Gov. Christine Gregoire Honors 15 State Managers for Government Efficiency

For Immediate Release: September 7, 2005

OLYMPIA � Sept. 6, 2005 � Gov. Christine Gregoire today announced that nine state employees will be presented with the Governor�s Distinguished Manager Award for excellence in management this past year. Another six managers will receive the Governor�s Sustaining Leader Award for their continued leadership over a longer period of time.

�State managers such as these recipients work hard each day to serve the public efficiently and effectively,� said Gregoire. �Despite dwindling resources and increasing workloads, they rise to the challenge. It is important that we recognize their tremendous dedication and performance through these awards.�

The Governor�s Distinguished Management Award was created in 1985 to formally recognize state government managers who demonstrate excellent performance. In 1992, a new award category � Sustaining Leader � was created to recognize managers who achieve outstanding leadership over a period of years.

This year�s recipients are:

DISTINGUISHED MANAGER AWARDS

Audrey Adams, Department of Social and Health Services
Adams created a strategic plan to improve customer service, efficiency and cost savings in Region 1, which covers northeastern and north central Washington. The plan helped increase participation in the Basic Food program and reduced the time Region 1 call centers took to answer callers, despite an increase in call volume.

Felix D�Allesandro, Employment Security Department
D�Allesandro assembled and managed a team that created new performance management information tools for the agency. One product � the Claimant Progress Tool � returns unemployment claimants to work faster by targeting services for them based on personal and labor market characteristics. Another tool, the Comprehensive Information Management System, measures the efficiency of the agency and its workers.

Kerry Ivey, Department of Labor and Industries
Ivey played a critical role in creating one of L&I�s most ambitious service changes � the Early Return-to-Work (ERTW) teams. In the first 14 months, the teams have provided assistance in returning 2,248 workers to their jobs, and the wait time for vocational referrals to the private sector has been reduced from weeks to days.

Nehemiah (Don) Mead, Department of Social and Health Services
As superintendent of the Echo Glen Children�s Center, Mead used the JRA Integrated Treatment Model to dramatically reduce the suicidal behavior of youth on campus and improve treatment outcomes. He also oversaw a major renovation project in four of the 13 living units at the facility.

James Odiorne, Office of Insurance Commissioner
Under Deputy Commissioner Odiorne�s leadership, the office was awarded national accreditation in 2004. This accreditation resulted in millions of dollars in savings to Washington domestic insurers, protected the state General Fund from guaranty fund payments, and ensured consumers that insurers will have the resources to pay valid claims.

Roy Plaeger-Brockway, Department of Labor and Industries
Plaeger-Brockway led the effort that established Centers of Occupational Health and Education in Spokane and Renton. These centers provide a necessary resource for attending physicians, who often do not specialize in occupational medicine. Workers treated by providers enrolled in the Renton COHE recovered more quickly, saving the state $5.8 million in claim costs in 2004 while maintaining patient satisfaction.

Debbie Schomer, Department of Social and Health Services
Schomer established a team at the Wenatchee Community Services Office that reorganized work flow within the office. The change improved communication, business processes and client service, while stabilizing processing times during the busy fall season. She also arranged for much needed Spanish language lessons for staff members.

Tremaine Smith, Department of Revenue
Smith led the formation of the Data Warehouse Project, which reduced average audit time from 30 hours to 19 hours. This efficiency increased the number of audits DOR was able to conduct. In addition, the amount recovered per audit increased by an average of $302 an hour, generating more revenue for Washington state.

Kenneth Stark, Department of Social and Health Services
Stark�s leadership at the Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse (DASA) has helped get people the chemical dependency treatment they need. His sustained efforts helped bring about the Omnibus Treatment of Mental and Substance Abuse Disorders Act of 2005, which expands access to treatment to 60 percent of adult Medicaid recipients and 60 percent of low-income youth in need.

SUSTAINING LEADER AWARDS

Mary Ellen Bradley, Department of Ecology
Managing the Information Resources & Desktop Support section, Bradley developed consistent desktop computer standards, saving money in applications and software purchasing. A public servant for 23 years, she also developed new contracting agreements for print services, innovative computer purchasing, and an enterprise agreement to track and manage software licensing.

Annette Copeland, Employment Security Department
Under Copeland�s leadership, the Unemployment Insurance division has improved customer service despite staffing and funding reductions. The percentage of claimants receiving their first check within 14 days of applying for benefits averaged 91 percent in the last year, exceeding the federal requirement of 87 percent. And the average wait time for claimants calling the telecenters was reduced by nearly two and a half minutes. Copeland has been with the department for 35 years.

Phil Grigg, Department of General Administration
As chief information officer, Grigg helped consolidate the server environment and reduced the number of operating systems, databases and hardware environments, making the sharing of information within the agency easier. He now is part of an effort to integrate state computer systems and implement a multi-agency e-mail system. In 2003, Grigg�s staff, when surveyed, gave him perfect scores in five categories.

Gail Hughes, Department of Labor and Industries
Hughes led a redesign of Washington Industrial Safety and Health Act (WISHA) rules, an effort that received several prestigious awards. Her work on redesigning the WISHA Information Network helped meet federal mandates. Hughes� 32-year public service career has been dedicated to improving Washington�s occupational safety and health program.

Alice Payne, Department of Corrections
As superintendent for the McNeil Island Corrections Center, Payne manages approximately 530 employees and over 1,200 adult male felons. Throughout her more than two decades of service, she has focused on outcome-based measures, including helping to develop what is now the offender grievance system for the department. She also helped meet the challenge of co-locating the DSHS Special Commitment Center and its residents and staff to McNeil Island.

Tina Shafer, Employment Security Department
Throughout her career, Shafter has been involved in many key projects including, in the early 1990s, the Boeing Reemployment Project to assist dislocated workers. In the late 1990s, she served on statewide interagency workgroups to plan Worksource, Washington�s one-stop service delivery approach for job seekers and business customers. With more than 31 years of service, her contributions to the department have received both national and international recognition.

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