Statement of
Morris X. Winn
Nominee for
Assistant
Administrator for Administration and
Resources Management
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
before the
Committee on Environment and Public Works
United States Senate
January 24, 2002
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, it
is with great honor and privilege that I am here today as the nominee of
President Bush and Governor Whitman for the Environmental Protection Agency=s Assistant
Administrator for Administration and Resources Management, also known as OARM.
First of all, I am very proud of being asked
to serve in the Bush Administration and with Governor Whitman, both of whom are
aggressively working to enhance the level of public health and environmental
protection for all Americans. I look
forward to working closely with the Congress, to improve management and
performance at EPA.
Let me speak briefly about my background and
discuss where I hope to bring new ideas and leadership to the position, if
confirmed.
I have almost 30 years of experience in
public service for the great state of Texas, working for four Texas governors
and two Attorney Generals, who held different philosophical views. I had a leadership role in managing
diversity, administrative support activities, and human resource programs
in the offices of the Texas State Attorney General and Commissioner of
Insurance. Most recently, as the
Director of Human Resources in the Comptroller=s Office, I
developed and implemented an effective strategy to recruit, hire, train, and
retain many high performing employees.
We hired approximately 700 employees over 24 months without any
grievances or lawsuits.
Throughout my career, I have pursued public
service with a passion, and have dedicated myself to Agood@ government and
governance, taking a balanced and common sense approach to managing both people
and processes. I am a fiscal
realist. I intend to practice frugal
spending of taxpayers=dollars in all the offices under my
management authority. I believe that
public service, at all organizational levels, must be delivered with integrity,
energy, and purpose. I bring to this
position a keen and sincere understanding that public service is not simply a
job, nor a profession! It is a public
trust and high honor.
On this note, I firmly believe that our
Federal employees and the EPA family of approximately 18,000 people are
indeed the Agency=s most valuable asset. As we raise the bar of fairness and equity
in the workplace, we must recognize that there are heroes on both sides of
every issue. There are those who speak
up about injustice on racial or gender issues; or government waste. On the other hand, there are those who tell
you about all the right and good things happening at an Agency. I recognize that we need both of these
perspectives in order to continually look for ways to improve the talent and
productivity of our workforce and performance of our Agency.
If given the opportunity, I look forward to
bringing these experiences and perspectives to the leadership team at EPA and
to continuing to sharpen EPA=s focus on
efficient management services.
I would like to summarize the values and
principles that will guide me if confirmed as EPA=s Assistant
Administrator for OARM. They include:
integrity and fiscal responsibility; openness and willingness to listen;
fairness and accountability; proactivity; and a spirit of partnership.
EPA=s OARM provides
leadership to ensure sound management of administrative services throughout the
Agency. The Office has a broad range of
functions, including: management of human resources; contracts and grants
management; employee health, safety and security; and facilities construction
and maintenance.
My
goal in providing leadership to these functions, is to help EPA, and its
employees find the will to serve a growing and more demanding customer
base. To lead this organization into a
model or Abest practice@ organization, I
would like to establish a system of total accountability where employees at all
levels will Aown@ their jobs, that
is, the duties assigned them. Employees
should be free to succeed or fail based on their measured ability.
The tragic events of September 11th
and the ongoing concerns over increased terrorist activity have raised the
level of anxiety throughout our nation.
Federal employees have shown an exemplary degree of courage and
dedication to serving the American public, rising to the President=s challenge and
returning to their jobs. I see one of
my primary responsibilities as ensuring the safety and security of EPA=s workforce and
facilities. I will work to ensure that
current efforts are consistent with the security demands of our times and work
to test the responsiveness of those systems.
I am also aware that both the Congress and the
President have concerns about the Federal government=s Human Capital
Crisis, and the resulting workforce challenges. In line with GAO=s recommendations,
I will ensure that we integrate workforce planning into the Agency=s Strategic and
Budget Planning processes, and under the umbrella of EPA=s Human Capital
Strategy, I will work hard to support the President=s Initiatives.
Lastly, I will work to ensure a high level of
integrity and accountability in the management of our financial resources. Each year, approximately two-thirds of EPA=s budget is
obligated as contracts or grants. The
management of these resources is a very important function and must be
done well. In this regard, I have been
informed that the Agency has made substantial progress over the past two years,
so much so that the grants close-out backlog has been virtually eliminated,
reduced by 97 percent. If confirmed, I
will focus my efforts, and the efforts of my management team, on strengthening
oversight and making sure that we have early warning systems built into our
processes and that the American people get cost-effective results from these
contracts and grants.
In summary, effectively discharging the
responsibilities of the Office of Administration and Resources Management is
critical to meeting EPA=s mission. I believe that it is in the best interest of
EPA and the public to integrate mission goals and effective management with the
principles of Agood@ government. I believe that bureaucracy, that part of
government that is brushed with a paint brush of regulations and process, is
important so long as the process never gets in the way of good government and
public policy. Bureaucracy is bad when
it rewards poor performance in the same manner that excellent performance is
rewarded. Bureaucracy is also bad when
we govern by excruciating detail, dictating every result in advance. This kills management creativity and common
sense.
This position will be a tough job as there
are many challenges ahead for this organization. If confirmed, I pledge to bring the full weight of my integrity,
energy, and experience to bear on meeting those challenges and raise the bar of
excellence for this organization.
Let me close by expressing my appreciation to
the Committee for its recognition of and support for the Agency=s vital mission and
the opportunity to appear here today. I=m pleased that my
wife and children are here and would like to thank you for the courtesies
extended to them. At this time, I would
be pleased to take any questions that you may have.