Citibank Travel Card

ITA Citibank travel cardholders are reminded that the travel card is to be used for expenses associated with official government travel only. The card is not intended for personal use. If you have questions concerning how to use the travel card, contact Sharon Russell, ITA Travel Card Coordinator, at 202- 482-3267.

New Purchase Card Scam 

OOMS and CIO worked closely over several months to  develop the "New User Request" form for the White Pages Directory, and more recently the "Delete User" form. The electronic "Delete User" form allows ITA employees to submit an electronic request to have users no longer employed by ITA removed from White Pages and other network accounts. This form, combined with the "New User Request" form, should allow for greater accuracy in network account maintenance and in the White Pages.

The "Delete User" form can be accessed by any ITA employee through White Pages - https://emenu.ita.doc.gov/emenuitahr.nsf. Once the form is filled out, it is then automatically submitted to the help desk, and the help desk will contact the individual's supervisor, or the form submitter, to confirm that the employee no longer works at ITA. The user's White Pages account and all system accounts will then be disabled for 30 days after the effective date and completely removed from all systems on the 30th day. Every ITA program should take advantage of both of these great tools. If you have questions or comments about this new form, contact Seth Raley  at 202-482-3756, or Seth.Raley@mail.doc.gov.

Upcoming Leadership School Courses 

In late April and early May, the Leadership School will  offer two no-cost courses that are designed to address the Senior Executive Service (SES) executive core qualifications.  The courses are: Systemic Leadership& Management on April 20 to 21, 2005, and Presentation Skills on May 3 to 5, 2005.  These are very informative courses that are presented by highly qualified instructors.  For a description of these and other Leadership School Courses, go to http://www.ita.doc.gov/ita_admin/ohrm/training and then click on Leadership School Course Calendar.  If you have any questions about the Leadership School and the courses offered, contact Anesia Robinson on 202-482-1380.

Thrift Savings Plan Open Season Is April 15, 2005 - June 30, 2005 

The Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) Open Season begins April 15, 2005 and runs through June 30, 2005. During this open season, participants covered by FERS may elect to contribute up to 15% of their basic pay each pay period; participants covered by CSRS may elect to contribute up to 10% of their basic pay each pay period. Questions may be directed to Vanessa Lewis at 202-482-8327or Dottie Bowling at 202-482-3504. 

The Deputy Under Secretary announced the beginning of the FY 07 budget process with a memorandum to the Assistant Secretaries on April 5, 2005. The budget process is lengthy and will conclude with the publishing of the President's FY 2007 budget in early February 2006. For more information on the FY 2007 budget, contact Amy Duncan at 482-5739.

Program Analysis and Review Tool

The Program Analysis and Review Tool, commonly called the PART, is a mechanism used by the Office of Management and Budget to evaluate program effectiveness. Two ITA programs, Market Access and Compliance and Import Administration, have completed their initial PART evaluations and have projected very good scores. For more information on the PART, contact Ed Meyer at 202-482-3304.

FY 05 Audit

Each year the ITA's financial records are audited by independent auditors. Part of the audit process involves going on-site to directly inspect our financial data and conformance with rules, regulations and policies. There will be on-site audits here in the HCHB and at a overseas location as well as at our accounting providers location in Denver, Colorado and one U.S. Export Assistance Center in the midwest United States. For more information on the audit please call Ms. Leslie Hyland at 202-482-5434.

ITA Comings and Goings 02/22/04 - 04/04/05

Arrivals - WELCOME! 

OUS - Sarah Bonner, IA - Dana Griffies, MAS - Jamie Estrada, Victoria Kao, Jack McDougle, US&FCS - George Best, Robert Calia, John Estes, Denise Guzman, Caroline McCall Joiner, Julie Treadman, Eric Watson.  

Departures

OUS - Stephanie Childs, IA - Melanie Brown, Mark Young, MAC - Georgia Creech, George Paine, MAS - Vera Hartman, US&FCS - Cathy Criley, Mercedes Fitchett, Timothy Gilman, Karla King, Sandra Munsey, Pamela Feodoroff Wilbur