| What's Inside |
Welcome to EEO News & Notes, our online journal of selected articles related to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity Management (OEODM) celebrations, EEO events, and topics of interest to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) community. OEODM Salutes NIH Managers Extraordinaire!!Dr. Stephen I. Katz—Outstanding Leader, Mentor, Scientist, and AdministratorA Man of the People
Of particular mention is the NIAMS response to the Department’s issuance of a “stretch” goal to the NIH to hire 945 disabled persons over the five-year period from 2001-2005. In support of this mandate, the NIAMS hired three interns through the Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) for College Students with Disabilities in 2005. This achievement, which received recognition from the Office of the Secretary, surpassed WRP participation by all other NIH entities. In 2006, Dr. Katz and the NIAMS continued their support of this initiative by being the first IC to hire WRP students for the summer. A Day in the Life of NIAMS Director Stephen I. Katz
NIAMS Director Stephen I. Katz, M.D., Ph.D., joins colleagues from the laboratory in the National Cancer Institute’s Dermatology Branch. The former Chief of that Branch and still an investigator there, Dr. Katz has mentored many scientists from the U.S. and abroad, many of whom are now leading their own independent research programs. Pictured from left to right are: Emily Nelson, Jay Linton, Dr. Kristine Nograles, Dr. Fumi Miyagawa, Brian Kim, Dr. Young-Hun Cho, and Dr. Stephen Katz.
Pictured below are the “Rocking” Directors who can be seen exhibiting their musical talents at venues around the D.C. Metropolitan area. From left to right are: Lawrence N. Self, Director, OEODM; Dr. Francis Collins, Director, National Human Genome Research Institute; Dr. Stephen Katz, Director, NIAMS; and Dr. Elias Zerhouni, Director, NIH.
Ms. Juanita MildenbergRecipient of The 2006 NIH EEO Award of the Year
On July 12, 2006, Ms. Mildenberg was the recipient of the 2006 NIH EEO Award of the Year for promoting equal employment opportunity in a large organization with a unique mix of professional and wage-grade employees. Ms. Mildenberg has ensured compliance with the implementation of all procedures for the investigation and resolution of internal EEO complaints of discrimination; participated in the implementation of all outreach, educational, and training activities as delineated by the NIH, the HHS, and Federal regulatory agencies; provided support for the search and selection processes of ORF staff to support open nondiscriminatory recruitment practices; and ensured that her management team made operational decisions in accordance with appropriate guidelines to support the provisions of applicable EEO laws, policies, orders, and regulations. Ms. Mildenberg has made a concerted effort to ensure that ORF employees are provided with an equal opportunity for upward mobility through merit-based or competitive recruitment opportunities. She unconditionally supported the participation of her qualifying wage-grade employees in one of the most successful employee development initiatives at the NIH, the NIH Apprenticeship Program. This career-development program was established for the purpose of developing highly-skilled persons in their specialty trades and for ensuring a continuing job succession of these trade positions at the NIH. This program not only provided them with new and challenging skill sets, but also provided upward mobility, increased earnings, and personal satisfaction of self-attainment. Throughout its history, the NIH Apprenticeship Program’s minority recruitment has been unmatched at the NIH.
Message from the DirectorFrom the Pen of the OEODM DirectorLawrence N. Self
It’s not every day that we meet a manager or supervisor who is respected and admired by both the employees and management team in the organization. I learned recently of two NIH senior-level managers who have set the standard for exemplary leadership by creating and maintaining a workplace environment in which their employees feel valued and respected. These managers have been touted by their subordinates and their peers alike for fostering work environments wherein respect is the rule rather than the exception. I am pleased to highlight Dr. Stephen I. Katz, Director of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, recipient of the Harvey J. Bullock, Jr., Award for Equal Opportunity Achievement, and Ms. Juanita Mildenberg, Acting Director of the Office of Research Facilities Development and Operations, recipient of the 2006 NIH Equal Employment Opportunity Award of the Year, in this issue of EEO News & Notes. They are truly NIH Managers Extraordinaire! Tips for Managers and SupervisorsUse of Official Time For EEO ComplaintsUse of official time for Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) complaints is fairly straightforward, but managers need to be aware of the ins and outs so they are prepared when this issue presents itself. Complainants and their fellow employee representatives are entitled to a reasonable amount of official time to prepare and present their EEO complaints and to respond to agency requests for information. What is considered “reasonable” varies, depending on the nature and complexity of the complaint, the stage of the proceeding, and the rules established by each agency. Generally, “reasonable” is defined as whatever is appropriate, under the particular circumstances of the complaint, to allow for the completion of those tasks. Official time is automatically given when agency officials or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) authorize or direct complainants, their employee representatives, and/or witnesses to participate during the EEO process. This includes participation in EEO counseling, EEO investigations, depositions, meetings with agency officials or with the EEOC, and attendance at hearings. Reasonable official time also may be used by complainants and their employee representatives to prepare and file EEO complaints and any appeals, prepare and respond to written discovery requests, and to prepare for any complaint related meetings, conferences and EEOC hearings. Employees are responsible for making requests to their managers for use of official time in any of these circumstances. While most employees use a reasonable amount of official time to work on their EEO complaints, on occasion there are some who abuse this privilege and believe they have the right to use an unlimited amount of work time for their EEO complaints. This most frequently occurs when complainants or their employee representatives turn their EEO complaints into a full-time job, virtually abandon their regular job duties altogether, and frequently disrupt other employees during work hours to converse about their EEO complaints. This practice is inappropriate since EEO complainants still are required to spend most of their time doing the work for which they are employed. Managers will need to step in and counsel employees when they suspect any abuse of the official time privilege. Managers also should know that they are not obligated to change work schedules to facilitate the choice of a specific representative or to allow complainants and their representatives to confer. A good manager knows when to “ACT” when dealing with a potential problem employee:
Reproduced with permission of FEDmanager®. EEO News & Notes is published quarterly as an information and outreach tool of the OEODM. We welcome your ideas and comments about how we can make our newsletter better. Please forward your input to Jayne E. Callahanhenson, Managing Editor, EEO News & Notes, OEODM. Ms. Callahanhenson can be reached by telephone on 301-496-7478 (v); 301-451-2290 (TTY); or by email at callahaj@od.nih.gov. Photographs were taken by OEODM EEO Assistant Aurelio Vasquez. |
Office of Equal Opportunity
& Diversity Management
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
National Institutes of Health
Stephen I. Katz, M.D., Ph.D., Director, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), has exhibited extraordinary leadership in many scientific, programmatic, and administrative areas. Dr. Katz recently was recognized for his exemplary leadership and clear commitment to equal employment opportunity (EEO) through the Harvey J. Bullock, Jr. Award for Equal Opportunity Achievement. In his more-than-a-decade tenure as the Director of NIAMS, Dr. Katz has provided unwavering support for NIH and PHS EEO programs by facilitating and enhancing the recruitment, career development, and advancement opportunities of minorities, women, and persons with disabilities. Dr. Katz’s list of EEO-related accomplishments is quite impressive. He displays a leadership principle that encourages managers and supervisors to establish a workplace environment in which all employees are treated equally and evaluated by their contributions alone. He has forged new and effective strategies to address EEO challenges. Dr. Katz has willingly and ambitiously devised innovative strategies that have made noticeable improvements at the personal, scientific, Institute, and NIH level.
Ms. Juanita Mildenberg currently serves as the Acting Director for the Office of Research Facilities Development and Operations (ORF). Since joining the NIH in 1972, Ms. Mildenberg has held various leadership roles in which she has had responsibility for ensuring that the employees in her span of control are afforded equal opportunity in the terms and conditions of their employment.
In the Summer issue of EEO News & Notes, we focused on respect and healthy communication in the workplace and the role that both managers and employees play in ensuring that we communicate respectfully across our diverse cultures, occupations, locations, and personal viewpoints.
