m. NOAA bldg., 1325 East West Hwy., Silver Spring, MD

BIG NTI Event!

July 28 – 31

BIG Chapter Meeting!

May 6

The 36th annual BIG National Training Institute will be held in Las Vegas, NV. Network and earn valuable CPEs! See page 6.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

George Duncan – GAO Human Capital Office

African-American History Month Oratorical Contest Winners

4

Greetings from the Region XI Council President

6

Thoughts from Immediate Past Chapter President

8

USACE’s professional development programs for new hires

2

General meeting. Catch up on BIG Chapter events and business! 12 p.m., Room 4Y23

2

testified to Congress on inequality at GAO. To

be plain and simple, I have been given a gift I

do not have to fix; I can focus on the future

and that is what I intend to do. That being

said, I would like to discuss my vision for the

future and announce my selections for

standing committee chairs. My vision for our

chapter is outlined in three goals (1) advocacy,

(2) community service, and (3) professional

development. Below I have listed my ideas on

how we can achieve these goals, our

committees’ responsibilities, and our

leadership:

Did You Know? The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

(USACE) has entry-level, professional development programs of its own for

prospective employees. USACE offers the Pathways Internship

Program and two other programs for graduate students, the Recent

Graduates Program and Presidential Management Fellows (PMF)

Program. The PMF Program is the Corps’ flagship entry-level program designed to train future leaders with advanced degrees. Candidates can

posses a variety of degrees. For more information, go to

http://www.usace.army.mil/Careers/Internships.aspx

Two Reasons to Join BIG!!

Each year, BIG gives out awards to those who have made a major contribution to the goals and objectives of the organization. Regional councils and local chapters also recognize such achievements. These awards set role

models for excellence in government service.

BIG Recognizes Your Achievements

BIG Is An Opportunity

Advocacy

We must meet periodically and correspond with

the leadership of both GAO and the U. S. Army

Corps of Engineers (USACE), and increase our

scrutiny of information collected and

disseminated by the agencies. We should

improve our relationship with the Office of

Opportunity and Inclusiveness (OO&I) at GAO

and the Equal Opportunity Office at USACE

BIG is the chance you have been waiting for to step up and take your place in the loop. To be a

part of the fast-moving events that affect your world as a government employee, you need an organization like BIG that can speak for you and through which you can voice your views. If you are concerned about equity,

excellence, and opportunity in government, you should consider BIG.

Membership Fees:

$300 for Life Members,

$35 for Regular Members and $25 for

Associate

See Advocacy, page 3

3

and encourage them to aggressively

investigate and pursue matters of

discrimination. We should support

members in grievances and agency

disputes when members have no legally

designated collective bargaining

agreement (CBA) and encourage members

and constituents at both agencies that fall

under a CBA to not just seek available

union representation but also become

active union members, volunteer, or run

for union leadership positions.

We need to provide our members and

constituents an avenue to engage in

developing skills, mentoring, networking

and exploring career opportunities within

and outside of their perspective agencies.

We should be able to connect each of our

members with a technical expert, mentor,

counselor, and/or sponsor when needed or

desired. To do this, we need to start with

identifying professional development needs

and resources, and establish formal and

informal networking opportunities with the

purpose of bringing the two together.

Community Service

We must constantly serve our community,

which includes our members and always be

working to help others. Whether it is

feeding the homeless or taking a gift basket

to one of our members who is ill or has

suffered a loss, we should always be helping

those around us. As we know from our

experience, it is common for people to walk

past hundreds of people in need every day

but become emotionally overwhelmed by

poor children overseas. I would like us to

focus first on providing service to people

both inside and around the GAO building.

Within a few blocks of the GAO, we have

several homeless shelters, Walker-Jones

Elementary School, many churches, and

subsidized housing. We need to identify and

coordinate with existing programs where we

can deploy volunteers and make an

Professional Development

Community Responsibilities and Leadership

No one person can accomplish these goals;

it will take all of us. In fact, it will take

more resources than we currently have,

and that it is why it is imperative that we

increase not only the numbers but also

active participation of members. Our work

will be done through committees, and I

would like to announce the leaders of the

committees and their primary

See Committee Chairs and Appointments, page 5

immediate impact. We also need to identify

our constituents in need of help. Whether it

is an employee in need of school supplies

for a child or someone with an illness

needing a dependable ride to a doctor’s

appointment, we need to help each other.

Advocacy, from page 2

4

Students Speak Up at Oratorical Contest

Sheila Douglas’s eyes were beaming with

pride as she looked on as her daughter Sierra

Douglas posed for a photograph on stage, holding

her first-place award with Comptroller General

Gene Dodaro for the 25th annual oratory contest

for African-American History Month. Since 1989,

123 students have participated in the event, which

BIG Region XI Council President Shirley Jones

has organized for more than 20 years. This year’s

theme: Civil Rights in America: Commemorating

the 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of

1964. “I’m excited for her,” said Ms. Douglas

as she watched her daughter receive the award

for her oration. “She works very hard. She

enjoys [speaking] and history.” The event also

featured young orators from Mary McLeod

Bethune Middle School. English teacher Ms.

Ariel Scruggs Stone led her students, Kamynah

West, Raianna Canaday, Cashay Warren, and

Nyla Ayers to public speaking before a GAO

audience. “I think it’s a tremendous opportunity

for GAO,” said Ms. Douglas about the contest.

It is important that the federal government

develop partnerships with schools in the District

of Columbia, she added, “and I’d like to see it

continue.”

Judge Phyllis Anderson (far left) and Shirley Jones (far right) pose with Banneker Academic Senior High School seniors (from left) Naomi Clark, Ronald Arbertha, Sierra Douglas, and Jason McKenzie.

Honorable Mention, Jason McKenzie, who emigrated from Jamaica to the United States with his family, speaks at the lectern. Naomi Clark (seated second from right) earned 3rd place.

English teacher Ariel Scrugss Stone (seated first from left) watches as her middle school students speak before the GAO audience.

GAO Comptroller General Gene Dodaro presents Sierra Douglas with the 1st place award. Ronal Arbertha (seated right) received 2nd place.

5

Program and Planning LaDon Williams, Chair

Committee Chairs and Appointments, page 3

This committee is responsible for developing

and implementing all the community service

and professional development programs

needed to achieve the goals of the chapter.

The committee will be charged with

developing plans for programs that will

accomplish our community service and

professional development objectives. Once

these plans are certified as feasible by the

finance committee and approved by the

Executive Committee, they will be staffed by

member volunteers for implementation.

Finance Committee Mary Crenshaw, Chair

This committee is responsible for the

financial accountability of the chapter. It

will determine the cost and feasibility of

chapter programs and will report their

impacts to the general membership. The

committee will work closely with the

treasurer and may make

recommendations to the Executive

Committee on financial matters, such as

allocation of funds and transfers of funds

between accounts.

This committee will be responsible for

communicating to the chapter

membership, the media, and other

external bodies. The committee is

responsible for the chapter newsletter,

website, Facebook page, and other

traditional and electronic communication

modes. All public statements representing

the chapter will be approved by the

Executive Committee and in accordance

with BIG National policies.

Communications and Public Relations Committee Rochelle Bryant, Chair

Membership Committee, Danny Baez, Chair This committee is responsible for

developing and implementing membership

drives, collecting applications, and

assuring that all GAO/USACE members

are assigned to the chapter and reflected

in the national membership roster.

Affirmative Employment/Equal Opportunity Committee John Townes, Chair

This committee’s sole focus will be on

advocacy. The committee will meet

periodically and, with the leadership of both

GAO and the USACE, increase our scrutiny

of agency diversity statistics and improve our

relationship with OO&I at GAO and

See Committee Chairs and Appointments, page 6

committees and their primary

responsibilities. Please see the back of the

newsletter for the list of Executive

Committee members and my appointments.

the Equal Opportunity Office at USACE.

The committee will also support members

in grievances and agency disputes when

members have no legally designated

collective bargaining agreement and

coordinate with the respective unions on

issues concerning our members and

constituents.

Committee Chairs and Appointments, from page 5

But, we shouldn't be surprised

by the question. If the election of the

first African-American President of the

United States, the Stone of Hope

Memorial to Dr. King on the National

Mall, and other successes provide

ammunition to question the continuing

need to celebrate African-American

History Month, then what would make

BIG immune from similar questioning?

Importantly, such questioning does,

however, provide a clear opportunity to

explain our historical purpose and how

we have evolved to continue to meet

the changing needs of our members

and the government community at

large.

Is Blacks In Government (BIG) still

a relevant organization? Of course

it is.

Shirley Jones, Region XI Council President GAO Office of General Counsel

Continued; see BIG, page 7

For additional information concerning BIG’s 2014NTI please E-Mail Mr. Richard Shields

Richard.Shields@bignet.org or go to http://www.bignet.org

6

7

General meeting. Catch up on BIG Chapter events and business!

12 p.m. Room 4Y23

Organizations like BIG are

borne out of necessity. In fact, BIG

was created in 1975 and incorporated

as a nonprofit in 1976 to address a

wide assortment of racially motivated

problems faced by Black employees

throughout government that were not

being addressed individually. And,

since its creation BIG has served as

the foremost advocate for equal

employment opportunity for Black

employees within the government

and has provided a nonpartisan

platform for the discussion of

significant issues affecting

government employees across the

board. In sharp contrast, and in

response to a question sometimes

posed, I suspect there has been no

"Whites In Government" organization

because as a group they have not

similarly faced the same level of

racially motivated problems and

issues. Therefore, such an

organization would serve no clear

purpose as BIG does. But

organizations dedicated to issues

women face, like Federally Employed

Women (FEW), also continue to serve

important purposes for similar

reasons.

Thankfully, race relations

are not the same now in 2014 as

they were in 1975. Of course, most

employees do not experience the

same overt discrimination that

existed when BIG was created but

those "unwritten rules" and

practices that allow subtle

advantages for some and subtle

disadvantages for others still

remain. Over time those subtle

disadvantages can have the same

impact. That fact is proven by

OPM's Federal Equal Employment

Opportunity Recruitment Report

which shows that when broken out

by grade, the highest number of

Black employees remain in the

lower grade positions; and the EEO

Complaints Processing Report from

the EEOC which shows that

retaliation, age discrimination, and

race discrimination are the most

common complaints filed.

So, BIG remains relevant

because the need still exists.

Importantly, BIG has evolved to

provide a broader array of career

development training, mentoring,

networking, and advocacy for the

BIG, from page 6

Continued, page 8

8

employees we serve. Our challenge is to

make sure that BIG's history, relevance,

and services are clearly understood and

that we are geared at all levels -chapters,

regions, and nationally - to satisfy the

needs of both our emerging leaders and

our more seasoned employees.

As of January 2014, our chapter has a

new president. I hope all of you will join me in

supporting George Duncan in the coming

years as he works to continue our chapter’s

long history of promoting professional

opportunities, career development and

community service among African Americans

in GAO and USACE. I am sure many of you

know George: He is currently serving as

Program Manager for Diversity and

Inclusiveness in GAO’s Human Capital Office

(HCO). Formerly, he was a senior analyst

within GAO’s Defense Capabilities and

Management Team (DCM). Furthermore, he

has served as an informal mentor to countless

GAO staff, many of them African-American

men trying to navigate their careers at GAO;

the African-American representative on the

Diversity Advisory Council; the Second Vice

President of the GAO-USACE chapter of BIG;

a chapter delegate at the BIG National

Assembly; and a facilitator and advisor for GAO’s

Diversity and Inclusion Initiative.

For his tireless efforts to promote

opportunity and career development for

African-American staff, George was awarded

GAO’s Equal Employment Opportunity Award

in 2011. I had the great pleasure in September

2013 to present him with our chapter’s highest

honor, the Otha Miller Award, which

recognizes a chapter member who, even at the

potential risk to his or her career, has been

working as a positive agent of change. Over the

past several years, this award has gone to our

out-going chapter President or retiree, but I

think that it is truly fitting that the incoming

President hold this award, recognizing that

there is work still to be done by such an agent

for change.

With that said, I hope you all have

spent some time reflecting on the wonderful

things you have experienced last year and are

looking forward to better ones this new year. It

is still not too late to make new resolutions.

And may I propose one? I challenge all of you

to attend at least three BlG events this year;

these could be monthly chapter or regional

council meetings, chapter-sponsored African-

American History Month events—especially

the local high school student oratorical

contest—the membership drive, a scholarship

fundraiser, an information session, or the

National Training Institute in July 2014. Our

chapter is of the people and for the people; so,

we need the people to maintain our purpose

and our efforts.

From, page 7

New Year, New Chapter President

Danielle Giese, Immediate Past President GAO Senior Analyst, EWIS

Thanks for thinking BIG!

GAO–USACE Executive Committee & Appointments President George Duncan 1st Vice President Barbara J. Fludd-Hawkins 2nd Vice President Kisha Clark Diversity Advisory Council Representative Treasurer Kenneth A. Keys Assistant Treasurer John Townes Secretary Theodora F. Guardado-Gallegos

Assistant Secretary Lanetha Neal Immediate Past President Danielle Giese

Shirley A. Jones Council President Rochelle Bryant Council Treasurer Kenneth A. Keys Financial Secretary Lanetha Neal Alt. Region XI Representative Newsletter Managers:

Doris D. Bishop Cheryl M. Harris Design and Layout: Cheryl M. Harris Contributing Writers: Doris D. Bishop George Duncan Danielle Giese Cheryl M. Harris Shirley A. Jones Newsletter Committee: Doris D. Bishop Rochelle Bryant Mary A. Crenshaw Cheryl M. Harris

Editorial Policy: The views expressed by the authors are their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of the U. S. Government Accountability Office, the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, or the GAO–USACE BIG Chapter.

GAO–USACE BIG Chapter

P. O. Box 50533 Washington, DC 20001

Rochelle Bryant Chair, Communication Mary Crenshaw Chair, Finance Committee John Townes Chair, Affirmative/EEO LaDon Williams Chair, Program Committee Danny Baez Chair, Membership Committee Doris Bishop Parliamentarian Oscar Mardis Historian John Sawyer Chaplain Cheryl Harris; Newsletter Najeema Washington Social Media

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