Gov. Gregoire honors 16 state government leaders

For Immediate Release: May 8, 2009

OLYMPIA � Gov. Chris Gregoire today named 16 state managers as recipients of this year�s Governor�s Award for Leadership in Management. The program recognizes managers who have demonstrated outstanding leadership.

�These leaders have delivered outstanding results,� Gregoire said. �Their exceptional service to Washingtonians is what public service is about. I�m inspired by their accomplishments and dedication.�

Recipients will attend a May 19 awards luncheon at the Executive Mansion.

Thirty-six managers were nominated by 19 agencies for the award. A selection committee composed of agency heads and members of Gregoire�s staff selected the winners based on demonstrated performance.

The Leadership in Management program was created in 1985 to recognize state government managers who demonstrate excellent performance. In 2006, the governor reinvigorated the program with criteria that focus on performance, accountability and proven business results.

2009 recipients of the Governor�s Award for Leadership in Management

Frankie G. Arteaga, Employment Security Department

A 20-year Employment Security veteran, Arteaga heads the Spokane County employment and career development division (WorkSource Spokane), where she has improved staff performance and customer service. In 2008, WorkSource Spokane was awarded �Best One-Stop in the Nation� by the International Association of Workforce Professionals. In the same year, Arteaga reduced facilities costs by nearly $200,000.

Heidi Audette, Department of Veterans Affairs

As the communications director for the agency, Audette is known for her award-winning customer service, sound judgment and responsiveness. In her other role as the department�s legislative liaison, Audette has helped with getting 47 pieces of veterans legislation signed by the governor in the past four years. As a leader and mentor, she has guided inexperienced employees to success and helped struggling employees become exemplary public servants.

Russ Brubaker, Department of Revenue

Currently the department�s senior assistant director of tax policy, Brubaker has been Washington�s champion for simplicity and fairness in tax policy for more than 20 years. Among many accomplishments, he helped with sales tax legislation that aids in the recovery of more than $260 million annually in revenue lost to online and out-of-state sales. Brubaker is a visionary leader and an advocate for fiscal efficiency.

Gary Condra, Department of Veterans Affairs

Condra is responsible for budget and business operations as the agency�s chief financial officer. After a state home for veterans was damaged in the 2000 earthquake, Condra took on the management of the project, saving more than $150,000 and helping to deliver a state-of-the-art facility. The building received a LEED Gold rating for environmental responsibility, and is now used as a federal standard for nursing home projects.

Brad Flaherty, Department of Revenue

Flaherty is the assistant director of the department�s property tax division. Last year, he resolved a contentious property tax valuation issue by developing an emergency rule to revise outdated definitions. In 2001, Flaherty coordinated a multi-county effort to help flood-ravaged Lewis County reassess damaged property and ensure that essential services to citizens were not interrupted.

Darrin Grondel, Washington State Patrol

Grondel serves as captain of the commercial vehicle division. Under his direction, the division began using enforcement activities that dramatically reduced commercial vehicle collisions, achieving a 14 percent reduction in fatality collisions. As a result of Grondel�s leadership, the State Patrol received awards in 2008 for increased highway safety and support of safety programs in the trucking industry.

Donna Haley, Department of Corrections

As the human resources director for the agency, Haley is changing the culture of the agency�s HR operations. She has revamped the agency�s hiring process to address a major expansion at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla, increased the timeliness and quality of personnel investigations, and led the effort to provide staff with more-efficient online tools.

Kitty Hjelm, Department of Ecology

In her role as budget planner for the department�s spills, prevention, preparedness and response program, Hjelm developed a process that has improved the cost-recovery rate for oil spills by 25 percent since 2001.

Lisa Marsh, Employment Security Department

Marsh serves as the deputy assistant commissioner for the Unemployment Insurance Tax and Wage Administration. She realigned the tax collection and audit functions between the district and central tax offices. This move reduced past due funds by 21 percent without the use of additional agency resources.

Kathy Marshall, Department of Social and Health Services

Marshall is the director of management services for the Aging and Disability Services Administration, where she helped create a rate structure that serves as an incentive for community providers. The projected result is fewer Medicaid patients in nursing homes, more patients living in less-restrictive settings and lower public expenditures.

Lynne McGuire, Office of Financial Management

Appointed in 2008 as the agency�s first chief information officer, McGuire led the effort to better align the information technology functions with statewide business goals. She completed the difficult transition and, in less than a year, has improved the connection between the business goals and the supporting technology.

David Moseley, Department of Transportation

Moseley has attended 26 public meetings and workshops and 10 public hearings to develop a long-range plan for the Washington State Ferries in his first year as assistant secretary. He has participated in an ambitious outreach effort, responded to thousands of ferry customer e-mails and met with members of Washington�s Legislature, congressional delegation and 14 labor unions to answer questions and develop ideas. He has turned difficult relationships into new and thriving partnerships.

Jane Rushford, Department of General Administration

As the agency�s deputy director, Rushford oversees a staff of almost 600 employees. In 2008, she also took on the role of interim assistant director of facilities, and worked with the division to cut spending by $2.5 million. She was instrumental in establishing the DASH shuttle service, which has reduced campus parking pressures. DASH ridership now exceeds 100,000 annually.

Stephen Sinclair, Department of Corrections

In August 2008, Sinclair was promoted to superintendent of the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla, where he began his career 20 years earlier. With more than 2,200 beds, this prison is one of the most dangerous and difficult-to-manage facilities in the state. Sinclair�s plan focuses on violence control and fostering positive change. Recently faced with a tight budget and decreasing inmate population, Sinclair worked with agency leaders to propose alternate staff structures, meeting both budget and staffing requirements.

Lois Speelman, Department of Health

Speelman knows when to push staff to the next level. As the department�s assistant secretary for financial services, Speelman helped reduce the number of State Auditor findings from six in 2005 to two in 2008, and avoided $530,000 in costs. Under her leadership, contract processing time was reduced from 50 to 32 days.

Hoang Tran, Department of Social and Health Services

As the community service office administrator, Tran manages the 41 staff members of the Rainier Community Service Office. When he took over the office in 2008, Tran reorganized its service delivery structure. He significantly reduced the backlog by cutting the time it takes to process basic food and TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) applications. Nearly 99 percent of applications now are processed on time.