Gov. Gregoire honors 26 leaders in state government

For Immediate Release: June 17, 2008

OLYMPIA � Gov. Chris Gregoire today named 26 state managers as recipients of this year�s Governor�s Award for Leadership in Management. The program recognizes managers in state government who have demonstrated outstanding leadership.

�These leaders are being recognized for their outstanding leadership and contributions which benefit the state, and the people that live here,� Gregoire said. �Not only do they demonstrate real results with their work, they understand the importance of delivering exceptional service to all Washingtonians. I am inspired by their dedication to public service.�

Earlier this year, the Pew Center for States awarded Washington with an A- grade for how the state performs in managing public resources. This recognition directly reflects the commitment and dedication of these women and men.

Recipients will attend an awards luncheon at the Executive Mansion June 17.

Managers were nominated by their agencies and selection was based on their performance and ability to deliver results. A selection committee composed of agency directors and members of Gregoire�s staff selected the winners from a pool of 46 managers nominated from 20 agencies.

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.

2008 Recipients of the Governor�s Award for Leadership in Management

David Byers, Department of Ecology

David handles the oil spill response program at DOE. It is his job to make sure regulated companies respond quickly in the event of an oil spill. Thanks to his leadership, partnerships now exist in each region of Washington so that entities are working together to respond faster to spills. David�s staff trained more than 1,000 local government and tribal members in the effective and rapid use of spill response equipment. This accomplishment alone is helping to better protect the state�s natural resources, private property and wildlife.

Jonathon Clontz, Department of Veterans Affairs

Jonathon oversees the management of the state�s three veterans homes, which provide residential care to hundreds of the state�s veterans and their spouses. Two were not certified by the department to serve veterans with Medicare benefits. These veterans were forced to forfeit their benefits or find another Medicare-certified facility. Jonathon worked tirelessly to ensure all three homes are Medicare-certified. To date, they have served 94 new veterans requiring Medicare-level care and their spouses. Jonathon has contributed greatly to the quality of life of Washington�s veterans.

Doug Coleman, Department of General Administration

Doug sets statewide policies and manages the inventory, distribution and disposal of state-owned goods. His role expanded in October 2006, when eight GA programs were rolled into one. While reorganizing the department, Doug�s leadership kept employees engaged. His efforts saved the state thousands of dollars by consolidating operations and eliminating duplicate work efforts. Also, thanks to Doug, Washington was one of the first states to sell surplus goods on eBay, raking in $5 million in gross sales for the state in 2007 alone.

Leslie Cushman, Department of Revenue

Leslie�s groundbreaking work as deputy director of DOR includes building stronger relations with the state�s tribal governments. Leslie�s negotiation skills and leadership helped to end disputes that had lasted more than 30 years. Thanks to Leslie, an estimated $25 million to $30 million in cigarette tax revenue is now being collected each year by tribal governments for essential public services.

Gretchen Dolan, Washington State Patrol

Gretchen is responsible for improving the response time for public records requests made to the WSP. With requests increasing, she saw a need to reorganize the program to better coordinate both requests and responses. The results: The average response time dropped by three days from 2004 to 2007, and response quality has improved. Gretchen knows the value of providing information through public records requests so that citizens have a better understanding of how state government is run.

Scott Frakes, Department of Corrections

Scott leads operations at the Coyote Ridge Corrections Center, and oversees the facility expansion project. Thanks to Scott�s leadership and influence, the state-of-the-art prison facility will be the most energy-efficient, environmentally sound prison in the United States when it opens later this year. Scott is committed to the city of Connell, serving an active role in the community and encouraging other Coyote Ridge staff to do so.

Kathy Gastreich, Department of Corrections

As the risk management director at DOC, part of Kathy�s job is to reduce risk at the state�s prisons. She is also in charge of making them safer places to work. Kathy is always one step ahead of a situation, looking for new ways to solve problems and keep them from recurring. She developed the critical incident review process to identify potential problems with DOC�s policies, practices, buildings or procedures and make changes when needed. She is helping protect the citizens of this state by keeping the prison system running smoothly.

Doug Gough, Employment Security Department

Doug is the budget manager for the state�s unemployment insurance program, which is federally funded. He has spent decades applying his extraordinary financial abilities to help Washington citizens who are temporarily unemployed. Doug is a numbers guy who has a real passion for people. He values service to others and demonstrates high ethical standards. His dedication led to the state receiving more than $3.5 million in revenue from the federal government in 2008.

Dan Haller, Department of Ecology

Until his recent promotion, Dan led the Columbia River Basin program, successfully finding new water supplies along the river while protecting endangered fish. Thanks to Dan�s leadership, more water will be available to Eastern Washington. This will significantly boost the economy in the region while protecting critical stream flows for fish.

Kim Henry, Department of Transportation

Commuters on Interstate 405 have Kim to thank for relieving congestion on this popular thoroughfare. Kim heads up projects that are addressing critical congestion chokepoints on the freeway. Kim has delivered several projects on-time and on budget. He is successful by always reminding his staff and himself of his customers and the ultimate goal: a safe, congestion-free roadway for commuters.

Bonnie King, Department of Health

How do you know your doctor is properly trained and experienced? Most likely, Bonnie has made sure of it. It�s her job to oversee the division at DOH that regulates more than 320,000 health professionals in Washington, from doctors to athletic trainers. Bonnie�s office faces limited resources and public scrutiny. She understands the importance of her position and is a leader in transforming the regulation of the state�s health care system.

Sandra Kinoshita, Department of Revenue

Sandra is responsible for organizing the department�s quality improvement initiatives. It�s her job to make sure the agency is doing the best it can to serve its customers. She revamped the way the department communicates how it is performing, which helps the state make better-informed decisions on how taxpayer money is spent.

Pat Kohler, Washington State Liquor Control Board

Since Pat was appointed administrative director of the Liquor Control Board in 2002, she has made the sale of alcohol and tobacco safer in Washington. Improvements include boosting store security and making stores more vigilant against selling alcohol and tobacco to minors. Through her dedication and hard work, advancements in store technology and smarter operations are benefiting all Washington citizens.

James Lever, Washington State Patrol

Capt. Lever�s leadership has saved lives. Using out-of-the-box thinking, Lever developed programs to tackle drunk driving. His district alone made more than 5,300 DUI arrests in 2007, setting a record for arrests in one district. His work contributed heavily to the 33 percent reduction in traffic deaths in Washington last year.

John Lynch, Department of General Administration

It�s John�s job to oversee public works projects in Washington. He has transformed the process in a number of ways: boosting apprenticeships to give young people experience and training, providing contract opportunities to minority and small business owners, and building partnerships to conserve energy in Washington buildings, saving taxpayers about $1 million every year in utility costs.

Meagan Macvie, Department of Personnel

With her unique energy and passion, Meagan has changed the way the public views working for the state of Washington. She branded Washington state employment as �work that matters,� inspiring people to apply for positions in public service. She has effectively told the story of state employees and the work they do every day for Washington. Meagan�s leadership also means that citizens are getting information in a clear and concise way.

Doron Maniece, Department of Licensing

Washington residents traveling to and from Canada and Mexico (or other sea border crossings in and out of the United States) can get there easier and cheaper now, thanks to Doron. He is responsible for overseeing the creation of the enhanced driver�s license program, an alternative passport for residents that launched in January. Doron worked tirelessly with federal counterparts, ensuring that the license would meet both federal standards and protect citizens� privacy. His work is making Washington a leader in innovation.

Mike Michener, Employment Security Department

Mike�s leadership and out-of-the box thinking is saving taxpayers nearly $2 million a year. Mike developed such policies as refurbishing old furniture instead of buying new pieces, streamlining the mailing and postage process at ESD to save nearly $1.5 million in one year, and educating staff about when it is most cost-effective to use ESD�s publications unit. With Mike�s creative management, his division delivers top service to the state.

Dan Myers, Office of Financial Management

Dan is a visionary in his field. As the top human resources manager for OFM, Dan developed an agency-wide training conference for employees that brought the agency together for professional development. His work helped OFM achieve one of the highest ratings of employee satisfaction in the state, making employees feel valued in their job, which, in turn, means better service to citizens.

Debra Ocheltree, Department of Retirement Systems

Debra understands the importance of her position and the trust instilled in her by retirees from the state. Thanks in large part to Debra�s efforts as fiscal manager, an outside organization designated DRS as one of the most efficient pension systems in the world. Under her leadership, $2.5 billion in annual pension benefits are paid on time.

Bea Rector, Department of Social and Human Services

Bea is dedicated to changing the lives of the citizens she serves � people with disabilities and the aging in Washington. In the past two years alone, her leadership brought DSHS more than $19 million from the federal government to allow longtime residents of institutions to move into community housing. Her work enhances the lives of Washington�s most vulnerable citizens.

Jose Rodriquez, Department of Labor and Industries

Jose is a committed professional, always going above and beyond to build partnerships and respond to community concerns. One example is Jose�s leadership during the December 2007 flooding in Southwest Washington. Jose coordinated the development of a disaster recovery communications plan on workers compensation, workplace safety, electrical permits, manufactured home inspections and consumer protection. His timely decision-making abilities allowed inspectors and customer service staff to provide accurate and helpful responses to flood victims.

Peter Schmidt, Department of Labor and Industries

Peter is an expert at using technology to improve overall service. When Peter faced a shortage in funding to pay for full-time employees, he found new ways to cross-train his staff and still deliver high-quality services to citizens. Among many accomplishments, Peter formed a team to educate the public on the underground economy to help protect consumers from businesses that perform inadequate and illegal work.

Thomas Schumacher, Department of Veterans Affairs

As the director of the War Trauma and Veterans Conservation Corps Program at DVA, Tom is making sure veterans and their families are not alone in dealing with post-war trauma. His post-traumatic stress disorder program is a national model. He knows about the conditions afflicting war veterans firsthand, having served in the Vietnam War. His passion is to serve his military brothers and sisters and their families by offering supportive services.

Ted Sturdevant, Department of Ecology

As the director of governmental relations at Ecology, Ted makes sure that legislators are informed when voting on important environmental policy issues. He also leads one of the agency�s highest priorities � reducing toxics threats, with a special focus on children�s health. His work is making the future safer for Washington�s children.

Scott Turner, Department of Personnel

Scott is known for getting things done at DOP. There is no project Scott won�t tackle if it means finding a better solution to a problem. His leadership resulted in a new online tool for the state�s employee giving program, the Combined Fund Drive. The project got done on time and under budget, making it easier for state employees to donate to charities of their choice. Charities will now be able to use those donations earlier to serve communities across the state.

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