INSIDE Message from President | State Agency Wellness | Bi-Monthly Meeting

TheAdministrator

Texas State Agency Business Administrators’ Association • Volume 27, Number 4 • November 2009

continued on page 3

Meet Your 2009–10 Executive Committee

Instead of just providing the board member bios, again this year everyone was asked to answer a few interview questions. The answers make for fun and illuminating reading.

President Michael Doerr works with the Financials Process Management Team in the Office of the Chief Financial Officer at the Department of Aging and Disabilities Services (DADS). In this role, Michael performs process analysis and makes process improvement recommendations for the Budget, Accounting and Claims Management Divisions. Prior to this position, Michael worked 15 years for the Texas State Auditor’s Office, where he served as the Chief Business Officer for seven years. Michael has a BBA in Accounting and an MBA from Southwest Texas State University. He is a Certified Government Financial Manager, a graduate of the Texas Fiscal Officers’ Academy, currently attending the Governor’s Executive Development Program and Past-President of the Association of Government Accountants.

If you could have dinner with any three people (living or from history), who would you choose and why? “Three people I would enjoy having dinner with include George Strait, country singer; Bill Dance, professional bass fisherman; and John Wayne, movie star. Country music, fishing and the movies — Can you imagine the stories you would hear?”

What has been the biggest challenge in your career and how did you handle it? “One of the biggest challenges throughout my career has been developing effective strategies to facilitate organizational change. Researching theories on change management

ERP Comes to Texas

The 80th Legislature passed House Bill 3106,

which addressed the concept of Enterprise

Resource Planning (ERP) for the state. This

project refers to an integrated software

package that provides functionality

similar to the existing

legacy systems, such as

the Uniform Statewide

Accounting System, State

Property Accounting

System, Uniform

Statewide Payroll/Personnel

System and Standardized

Payroll/Personnel Reporting

System. The project

would also add critical functionality to the

systems currently in use by agencies and

institutions of higher education.

In June 2008, the ERP Advisory Committee

established by the Comptroller’s office initiated

a business case study (BCS) to be conducted

by an independent consulting firm (Salvaggio,

Teal & Associates) to develop a comprehensive

cost-benefit analysis of the legacy systems

compared to the new ERP project. The ERP

Advisory Committee used the information from

the BCS to recommend that the state replace

the legacy systems with a new fully integrated,

commercially-available ERP system based on a

“Hub” implementation model at a total funding

cost of $285 million. More information can

be found in the Plan for the Implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) for the State of Texas.

continued on page 2

2 The Administrator | Volume 27, Number 4 | November 2009

Action by the 81st LegislatureThe Legislature assessed the ERP plan during

the 2009 session. As part of its assessment, the Legislature took into consideration that several agencies had a compelling need to implement an ERP system in the short term. The Legislature weighed this need with the fact that some other states have failed to successfully implement ERP

on a statewide basis. As a result, the Legislature

approved a modified ERP plan with a smaller

scale approach to mitigate risk to the state.

Under the modified ERP plan, the Texas

Department of Transportation (TxDOT),

Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and Department of Information Resources (DIR) will

be implemented on the new ERP HR/Payroll and

Financial system with the Comptroller’s office operating as the Application Service Provider (ASP). Once these initial participating agencies are successfully implemented and in productional use of the ERP system, additional agencies will be considered for ERP system deployment. Also, under the modified ERP plan, the five Health and Human Services (HHS) agencies will move to the new ERP HR/Payroll system with either the Comptroller’s office or HHS operating as the ASP. During the course of the ERP project, the HHS agencies will conduct a cost/benefit analysis to determine as a group if it is more cost effective for

the HHS agencies or for the Comptroller’s office to host and maintain their financial management system.

In the long term, the Comptroller’s office would operate as an ASP for all state agencies with the exception of institutions of higher education. Institutions of higher education would operate under a decentralized processing model as data reporting hubs. They would interface with the Statewide Data Warehouse platform, and their transactional data would interface with the new ERP system.

Project funding associated with the modified ERP plan was appropriated for the 2010–11 biennium. These costs included hardware, software, project management and implementation services. As project manager for this initiative, the Comptroller’s office is in the process of entering into interagency contract agreements with the initial ERP agencies to provide project oversight and secure funding for the project expenses described above.

Recent Activity• On Aug. 13, the Comptroller’s office issued

a Request for Offer to solicit pricing from qualified vendors for ERP Implementation Services.*

• On Aug. 25, the Comptroller’s office issued a Pricing Request for ERP Project Management Services. The Pricing Request was issued under DIR’s Contracts for Deliverables-Based Information Technology Services, Project Management Technology Category.*

• In Sept. 2009, the Comptroller’s office acquired a new “enterprise” license for the benefit of 143 authorized state agencies, including the five HHS agencies, TxDOT, DMV and DIR (the initial agencies implementing ERP).

*Note: The evaluation committee expects to make an award in Nov. 2009.

For the latest project updates, go to the Texas

Enterprise Resource Planning Web site.

ERP Comes to Texascontinued from page 1

November 2009 | Volume 27, Number 4 | The Administrator 3

Meet Your 2009–10 Executive Committeecontinued from page 1

models along with training classes have provided

useful information on the ‘emotional element’

of organizational change. Understanding what

folks are thinking and just as importantly feeling

is very important for the overall successful

implementation of change in an organization.”

Describe the most helpful business-related book you’ve ever read (or read recently). “The most recent

business-related book I read was the One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson.

One very important theme for this book is we need

to remember to take a moment out of each day to

look into the faces of the people we manage — and

to realize they are our most important resource.

Always remember it is through the efforts of

others that you are successful.”

What is your favorite food and where is the best place to get it? “One of my favorite foods is still the

traditional chicken fried steak with sides of mashed

potatoes and gravy and green beans. A nice side

salad with tomatoes is not only tasty but helps

with rationalizing the overall ‘healthy’ nature of

this wonderful meal. Two good restaurants for

enjoying a really good chicken fried steak include

the 15th Street Café in the Double Tree Hotel and

Threadgill’s. And don’t forget the ketchup.”

First Vice President Cecilia Whitley is

currently Deputy Director of HHSC Enterprise Contract and Procurement

Services. Before this position,

she spent 23 years with the

Texas State Senate, 13 as

Director of Purchasing. Cecilia was named

TSABAA Administrator

of the Year in 2007. In her leisure time, she volunteers with

the Down Home Ranch in Elgin (a place near and

dear to her heart), and she spends hours working

in her yard and quilting. Cecilia and her husband

love to travel and do so every chance they get. She has three wonderful boys who are all grown

and out of the house and on their own — what an

accomplishment that is.

If you could have dinner with any three people (living or from history), who would you choose and why? “St. Anthony of Padua — He is commonly referred as the Catholic Saint who is the ‘finder of lost articles.’ Let’s just say I call on him often. Cleopatra —I have a thing for Egyptians. Every time I visit the Met in New York City, I spend hours upon hours learning about their history. My great Aunt Bessie — She lived to 104, and I loved talking with her. She saw so many things in her lifetime, and I miss hearing her stories.”

What has been the biggest challenge in your career and how did you handle it? “The biggest challenge for me in my career is not being able to pay the employees who are dedicated state employees what they are worth. In my 24 years of state service, I have come across very talented individuals who give of their time and talent because they believe in what they are doing and believe they are making a difference. Being strapped with a budget and not being able to compensate them as they should be has been very difficult. The loyalty and dedication of state employees never ceases to amaze me.”

What is your favorite food and where is the best place to get it? “Big Nick’s restaurant in New York City. The menu is a book (no joke) you can get anything and everything from this place. It’s not so much the food as it is the atmosphere that is so wonderful. You literally sit right next to other patrons (NYC, what else would you expect), and every time I go I meet really interesting people from all over the world.”

Second Vice President Sandra Woodruff has served as the Director of Special Projects in the Fiscal Management Division of the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts since March 1, 2006. Over the past 23 years, Sandra has worked on the statewide financial systems in various capacities. She participated in the implementation of the Human Resource Information System (HRIS) and subsequently in the redesign, development, implementation and conversion of

continued on page 4

4 The Administrator | Volume 27, Number 4 | November 2009

HRIS for institutions of higher education. Sandra

also led a team of state and contract staff in the

planning, development and implementation of

the Standardized Payroll/Personnel Reporting

System (SPRS). She then oversaw the conversion

of agencies to SPRS. Recently, Sandra has played

a key role in the planning and procurement of

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software,

project management and implementation

services. She directs staff in the planning and

implementation of desktop, Web and mainframe

systems in support of the Fiscal Management

Division. She is also involved in the interpretation

and implementation of payroll and personnel

policies. Sandra and her husband, Jody, enjoy

traveling and fishing together.

If you could have dinner with any three people (living or from history), who would you choose and why? “I would choose Robert Frost and Willem

de Kooning. Frost has a way of creating a vision

through his words, and de Kooning led an

interesting life and went through several phases in

his artwork. It would be fascinating to have dinner

and conversations with both of them.”

Describe the most helpful business-related book you’ve ever read (or read recently). “Since I’m currently

enrolled in an undergraduate program at Concordia

University, most of the books I’ve read lately relate

to my degree plan. However, I’ve really enjoyed the

textbooks on sociology and psychology, which have

given me some insight into a few of the issues that

have come up in the workplace.”

What is your favorite food and where is the best place to get it? “I love Chinese food — I could eat it every day! One of my favorite restaurants is P.F. Chang’s.”

Treasurer Daniel Benjamin is a Financial

Analyst in the Fiscal Management Division

of the Comptroller’s office, where he has

worked since April 2004. Before working

for the Comptroller, he was Manager of the Fiscal Management Section at the

Texas Lottery Commission. Daniel also

worked for several years as a consultant

and was as an auditor for Arthur Andersen.

He graduated from Southwest Texas State University with a BBA in Accounting in May 1991 and became a CPA in 1993. In his off time, Daniel enjoys spending his time with his family boating, water skiing and fishing. He is very involved with his two sons and coaching their various sport endeavors and assisting with Cub Scouts.

If you could have dinner with any three people (living or from history), who would you choose and why? “First would be Jesus. Being a Christian, I would love to speak with him. Second would be King Leonidas of Sparta. It would be great to talk with him about the battle of Thermopylea and get a real sense of what it meant to be a Spartan warrior. Third would be Goro Nyudo Masamune of Japan. He is recognized as the greatest Japanese swordsmith. I have always loved ancient weapons and really like Japanese swords.”

What is your favorite food and where is the best place to get it? “Super Beef Nachos with extra queso from Taco Cabana!”

Secretary Carla James is the Director of Staff Services at the Texas State Securities Board. Before joining the Securities Board in 2003, she served as the Executive Director of the Texas Incentive and Productivity Commission, Budget Analyst for the Legislative Budget Board and Program Director with the Texas Building and Procurement Commission (now the Texas Facilities Commission). Carla received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas at Austin in Political Science. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling the world with her husband Ray and spending time with her four “children” dogs.

If you could have dinner with any three people (living or from history), who would you choose and why? “Abe Lincoln, President Obama and finally the first female president (I know I am supposed to pick alive or historical, but I could not resist this one). Lincoln made a huge impact to history, Obama has a chance to do the same, and the first female president will be another historic event.”

Meet Your 2009–10 Executive Committeecontinued from page 3

November 2009 | Volume 27, Number 4 | The Administrator 5

What has been the biggest challenge in your career and how did you handle it? “The biggest challenge in

my career has been working with people reluctant

to change, and I’ve learned that patience can work

wonders.”

Describe the most helpful business-related book you’ve ever read (or read recently). “The most helpful

business related book I have read would be the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It was helpful in

allowing me to see that I don’t have to ‘try’ and

control everything in my life (especially work) and

that you have to pick your battles.”

What is your favorite food and where is the best place to get it? “My favorite food is Mexican, and I don’t

really care where we go as long as it is spicy… :-)”

Parliamentarian Lori Trank has worked

for the Texas Health and Human Services

Commission for nine years, the past seven as the

Manager of Accounting Operations.

Prior to that, she worked for eight

years in various accounting lead

positions at the Texas Education

Agency. She started her state

career in Texas in 1988 as an Adult

Probation Auditor with the Texas

Department of Criminal Justice.

Before moving to Austin, she worked for

a mortgage banker and a CPA firm in Northern

California. She graduated from San Diego State

University with a Bachelor of Science degree in

Accounting in 1981 and earned her CPA license in 1993. In her spare time, she likes to travel,

especially anywhere where they have casino gambling. She also enjoys country western

dancing and watching all types of sports.

If you could have dinner with any three people (living or from history), who would you choose and why? “Pope

John Paul II — He had amazing charisma and

such a kindness about him, especially for children.

I find him to be one of the most fascinating men

in history. Queen Elizabeth I — Such a strong and interesting woman, and so independent for her

time! Her reign was called the Elizabethan era,

which I find to be one of the most interesting in all of history for the clothing and architecture. George

Strait — I love all his music and the person that he

is. Plus, he looks awesome in a pair of Wranglers!”

What has been the biggest challenge in your career and how did you handle it? “My boss at the mortgage banking company I worked at in California was the owner and president and very chauvinistic. He’d made many inappropriate comments over the four years I’d worked for him, and most of them I just chose to ignore. I ran the entire office for him and also handled his personal business activities, even though those were not in the scope of my job duties. As the company grew, I convinced him to allow me to hire an assistant to help handle the workload. Several months into her tenure, he made the comment that he could easily hire her to do my job, and he’d only have to pay her half what I was making. So I said, ‘Be my guest,’ and quit on the spot. Actually, this was the motivation for me to pack up and move to Texas as I’d wanted to do for some time. In a way he did me a favor. In the end, he called me a couple of months later begging me to come back because my successor had made a huge mess of things after I left, and she clearly could not take my place. He had to have a CPA firm come in and do the books — the very same firm he’d hired me away from years earlier! Needless to say, I am very happy to be in Texas, and I’ve never looked back!”

What is your favorite food and where is the best place to get it? “I absolutely love Tex Mex and have several favorite places. El Arroyo is probably my most favorite. But my favorite meal is one my Mom makes for me on special occasions like my birthday. It’s beef tips and gravy over egg noodles — yum!”

Past-President Greg Herbert has been the Director of Accounting for the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) since August 1994. Previously he held the positions of Assistant Director of Accounting and Manager of Grant Reporting for the OAG and served as an Assistant State Auditor for the State Auditor’s Office. Greg received business degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and Southwest Texas State University, and is a Certified Internal Auditor, Certified Government Financial Manager, and Certified Fraud Examiner. In his leisure time, Greg actively restores antique automobiles, spends

continued on page 7

6 The Administrator | Volume 27, Number 4 | November 2009

TSABAA

Message from the Incoming President

As the next legislative session approaches, many of us are thinking about current environmental factors and the possibility of new legislation that will impact either our agencies or us as individuals. Very often, the first thoughts are assumptions that additional work may be added to an already full schedule or even cost-cutting measures that might affect budgets and resources.

While those are valid concerns, we also understand that from time to time, change is inevitable. When new mandates are initiated or changes made to existing requirements, there are always “dedicated” state employees who step up and take the initiative to successfully implement new programs, processes and procedures to achieve our goals.

During the many years that I have been an active participant in TSABAA, I can think of numerous occasions where I have contacted folks in other agencies to discuss plans for implementing the required changes. In a majority of those instances, my initial contact was through interactions at TSABAA conferences and bi-monthly meetings.

TSABAA was created to provide a central point for discussing and focusing on issues affecting the business operations of Texas state government. Throughout my professional career, I have emphasized the concept of teamwork to create a successful environment, and the networking opportunities with other TSABAA members create a great mechanism for sharing knowledge and ideas.

The membership of our organization is its strength. To further the mission of TSABAA, I encourage everyone to continue building your professional network and to support other members of TSABAA as we strive to provide quality services for the citizens of Texas.

Michael P. Doerr, CGFM

2010 TSABAA President

“Dedication i s not at others expe of you; it i s at you can give to others.”

Author Unknown

November 2009 | Volume 27, Number 4 | The Administrator 7

Personnel MovesOn Oct. 15, the ERS Board of Trustees

announced that Cheryl MacBride will be the newest member of the Board. Cheryl is filling the spot previously filled by Don Green. In addition, after almost 24 years at the General Land Office, Cheryl recently joined the Department of Public Safety as their Chief Financial Officer. Congratulations Cheryl!

Meet Your 2009–10 Executive Committeecontinued from page 5

time with his wife of 18 years and treasures every minute he can with his 13 year-old daughter.

If you could have dinner with any three people (living or from history), who would you choose and why? “Henry Ford, Agatha Christie, and Henry Winkler. Sounds like a strange combination, but these individuals have something in common. They all openly admit to being severely dyslexic and/or dysgraphic, and they all found ways to compensate for this adversity and become very successful in their field of work. Most people don’t know that due to his dyslexia, Henry Winkler has actually never ridden a motorcycle because he doesn’t have the ability to use the clutch, brake, and throttle simultaneously. Those scenes in Happy Days were just great photography of Fonzie. Winkler has also authored a dozen books about a fictional 10-year-old boy with dyslexia that have sold more that 20 million copies so far.”

What is the biggest challenge in your career, and how did you handle it? “Accepting the fact that there will never be enough time or available resources to develop and implement all of the innovative ideas and solutions that I envision is against my nature. I have had to learn to be thankful for the goals that have been attained so far — while quietly continuing to push for more. ”

What is your favorite food, and where is the best place to get it? “I can never go wrong with any type of fresh seafood. My real preference is to cook it at home myself, but when it is time to take my wife out for a relaxing evening, Trulucks is our first choice.”

Were you aware that the 80th Legislature amended the State Employee Health and Fitness Act of 1983 with several important changes affecting how state agencies implement their state employee wellness programs? For example, House Bill 1297 specifies that:

• Agencies are no longer required to submit a plan for review and approval and may implement a wellness program based on a model program and/or evidence-based components developed by the Department of State Health Services (DSHS).

• Agencies must designate an employee to serve as the wellness liaison between the agency and the DSHS Statewide Wellness Coordinator.

Some of the more popular aspects outlined in HB 1297 allow agencies to:

• Develop an agency wellness council.

• Allow their employees to participate in wellness council activities for two or more hours each month.

• Allow each employee 30 minutes during normal working hours for exercise three times each week.

• Allow all employees time to attend on-site wellness seminars when offered.

• Provide eight hours of additional leave time each year to any employee who receives an annual physical examination and completes an approved health risk assessment.

Extensive Resources for State Agency Wellness Initiatives Available

continued on page 8

8 The Administrator | Volume 27, Number 4 | November 2009

Statewide Agency Wellness Program Web SiteHB 1297 also calls for a Web site where agency leaders and wellness planners can find guidance,

data and statistics, model programs and policies, templates, forms and other resources to support their wellness initiatives.

The comprehensive Statewide Agency Wellness Program Web site focuses on seven priorities for state agency wellness programs to address:

• Increasing the use of preventive screenings and services,

• Improving healthy eating,

• Increasing physical activity,

• Improving tobacco prevention and cessation policies and benefits,

• Improving stress management,

• Increasing the use of Employee Assistance Program benefits, and

• Improving support for breastfeeding mothers.

The Web site offers the resources a state agency needs to get started on a path to wellness and provides practical steps for creating

a wellness program—one that can work for its

employees. To encourage those

who may be a little skeptical, the Web site contains some great success stories from agencies from around the state that have

launched their own programs.

Worksite Wellness Promising Practice Award ProgramThe Texas Public Health Association partnered with DSHS to sponsor the 2009 Worksite Wellness

Promising Practices Awards that were presented in October at the State Agency Wellness Conference. Four monetary awards of $1,000 were given to agencies that had implemented successful wellness programs or policies or changed the agency’s environment to support healthy habits. The awards to the

agencies will be used to support more wellness program activities.

The Comptroller of Public Accounts received the gold certificate in recognition of the agency’s successful Fitness Leave policy, which encourages employees to be physically active by enabling them to earn leave for participating in physical activities. The Texas Water Development Board’s “A Taste of Good Health – Healthy Food Tasting” won an award for awareness of healthy food options. Texas Tech University’s F.I.T. Tech won an award for a behavior change program to increase physical activity and healthy eating in faculty and students. And the Texas Legislative Council’s Farm to Work won an award for environmental change, by making fresh fruits and vegetables available at the worksite. Congratulations go out to all the agencies whose outstanding wellness policies were recognized at the conference.

For More InformationIf you have questions or would like to know more about the Building Healthy Texans Wellness Program, contact Statewide Wellness Coordinator Brett Spencer at (512) 458- 7111, ext. 6161, or brett.spencer@dshs.state.tx.us.

Extensive Resources for State Agency Wellness Initiatives Availablecontinued from page 7

Farm to Work ToolkitA guide for

implementing

a local produce

delivery

program at

your worksite

November 2009 | Volume 27, Number 4 | The Administrator 9

Senior Investigator Ralph Disher of the State

Auditor’s Office provided a framework on how

to read people and make informed judgments

regarding the validity of their statements. When

engaging a person of interest, Disher states that it

is important to ask him or her questions that help

get a sense of how they communicate and better

understand their state of mind. Some examples of

these trigger questions include, “What do you do

on a normal day?” or “What would look for if you

were in charge?”

Disher gave four characteristics of how people

speak and why each is important when detecting

fraud:1. They tell you what is important to them

— this could be their family, job, money, religion, etc. Understanding what is important to the person can often be a clue to a potential motive.

2. They speak about relationships — It is important to pay attention to how and when people are introduced in conversations. Relationships may also define a motive.

3. They speak using pronouns — Pronouns matter because they represent a person’s reality. When a person changes their pronouns, they are essentially changing their reality. According to Disher, 80-90 percent of the admissions and confessions in people’s statements can be attributed to the way they use their pronouns.

4. They speak using time and distance — Most people talk with the same pace and in the traditional format of an introduction, statement, and conclusion. When either of these things changes, it is for a reason. When a person relates certain events, it is also important to notice gaps in time.

When taking all of these considerations in

mind, Disher stressed that you still must know

your audience. A person’s culture, ethnicity,

economic status and a host of other attributes

affect how the person communicates. In other

words, the “signs” might not always be the same.

Every situation will be different, so Disher

recommended that an open mind be used each

time a person’s communication is examined.

Disher also discussed the role

of the Special

Investigations

Unit of the

State Auditor’s

Office.

The Unit’s

mission is to

improve the

accountability of

government by investigating

allegations of impropriety

and illegal acts affecting

state resources. He

explained that if the head

of an agency has reasonable

cause to believe that state money may have

been misused in relation to the operation of the

agency, the agency head must report the reason

and the basis of the belief to the State Auditor.

Concerned employees are also encouraged to

report any suspicious activities or fraudulent acts

they encounter. Disher provided the following

contact information:

• Online Fraud, Waste, or Abuse Hotline • P.O. Box 12067, Austin, TX 78711-2067• State Auditor’s Office Hotline:

1-800-TX-AUDIT (892-8348)

All reports of fraud, waste, and abuse are held

in confidence. However, any person who provides

information to the unit may choose to remain

anonymous. When a person does report fraud

or abuse, they should provide as much detail as

possible so that appropriate action can be taken.

Disher encouraged people to e-mail him at

rdisher@sao.state.tx.us if you have any

questions.

September Bi-Monthly Meeting UpdateUnderstanding What People Say – Detecting Fraud in Language

10 The Administrator | Volume 27, Number 4 | November 2009

CreditsEditorDavid Galanski

Contributors Paul Campbell, Michael Doerr, David Galanski, Greg Herbert, Vince Houston, Joni Sager, Brett Spencer, Ben Strauser and Sandra Woodruff

Art DirectorJulie Vela

Texas State Agency Business Administrators’ Association

2010 OfficersPresident

Michael DoerrFinancials Process Management

Department of Aging and Disability<michael.doerr@dads.state.tx.us>

438-5319

First Vice PresidentCecilia Whitley

Deputy Director of Enterprise Contract and Procurement Services, Health and Human Services

Commission<cecilia.whitley@hhsc.state.tx.us>

206-4571

Second Vice PresidentSandra Woodruff

Director, Special ProjectsTexas Comptroller of Public Accounts

<sandra.woodruff@cpa.state.tx.us>463-4947

TreasurerDaniel Benjamin

Financial Analyst, Fiscal ManagementTexas Comptroller of Public Accounts

<daniel.benjamin@cpa.state.tx.us>936-6295

SecretaryCarla James

Director of Staff ServicesState Securities Board

<cjames@ssb.state.tx.us>305-8331

ParliamentarianLori Trank

Manager of Accounting OperationsHealth and Human Services Commission

<lori.trank@hhsc.state.tx.us>424-6527

Past PresidentGreg Herbert

Director of Accounting Office of Attorney General

<greg.herbert@aog.state.tx.us>475-4375

“Shootout at the YO” Theme of Mid-Winter Conference

It’s just about time to dust off those cowboy boots and mosey on over to the YO Ranch Resort and Conference Center in Kerrville for the 30th Annual Mid-Winter Conference. The conference is scheduled for Jan. 13-15, and as always, there will be a passel of opportunities to network, exchange ideas, and acquire new tools to assist in your personal and professional development.

Although the program is still in the process of being corralled, you can bet “all in” that there will be informative and entertaining presentations on the latest statewide initiatives, communication techniques, and motivational topics.

So be sure to check the TSABAA Web site periodically for additional details and registration information. You can call the YO Ranch Resort and Conference Center at (877) 967-3767 for reservations today.

Learn About the 5th Habit of Highly Effective People at the Dec. 3 Meeting

At the next bi-monthly meeting, Jenny Newman will be presenting the FranklinCovey company’s 5th habit from the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People course: “Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood.” This session will help you understand problems, resulting in targeted solutions, and promote better communications, leading to successful problem-solving. Newman is a Professional Development Specialist at the Texas State Auditor’s Office. Her areas of expertise range from financial concepts to training the trainer to individual needs assessment, with one of her specialties being developing your strengths at work. She is certified to teach the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People course. For more information, see the Bi-Monthly Meetings page on the TSABAA Web site.

“Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood”