News Releases
Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - May 19, 2004
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Gov. Gary Locke Awards 27 State Employees for Management Leadership

Gov. Gary Locke today presented the Governor’s Distinguished Management Leadership Award to 16 state employees who demonstrated outstanding management excellence this past year. Locke also recognized an additional 11 managers with the Sustaining Leadership Award for their continuing exceptional leadership.

“You have each been asked to meet rising demands with diminishing resources. The people of Washington depend on you and all of our state employees, every single day,” Locke told recipients during an awards luncheon at the Governor’s Mansion. “You’ve shown innovation and dedication and you’ve inspired and encouraged others to follow your example.”

Established in 1985, both awards recognize state government managers for their leadership, customer and market focus, information and analysis, human resource development and management, process management and business results. This year’s recipients were:

2004 DISTINGUISHED MANAGERS AWARDS

Rick Bacon, Department of Social & Health Services
Dr. Timothy Brown, Department of Social & Health Services
Linda Dunn, Office of the Attorney General
John Erickson, Department of Health
Albert Garza, Department of Employment Security
Michael Grundhoffer, Department of Revenue
Christopher Hammond, Department of Employment Security
Jim Hedrick, Office of Financial Management
Bill Joplin, Department of General Administration
Lorraine Lee, Liquor Control Board
Steve McLain, Department of Labor & Industries
Kathy Magonigle, Department of Veterans Affairs
Jeannie Summerhays, Department of Ecology
Brian Ursino, Washington State Patrol
Dr. Carol Welch, Department of Social & Health Services
Sharon Whitehead, Department of Personnel


2004 SUSTAINING LEADERSHIP AWARDS

Doug Allen, Department of Social & Health Services
Robert Brown, Department of Labor & Industries
Stephen Cant, Department of Labor & Industries
Wendy Fraser, Department of Revenue
Kathleen McBride, Department of Social & Health Services
Pat McLain, Department of General Administration
Kathy Mix, Office of the Attorney General
Mary Neff, Washington State Patrol
Donald Ott, Department of Employment Security
Grant Pfeifer, Department of Ecology
Christina Valadez, Department of Personnel

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Editor’s Note: A detailed description of each recipient’s leadership accomplishments is attached.

2004 DISTINGUISHED MANAGERS AWARDS

Rick Bacon, Department of Social & Health Services
As assistant director of Home and Community Services in the Aging and Disability Services Administration, Rick Bacon oversees about 700 employees in 41 offices across the state. He guides decisions that affect the lives of more than 45,000 clients who receive long-term care services.

In 2003, Bacon successfully completed the emotionally charged task of transferring about 120 long-term patients from Western State and Eastern State hospitals back to residential facilities in their home communities. The patients, their families, advocates, and providers were fearful that the move would leave patients without the services needed to live successfully outside the state hospitals.

Bacon took the lead and prepared a plan that identified facilities statewide which could provide quality care to the incoming residents. Bacon also established commitments with local mental health programs to provide support and services to the new residents to prevent crises, protect other residents, and prevent future institutionalization.

During this project, Bacon proved his ability to motivate staff to change their traditional view of caring for people with mental illness outside of institutions.


Dr. Timothy Brown, Department of Social & Health Services
During 2003, Dr. Tim Brown, assistant secretary for the Heath and Rehabilitative Services Administration, courageously and successfully performed one of the most difficult and thankless tasks assigned to a state government manager. He found a place in King County for a Secure Community Transition Facility to house civilly committed sex offenders. Dr. Brown led his staff through a minefield of public opposition while developing a facility that would ensure public safety and preserve sex offenders’ constitutional rights. He was very inclusive and open during the process.

After one of the public hearings, Dr. Brown was verbally threatened and his vehicle was closely followed in what appeared to be a threatening manner. Subsequent media accounts bolstered his reputation as a fair person who was unjustly targeted for doing his job.

Over the months, the level of outrage decreased and the public had a greater understanding of Dr. Brown’s programs and the legal issues driving them. His success means that the Seattle Secure Community Transition Facility will open in 2005, with the city’s cooperation and the safety of the public in the area assured.


Linda Dunn, Office of the Attorney General
Linda Dunn is the division chief of the Torts Division in the Attorney General’s Office. The Torts Division handles a very large and extremely complex workload and defends the state against hundreds of millions of dollars of claims every year.

Dunn has been the model within the Attorney General’s Office in demonstrating that performance can be enhanced through use of data, goal setting, and management of information. She has used available data to track trends, communicate with clients and the Legislature, and to inform her staff of the importance of their work, where they are successful, and where they can improve. Her work has been extremely helpful in assisting other legal divisions implement the Attorney General Management Accountability Program.

Dunn effectively supervises a large litigation division and ensures the professional, competent representation of the state. She undertakes these challenges and tasks in a deliberate and calm fashion, setting goals through strategic planning and teamwork.


John Erickson, Department of Health
As director of the Department of Health’s Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Program, John Erickson has guided the creation of a regional system capable of responding to catastrophic terrorist attacks ranging from smallpox to dirty bombs. The value-added is a system that also works for a variety of common public health challenges, such as the norovirus outbreak at a children’s summer camp in 2003. This theory—preparing for bioterrorism by improving the overall public health network—has been adopted as the national model.

Erickson is a nuclear physicist who has dedicated most of his public service to the agency’s Radiation Protection Program, becoming program director in 1996. The September 2001 terrorist attacks and the anthrax incidents the following month changed his direction. These events demonstrated the need for a larger public health profile in emergency preparedness. In Washington, Erickson has seen this task through with remarkable results, bringing together local health and tribal agencies as well as a set of new public health partners, including public safety (law enforcement and fire) and emergency management.


Albert Garza, Department of Employment Security
The WorkFirst program overhauled its service delivery approach with the implementation in 2003 of the Targeted Wage Initiative to assist WorkFirst parents to get a job, a better job, and a better life. Albert Garza led his managers to create an exceptional program and develop methods of delivering customer services that have become the standard for the state.

Garza is a manager who engages his team at all levels and leads by example, both internally and externally. His staff is encouraged and expected to demonstrate a positive demeanor, exceed performance measures, and seek opportunities for personal and professional growth.

High unemployment and increasing WorkFirst caseloads statewide brought challenges for Garza. Yet during this period, his area excelled. The percentage of parents moving from welfare to work increased to 61 percent in 2003 and January 2004’s WorkFirst report showed Spokane had met or exceeded its target of moving parents to employment for every month since July 2003 – making it the most productive office in the state.


Michael Grundhoffer, Department of Revenue
Michael Grundhoffer has increased the efficiency and effectiveness of Revenue’s Compliance Division to help ensure that all businesses pay their fair share of taxes used to fund public services.

Grundhoffer has used tenacity, teamwork, and technology to collect delinquent taxes from registered businesses and identify unregistered businesses. His staff collects more than $220 million annually in delinquent taxes and recovers another $56 million through tax discovery.

Innovations under his leadership include creating a data warehouse to provide his tax collectors with better business intelligence, and establishing an Initial Contact Team that uses a predictive dialing system to contact delinquent taxpayers more quickly than was possible in the past.

Additional accomplishments include strengthening information sharing partnerships with other state and federal agencies that collect taxes, and coordinating with them on the collection of taxes from firms that have gone into bankruptcy.

Grundhoffer oversaw an intensive recruitment and training process to bring aboard new revenue agents authorized by a legislative enhancement package, and those new agents helped the Department exceed its fiscal year 2003 revenue commitment goals.


Christopher Hammond, Department of Employment Security
Prior to Christopher Hammond being hired, the King County TeleCenter failed to meet the federal “Desired Levels of Achievement” for timely first payment of benefits and issuance of eligibility determinations. Through participatory leadership, Hammond set in motion a number of improvement efforts that generated strong, measurable results.

He called on his leaders to examine the root causes of performance problems and conducted interviews with line staff to learn and understand their points of view. Not only did Hammond’s approach improve service delivery, it also raised the employee satisfaction rating from a score of 4.15 in 2002 to 4.28 after his first year of service.

Hammond acted to improve Customer Service ratings by partnering with his intake manager and the agency’s mystery shopping contractor to reengineer the data collection form used to rate the quality of telephone calls by TeleCenter agents. Following implementation of the new form, two staff earned perfect scores on mystery shopper calls in the 4th Quarter of 2003 — a first. The agency’s other TeleCenters have now adopted the new rating form.


Jim Hedrick, Office of Financial Management
Jim Hedrick coordinates and manages the legislative relations activities for executive policy analysts, OFM management, and budget staff. He frequently handles Governor’s request legislation and works with agencies to coordinate executive branch legislation. He provides leadership and direction to staff during budget and legislative development.
During his tenure as director of legislative affairs, Hedrick has championed a disciplined and inclusive agency-wide approach to developing, monitoring, and influencing legislation. Under his leadership, Governor Locke was able to secure support for a $3.2 billion package to keep the aerospace industry in Washington State.

Hedrick was key in the Priorities of Government budget process by organizing the work of the team that supported external participants, and helping decide the proper approach. On the Governor’s Competitiveness Council, he maintained close relations with business and higher education leaders to keep them informed about the budget process.

Hedrick demonstrates true compassion for his colleagues. He has earned the respect of his peers and always manages legislative activities with strong leadership skills and a deep sense of responsibility.


Bill Joplin, Department of General Administration
General Administration faced numerous challenges as it took leadership of the rule-making process for competitive contracting, one of the key elements in the state’s revamping of a decades-old personnel system. Public demand for improved services and wiser use of taxpayer dollars shadowed the effort.

Bill Joplin led the effort of meeting those demands while at the same time satisfying the needs of state employees in writing the new rules, which take effect in July 2005. Working on a tight timeline, Joplin led a team of General Administration employees that gathered comments and insights over six months from more than 800 stakeholder groups representing business, labor, state agencies, and the public. From these, his team crafted the final rules. The effort earned praise from all sides for its level of inclusion and fairness.

Joplin also coordinated General Administration’s assistance to the Department of Personnel in developing training for state agencies. The effort focuses on helping state workers prepare themselves for the bidding process of competitive contracting.


Lorraine Lee, Liquor Control Board
Lorraine Lee was named director of licensing and regulation in 2002 during a challenging period of rapid growth in demand for licensing services. She quickly took a strong leadership role, reorganizing the Licensing Division in early 2003 to improve efficiency and streamline operations. She created more focused job descriptions, reassigned employees to improve communications and workflow, and helped the division’s managers and supervisors work more effectively as a team to solve complex policy issues.

She also developed a division strategic plan to improve customer service, expand on-line access, reduce licensing wait times, and revise outdated laws and rules. She made sure her employees received the training and resources they needed to carry out these increasingly challenging assignments. Licensing employees are a major front-line force for the agency.

Lee’s focus on improved customer service is a source of pride for her newly energized staff. She received the highest employee approval ratings among all agency divisions in the 2003 Department of Personnel employee survey. This achievement was made even more notable by the fact that these excellent employee satisfaction ratings were achieved during a time of transition and change.


Steve McLain, Department of Labor & Industries
As the administrator of the Department of Labor and Industries’ Southwest Washington region, Steve McLain was chosen to lead a new statewide safety initiative. After using injury data to target the high-risk residential wood-framing industry, McLain involved staff from eight different Labor & Industries programs to find ways to prevent the eye and fall injuries common to framers.

McLain broke down traditional barriers that occur within an organization when there are multiple programs and disciplines that work within a stringent hierarchy. He managed all aspects of this large and complex plan – including planning, data collection, performance measures, and community outreach. After one year, the injury rate for Washington framers dropped by 19 percent for eyes and 30 percent for falls — exceeding the project’s 15 percent goal. Today, as a result, more than 800 fewer framers a year are injured.

McLain has set a model for the agency’s approach to staff development, initiating a new system of personal development plans for many of his 164 employees, establishing the first in-house apprenticeship program, and encouraging continuity when there is a change in managers or supervisors.


Kathy Magonigle, Department of Veterans Affairs
Kathy Magonigle is a licensed Nursing Home Administrator who manages the Spokane Veterans Home. Magonigle joined the state system prior to the opening of the home on September 28, 2002 and established a nursing home that serves as an example of efficiency, innovation, and quality of care.

When faced with economic challenges, Magonigle was deliberate in finding economies, best buys, and putting in place streamlined practices. She mobilized the community and accepted donations from veteran service organizations and businesses that enhanced the quality of life for residents and improved working conditions for her staff.

Magonigle fosters a climate of trust and hard work among her managers and has created an administrative team with strong values that leads by example. She is a fair leader who believes in second chances. This has earned her the respect of peers and loyalty of employees. The Spokane Veterans Home enjoys a reputation as “the place to work” when it comes to nursing home care in Eastern Washington. Magonigle is a consummate businesswoman who manages state resources with zeal and a deep sense of responsibility.


Jeannie Summerhays, Department of Ecology
Jeannie Summerhays played a key role in the Department of Ecology’s efforts to speed up the processing of environmental permits, in response to sharp criticism by the Governor’s Competitiveness Council. In particular, Summerhays led the department’s pilot project to streamline “401 water-quality certifications,” which involve projects that may affect wetlands and water quality.

The goal was to make permit decisions for 90 percent of the applications within 90 days; previously, this review process often took up to a year. It also was important to make the permit review process more transparent, understandable, and efficient for applicants and for Ecology.

Shortening the review process by nine months without any new resources or a tracking database was a true challenge. But Summerhays’ naturally optimistic attitude and strong leadership skills pulled the project team together, and also fostered a more open and partnership-based relationship between the project team and applicants. The pilot project was successfully completed, and the results are now being incorporated into a new, streamlined process for reviewing and making decisions about 401 permits.


Brian Ursino, Washington State Patrol
Captain Brian Ursino, commander of the Criminal Investigation Division (CID), was able to guide CID back from a deficit at the end of the 2003 biennium while expanding the auto theft program to three units, acquiring needed supplies and investigative equipment and implementing the Cooperative Disability Investigation Unit Program.

Through collaboration with his staff, Captain Ursino identified and developed a strategic plan for each core discipline within CID to increase performance, efficiencies and improve investigative processes. The result was an increase in services to the public and stakeholders, as the division opened 1,040 cases in 2003, a 33 percent increase and managed to reduce the time it took to complete an investigation by 23 percent, enabling the victims and relatives to gain closure from their traumatic experiences.

Captain Ursino is being recognized for his leadership and his open management style. Through the development of new training programs and the implementation of department awards, Captain Ursino improved the morale and performance of the division personnel. His division sets a model for the agency, by raising expectations and challenging them to obtain higher goals.


Dr. Carol Welch, Department of Social & Health Services
Dr. Carol Welch is chief of the Management and Audit Program Statistics (MAPS) Unit in the Division of Child Support. Dr. Welch created this unit by merging two units resulting in significantly improved data reliability. Federal auditors use MAPS as a national model for managing data. Her use of technology and success at writing grant proposals has resulted in better caseload management and more effective customer services.

Dr. Welch has been project director for five major research projects and was successful in securing $2.5 million in grant money for technology projects. Most recently, Dr. Welch merged the MAPS unit with the headquarters’ training unit. Through data auditing and analysis, the department can identify training issues, then develop and deliver targeted training to staff.

In the MAPS unit, Dr. Welch created a dynamic team with a diverse staff who interact and support each other. Turnover in her unit is rare and is a testament to the supportive work environment and professional management she provides. Dr. Welch rewards performance through positive and sincere recognition and promotion.


Sharon Whitehead, Department of Personnel
As deputy director of the Department of Personnel, Sharon Whitehead is at the forefront of implementing the Personnel System Reform Act (PSRA) of 2002, landmark legislation that completely changes 43 years of personnel practices throughout the state.

To implement such sweeping changes across all of state government in just three years is a challenge that many leaders would find overwhelming. Whitehead has embraced this rare opportunity and has inspired DOP staff to rise to the challenge with a level of achievement that few thought possible.

Whitehead is successfully leading two major projects simultaneously – civil service reform and the implementation of a new automated personnel/payroll system. She provides leadership and direction for the extensive work that must be done intern-ally, as well as directing efforts to ensure that all state agencies are aware of and prepared to implement the extensive changes that will result from PSRA.

She has successfully engaged leaders from across state government in a collaborative effort to create a personnel system that will effectively meet the needs of state government now and well into the future.


2004 SUSTAINING LEADERSHIP AWARDS


Doug Allen, Department of Social & Health Services
As an office chief with the Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse, Doug Allen is responsible for marketing publicly funded programs that provide alcohol and drug addiction treatment to an audience not always sympathetic to the plight of those fighting substance abuse.

When local communities resisted methadone clinics in their neighborhoods, Allen negotiated new protocols, which resulted in three new clinics now serving clients in their own communities. Allen oversaw the development of protocols for using a new medication to treat opiate addiction. He helped opiate treatment providers save up to $5,000 every three years by eliminating regulatory duplication.

Allen also helped make it possible for clients in methadone treatment to get services from clinics close to their homes, saving thousands of dollars each month in Medicaid transportation costs. He is consistently recognized by judges, legislative staff, prosecutors, and consumer advocates for his professionalism, responsiveness, and collaborative style.


Robert Brown, Department of Labor & Industries
Robert Brown manages Labor & Industries’ main call center with two dedicated toll-free 800 numbers, handling more than 14,450 calls a month. A sensitive approach to first contacts by customers is especially critical because our customers are likely to be injured workers very concerned about their future and about workers’ compensation benefits.

Brown led a team that sought ways to reduce busy signals. The team was able to reduce busy signals by 82 percent and was one of three state agency teams presented the first annual Governor’s Award for Service and Quality Improvement.

Brown faced a challenge of a constantly increasing volume of customer calls without staff increases. He used training and performance goals to maintain high performance by his staff. As a result, the number of calls answered increased from 166,000 in 1998 to 174,000 in 2003. He also developed a partnership with the agency’s information technology and claims management staff, as well as with telephone suppliers and customers. This effort resulted in an upgraded telephone system that diverts routine customer calls to an automated system that allows customers to get information in a shorter amount of time.


Stephen Cant, Department of Labor & Industries
Stephen Cant’s entire career has been dedicated to ensuring that the people of Washington State have the safest workplaces possible. He is highly regarded as a nationwide leader and advocate for occupational safety and health. As Federal-State Operations Manager for L&I’s Washington Industrial Safety and Health Act (WISHA) program, his actions have an impact on almost all public- and private-sector employers and workers in the state.
In his early years, Cant built WISHA’s hygiene program essentially from nothing into America’s leader in state-of-the-art occupational health. He has influenced national policy on important issues such as occupational hearing loss and wood-dust exposure.

Cant is responsible for strategic performance management and for developing WISHA’s operational policies. He ensures that employers who appeal cited violations receive due process, and that worker allegations of safety- or health-related discrimination are thoroughly investigated.

Cant’s tenacious vision and continuing leadership have brought WISHA to the cutting edge of our nation’s drive for safe workplaces. The bottom line for Cant is simple: He doesn’t want anyone to get hurt on the job.


Wendy Fraser, Department of Revenue
Wendy Fraser is responsible for designing, implementing, and leading the Department’s organization development program. She provides leadership and coaching to executive and senior managers in the use of Baldrige principles, leadership development, quality improvement, customer service, organization design, and employee involvement practices.

When Fraser joined Revenue, she faced the challenge of creating a quality improvement culture in an agency where numerous managers and staff had a negative view of “quality.” She had to develop an understandable, nonthreatening, continuous improvement program that employees would embrace.

She succeeded in a big way. Revenue went from three active quality teams to dozens of improvement efforts that have generated more than $62 million of additional tax revenue, saved nearly 150,000 staff hours, and cut costs by $1 million.

“Building capacity” is one of Fraser’s hallmarks, and toward that goal she worked to coach Quality Council representatives to serve as coaches within their divisions, and to implement strategic business plan projects, quality projects, and performance measurements. Fraser also orchestrated the development of a Supervisory Academy to build management skills.


Kathleen McBride, Department of Social & Health Services
Kathleen McBride has served with DSHS for 29 years and is currently an office chief in the DSHS Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration.

McBride has overseen the advent of evidence-based services for Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration programs. She worked in collaboration with nationally recognized researchers, clinicians, and the juvenile courts to help establish the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention evidence-based intervention programs across the states. These include functional family therapy, multi-systemic therapy, aggression replacement training, and targeted case management.

McBride was the first administrator in Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration to focus exclusively on treating sex offenders. Because of her work and vision, Washington is viewed as a cutting edge state in the treatment and management of youthful sex offenders. McBride believes that Juvenile Rehabilitation exists to make a difference in the lives of young people who cope with the stresses of life through self-destructive behaviors like chemical abuse or violence. She cares, and she motivates and inspires the people around her to do likewise.


Pat McLain, Department of General Administration
Whether she’s fighting fires, cutting energy use, or protecting symbols of democracy, Pat McLain has delivered successful results throughout a 22-year executive management career with seven state agencies in 11 separate leadership positions.

For the past three years, McLain has served as project director for General Administration’s $118 million Legislative Building rehabilitation. She leads a team of five professional staff, four architectural firms, and more than 15 contractors on a project gaining national recognition for historic preservation, access for people with disabilities, and sustainability. Among her other achievements:
• The first woman to serve as the State Fire Marshal at the Department of Community Development;
• The first woman Game Fish Chief, Director of Regional Operations, and Deputy Director at the Department of Wildlife;
• Establishing the state’s Barrier-Free Program in response to the Americans with Disabilities Act; and
• Conducted high-profile risk assessments of state agencies as part of the state’s Year 2000 Rollover Project.


Kathy Mix, Office of the Attorney General
Kathy Mix has been the chief deputy for the Attorney General’s Office since 1993. She is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the agency, overseeing delivery of legal services to 230 state agencies, boards, and commissions, and she provides supervision and administrative oversight for a staff of over 1,100 attorneys and professional support staff.

When increasing caseloads challenged the existing systems, Mix led and coordinated the transition to new and more efficient case management and critical events calendaring systems. The new case management and critical events systems provide an effective and efficient vehicle to communicate with client agencies regarding pending workloads. This improved vehicle for communication allows the Attorney General’s Office to better meet client agency legal service needs by ensuring prioritization of workload and a clear understanding of resource needs associated with litigation and client advice projects.
Over the course of her eleven years as Chief Deputy she has demonstrated consistent leadership in solving countless legal and administrative problems, not only within the office, but statewide as well.


Mary Neff, Washington State Patrol
As division commander of the Criminal Records Division, Mary Neff was able to use her leadership abilities to craft, plan, and successfully obtain $2.46 million from the state Legislature and federal grants for a 2-1/2 year project for backlog elimination. Over 700,000 backlogged fingerprint cards and disposition reports were processed in addition to regular workloads.

Her keen focus on strategic direction and making decisions based upon relevant data and facts allowed her division to continue with technological advances, even while diligently working on the backlog elimination. These advancements included 15 new local live-scan fingerprinting devices that allow law enforcement, other government agencies, and citizens to receive the most current and accurate criminal history possible.

Her work reflects the model of commitment to quality results she sets within her division. Neff is highly respected by all agency employees for her friendly professionalism, and Criminal Records Division employees follow her example. Her ability to communicate with her staff, and acknowledge employees for their efforts, enables the Criminal Records Division to provide quality services, which in turn provides a safer community for Washington’s citizens.


Donald Ott, Department of Employment Security
Donald Ott accepted a prominent role in 1994, expanding the agency’s community profile with the development and implementation of a new integrated service delivery system. These early efforts paved the way for the smooth transition to the WorkSource Washington concept, our state’s One-Stop service delivery system.

A prime example of how WorkSource Spokane listens to the job seeker customer is evidenced by the introduction of their How to Use the Computer class. Feedback mechanisms regularly communicated clients’ desires to learn basic computer applications. Consequently, a course curriculum was developed and has been offered on a weekly basis for the past two years in partnership with Spokane’s New Horizons Computer Learning Center.

In each of the past three years, WorkSource Spokane experienced funding cutbacks and was required to reduce staffing. Ott’s leadership team understands the challenges of budget limitations, yet continues to respect the importance of performance measures. Every year, the office has successfully executed cost cutting procedures and stayed in budget, while continually exceeding performance goals.


Grant Pfeifer, Department of Ecology
Grant Pfeifer has spent nearly 20 years delivering cleaner air to the citizens of Washington. One of his most notable accomplishments involved implementing a program to reduce agricultural burning in Eastern Washington. This highly contentious issue pitted farmers against local residents, who were concerned about the health effects of sometimes-heavy smoke from field-burning.

To be successful, Pfeifer recognized that those affected by smoke and those creating the smoke must be involved in and feel ownership of the program and its success or failure.

Pfeifer’s management skills and open, honest communication style were instrumental in reaching agreements that now have the support of both the wheat-growers and local activists. In just the first three years of the agreement, agricultural smoke was reduced by more than half – four years ahead of schedule. Also, complaints about agricultural smoke have decreased from hundreds in the 1990s to fewer than a dozen in 2003. This successful effort was honored by two awards last year: Environmental Protection Agency’s Excellence in Air Quality Protection, and the Council of State Government’s Innovations Award Semifinalist.


Christina Valadez, Department of Personnel
Currently the assistant director of the Training and Development Services division, Christina Valadez is also the project manager for civil service reform, the most sweeping human resource change in more than 40 years. Valadez is successfully leading and coordinating many concurrent projects ensuring that Civil Service Reform will be coordinated and shared with client agencies as timely as possible in the short timeframe available. She tirelessly coordinates this massive change and seeks improvements in all aspects of human resources to better serve our clients.

Over the last few years, she has led a project to reduce recruitment cycle time, making the department more efficient and serving customers better, led an effort to consolidate the human resource consultant classifications in cooperation with the human resource community, and managed an extensive research project on the aging workforce involving many from around the state. The Aging Workforce-Workforce Planning Report now serves as a best practice for many other states.

Valadez is always the first person who comes to mind to manage the project. Civil Service Reform has been no exception. Christina exemplifies quality, ethics, and sustaining leadership for the state of Washington.

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