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Perspectives from the Regional Administrator
Kristin Dunbar and Greg Weiler March 2008 Customer Service Award Winners
Gerardo was planning a training session for insecticide inspectors at a workshop hosted by the Texas Department of Agriculture. The session would help inspectors improve their communication with workers who handle insecticides to better determine if they were subject to any violations. Gerardo’s strategy included giving each inspector a copy of a CD with Spanish translations of information on worker safety. Great idea, right? What he didn’t count on, though, was the CDs coming in a week late from the supplier, leaving him very little time to prepare this crucial component of his training materials. He called on Kristin and Greg to prepare 45 copies of the CD in time for the workshop. Despite their normal responsibilities piling up around them, both readily agreed to help out. They made the copies in four hours, ensuring the CDs would be ready to hand out at the training session. “EPA’s image in the agriculture fields will be improved wherever the inspectors use the tools and information provided in the CDs,” said Gerardo. “Kristin and Greg’s good attitude, professionalism and resourcefulness are just icing on their cake of customer service.” Kristin has worked in 6PD-Pesticides since August 2007. She has a bachelor’s degree in biology from University of North Texas. Greg has worked in pesticides for 17 ½ years. He has a master’s degree in agronomy and soil science from New Mexico State University and a bachelor’s in botany and environmental science from Northern Arizona University. Glenn DeAtley February 2008 Customer Service Award Winner
Further adding to Glenn’s distinction is the fact that his nomination came from outside of 6PD. Pat Gaspar of the Office of the Regional Administrator and Doloris Oldham of External Affairs, who answer calls on Region 6’s Public Information Center (PIC) hotline, wanted to recognize Glenn for fielding so many inquiries that result from these calls. “His responses are always professional, thorough, and timely. Those who answer the PIC line are deeply indebted to Glenn because he lightens their load by being so responsive to the callers’ inquiries,” Pat said. PIC operators use a database of topics to look up R6 employees who can answer callers’ specific questions. Glenn’s name appears in the database as the man to call on 39 of those topics, from illegal dumping to household hazardous waste. He sees that every call he gets is resolved, whether it takes a few minutes or a few months. “Because of Glenn’s commitment to helping people understand and resolve environmental issues, he leaves every caller with a positive image of the Region,” said Doloris. Glenn has worked at EPA for 12 years in 6PD’s Solid Waste section. Before that, he spent his career in the farm equipment manufacturing industry, putting his bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Missouri and master’s in secondary education from Washington University in St. Louis to good use.
Region 6 Administrator Richard E. Greene welcomed Tom Dunne, Headquarters Associate Administrator for Homeland Security, to Dallas for an update on Region 6 emergency preparedness. Information covering the Response Support Corps, water security, laboratory preparedness, internal preparedness, RadNet, and the Picher, Oklahoma, tornado response was presented throughout the morning to Mr. Dunne and Region 6 senior management. Region 6 is meeting a high standard to achieve our mission of protecting human health and the environment in the event of a disaster. Jon Rinehart January 2008 Customer Service Award Winner
Jon worked with several parents from the Austin area who were rightly concerned about their school district’s choice of where to place a new elementary school: in an abandoned chemical plant. In a letter to Administrator Richard Greene, they said Jon “always put concern for the children first, and for that we will be forever grateful.” Jon ensured that the parents were informed during the petitioning process, and made sure that any findings on the proposed school site were included in the official record. Partly because of Jon’s efforts, the parents felt that their “interaction with EPA has been by far the most positive” during their fight. In addition to protecting their own children, the parents also hope to see the state pass legislation restricting the type of property on which new schools can be built. Beverly Negri, Jon’s Superfund colleague, nominated him for January’s award. Jon has worked at EPA for about 20 years, in Superfund as well as the Multimedia Planning and Permitting division. He has a bachelor’s degree in geology from Central Missouri and a master’s in the same field from the University of Nebraska. Vickie Johnson
Cindy Fanning, External Affairs’ congressional liaison for Texas, came to Vicki with complex, sensitive questions from Congressman Chet Baker’s office regarding the coal-fire plant permitting process. Cindy knew she was asking a lot of Vicki: "The questions reflected a lack of understanding of EPA’s role, which required carefully crafted, plain-language response." And of course, the congressman wanted the responses quickly. Vicki accomplished everything Rep. Baker’s office requested. She crafted nuanced, simple responses to most of the questions within the same day, and finished the rest the following day.Her speed was especially important because it meant EPA’s position was represented accurately and favorably in a newspaper article that ran soon after. "Through these stress-filled days, Vicki never failed to do her best to represent the Agency’s interests.Her gentle shepherding garnered support and approval from every party involved," Cindy said. "She is a terrific asset to EPA." Vicki has worked in Regional Counsel for seven years.She has a bachelor’s degree in biology and a law degree, both from the University of Houston. Employee forum highlights yearly accomplishments
I, along with the directors and our senior policy advisor, discussed the accomplishments report and this year's 400-Day Plan at the recent all-hands forum. Larry Starfield led the group in discussing topics that our executive team has been working on during their our executive sessions. The Leadership Development Program (LDP) also made a presentation on their project to define organizational values that are important for assuring a high-quality workplace in Region 6. Taylor Sharpe December 2007 Customer Service Award Winner
The division’s goal was to decide which facilities to inspect for NPDES permit violations. This would allow inspectors to target repeat offenders or those with the most serious violations, instead of choosing facilities more randomly. While the goal seemed like a great way to increase efficiency, it required creating a way to parse through 1.3 million pieces of data. Taylor got to work on doing just that, eventually creating a new database with parameters that would allow program officers to customize their facilities searches. This project required database building, computer programming, as well as significant management skills. “Taylor was absolutely amazing in the way he kept other team members involved in the process,” said his nominator, Juan Ibarra. “He kept us involved in the development process to make sure the database would help us meet our goals.” Taylor’s diligence resulted in a sleek, easily searchable database that allows enforcement officers to target facilities with exact specifications. They are even sharing their database with states in the Region. “This system could become a model for how other regions can both target facilities and manage data in a sortable and useable manner,” said Juan. Taylor has done enforcement work at EPA for 15 years. He has a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Texas. Helen Nguyen November 2007 Customer Service Award Winner
The Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance’s (OECA) computer support group struggled with an issue in the ICIS enforcement tracking system that incorrectly charged facilities with violations. OECA support, needing some fresh minds to tackle the problem, called Region 6’s Enforcement Division. Helen participated in a 40-minute conference call with OECA user support, trying to diagnose and remedy the problem. When that call yielded little progress, Helen continued working on her own. After two days of troubleshooting, Helen not only determined the source of the problem but also worked out a solution to it. Because permit issuers agency-wide use the ICIS system, Helen provided a great service not just to her own team, but for all EPA employees and customers. “Helen was very determined to figure out the root of the problem,” said Cathy Bius, who nominated Helen. “Identifying the problem in such a timely manner ensures that it is addressed quickly with a minimal impact on permits issued across the country.” Helen has worked for EPA since 1987, with one year in the Multimedia Planning and Permitting Division and the rest in the Enforcement Division. She has an associate’s degree in computer science from Tarrant County Junior College. David Reel October 2007 Customer Service Award Winner
Before coming to work for Region 6 as a Corps of Engineers liaison for the Brownfields Team, David spent several years assisting the City of Houston’s Brownfields program. This background proved beneficial, as his nominator Casey Luckett-Snyder explained, when his experience contributed to quick turn-around time for several Brownfields grantees as well as his teammates. Brownfields grantee the city of San Antonio was especially appreciative of David’s efforts. The city was working on its assessments up until the day their grant expired. David volunteered to help review, comment on, and approve their QAPPs, setting aside other work to do so. His quick work allowed San Antonio to assess three additional properties in the remaining two weeks of their grant. “David’s enthusiasm for Brownfields and willingness to be a team player has been evident since his first day with the Brownfields Team,” said Casey. “We’re lucky to have his technical knowledge and expertise.” Before starting in the Region 6 office in June 2007, David worked on the Brownfields Team in Houston since January 2003. He has a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in geology from the University of South Florida. Jay Harris September 2007 Customer Service Award Winner
After hearing of their dilemma, Jay wanted to help the tribe meet the grant requirements so they could buy a new vehicle. With the end of the fiscal year only weeks away, this seemed unlikely. But, by working tirelessly with tribal and EPA officials, Jay ensured that all of the grant requirements were met. The Kickapoo people got their grant, allowing them to improve waste disposal services and save money for their tribe. “Jay continuously and steadfastly advocated the importance of this request,” said his nominator, Todd Spinks. “His management of this complex issue showed how committed he is to his clients’ needs. Throughout the process, Jay presented himself and EPA with the highest standards of resourcefulness and enthusiasm.” Jay has worked at EPA for almost 10 years. He has worked in Tribal for most of that time, and on detail in the Water Quality Protection Division for two years. He has a bachelor’s degree in business from Grambling State University. Jeraldine “Jerri” Englerth August 2007 Customer Service Award Winner
The Brownfields Team hosted an “Application Package 101” session for potential grantees in Oklahoma City and asked Jerri to attend. “She is always ready to assist our team with all things grant related. She sat with us, line by line, to make sure we got it right,” said Amber Perry of the Brownfields Team, who nominated Jerri for the award. “Our grantees found her very approachable, knowledgeable and helpful. She worked through the first four-hour session and continued to make herself available for the next two days of our meeting,” Amber said. Amber and the Brownfields Team were not the only ones to recognize Jerri’s diligence. Two officials from EPA Headquarters attended the session, and during a subsequent national Brownfields call both mentioned how innovative and helpful Jerri was. Susie Lopez July 2007 Customer Service Award Winner
Susie, an engineer in the Groundwater/UIC section, has undertaken several projects within the last year that provided excellent customer service to her own division as well as EPA employees in other regions. For example, she advised peers in Region 9 on an injection well test design and assisted Region 7 staff in reviewing a no-migration petition. In addition, she gave three presentations at conferences in Washington, DC, and Austin; consulted with state officials in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana on injection well projects and permit revisions; and designed and implemented a plan for an injection well to address a citizen complaint. Ken cited Susie’s “positive attitude, amazing work ethic, flexibility, attention to detail and willingness to be a team player” as making her a great asset in their section. “Susie always goes above and beyond with her work. State agencies, industry and other EPA regions regularly contact her for her extensive knowledge of technical issues.” Susie has worked in 6WQ since 1995. She has a BS degree in mechanical engineering from Oklahoma State University. |
In a perfect world, planning a conference would be a highly organized affair. We would have time to deliberate over the perfect font for name cards, practice and refine speeches, and compile handouts two weeks early. Like most of us, though, Gerardo Acosta of the Multimedia Planning and Permitting Division does not live in a perfect world. Luckily for him, though, his non-perfect world includes 6PD colleagues like Kristin Dunbar and Greg Weiler. For coming to Gerardo’s rescue and staving off pre-conference panic, this pair won the March 2008 Customer Service Award.
Tom Dunne, EPA Associate Administrator for Homeland Security, visits Region 6
“Just like the Energizer Bunny, she never stops,” Ken Johnson said of his Water Quality Protection Division colleague Susie Lopez in nominating her for a Customer Service Award. Susie’s energy and efforts on many projects outside her direct responsibilities made her the perfect choice for the July 2007 award.