Secretary's Diversity & Inclusion Excellence Award
VA established the Secretary’s Annual Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Awards
Program in 1988 to recognize EEO achievements associated with legally-protected
classes established by EEO laws. In FY 2009, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion
(ODI) redesigned the awards program as “The Secretary’s Diversity and
Inclusion Excellence Awards Program” to align with the three goals of VA’s
Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan for FY 2009-2013 endorsed by Secretary Eric
K. Shinseki on May 22, 2009.
In alignment with President Obama’s Executive Order 13583 on Establishing
a Coordinated Government-Wide Initiative to Promote Diversity and Inclusion in the
Federal Workforce, the Department recently produced a revised VA Diversity and Inclusion
Strategic Plan for FY 2012-2016. This year, the criteria for the Secretary’s
Diversity and Inclusion Excellence Awards have been aligned with this plan.
The 2012 nomination period is now closed. For
questions, please contact Yvonne Rannels.
Award Categories
- Nonsupervisory
- Employee Manager/Supervisor
- Team
Eligibility
- Any U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs nonsupervisory employee, manager/supervisor, or team that meets the criteria
below may be nominated. Please note that individuals and teams may include equal
employment opportunity (EEO) program practitioners (for example, EEO program managers,
counselors, investigators, and special emphasis program managers).
- The nominee (or, in the case of a Team category nomination, ALL members of the Team)
must pass a security check. Nominees who do not pass this security check by close
of business Friday, June 1, 2012, will not be considered. Nominees who have had
prior findings of discrimination will not be considered. Nominees who are under
investigation will be considered as long as no findings of discrimination are made
as of the date of the awards ceremony. In the event that one team member does not
pass through the security clearance process, the team, the team lead, and/or the
nominator must decide whether to proceed with the nomination without the team member
or whether to retract the nomination. That determination must be made by close of
business Friday, June 1, 2012.
- Prior recipients of the Secretary’s Diversity and Inclusion Excellence Awards
must wait until one complete awards program cycle has concluded before they are
eligible for nomination in ANY category.
- For a nominee to be eligible, the deadlines outlined under section IV must be met.
Criteria
Nominations must include narratives that address one or more of the three following
criteria:
- Build a diverse, high-performing workforce that reflects all segments of society.
- Cultivate a flexible, collaborative, and inclusive work environment that leverages
diversity and empowers all contributors.
- Facilitate outstanding, culturally competent public service and stakeholder relations
through effective leadership and accountability.
Please note that VA’s revised “Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan
for FY 2012-2016” (which will be made available at
http://www.diversity.va.gov) and the
Government-Wide Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan may be used as
additional resources.
Success in the areas of diversity and inclusion can involve endeavors that span
over years. Though ground work for some activities may have begun in years prior,
narratives should clearly and concisely describe the nominee’s 2011 accomplishments.
Only those individuals/teams who have achieved outstanding results through unusually
effective leadership, skill, innovation, and perseverance in the areas of diversity
and inclusion should be nominated. While special acts or other one-time achievements
will be considered, these awards will place special emphasis on effective and sustained
efforts worthy of recognition. This justification will serve as the principal basis
for selection of the award recipients.
Document and Processing
How to Apply
- The nominator must complete the nomination
template and gather any supporting documentation (for example, workforce statistics/graphs,
presentations, or photographs) which serves as direct evidence to support the nomination.
- The nominee must complete the following two forms (in the case of a Team nomination,
all Team members must complete both forms) and return them to the nominator for
submission:
- Nominations must be processed through the appropriate procedures established within
each organizational component (NOTE: Because VA Form 0235 contains sensitive information,
it must be submitted via encrypted email. If you do not have encryption capability
and will need to fax this form using the Facsimile
Transmittal Sheet, email your Administration/Staff Office coordinator who
will instruct you as to how to proceed):
- Veterans Health Administration (VHA): For employees located in VHA field facilities,
nominations must first be endorsed by the Medical Center Director and then submitted
to the VISN Director for approval. For VHA employees located in Central Office,
nominations must be endorsed by the Chief Officer. Upon receiving these endorsements,
forward completed nomination packages (including a completed nomination template,
supporting documentation, VA Form 0235, Authorization to Release Information, and
endorsement letters from both the Facility Director and the VISN Director) by close
of business Friday, May 11, 2012, to Michael Youngblood, Workforce
Management Consulting/Diversity & Inclusion Office (10A2G), at
Michael.Youngblood@va.gov for coordination and submission through the Under
Secretary for Health.
- Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA): For employees located in VBA regional offices
and in Central Office, nominations must be endorsed by the Facility Director. Upon
receiving this endorsement, forward completed nomination packages (including a completed
nomination template, supporting documentation, VA Form 0235, Authorization to Release
Information, and endorsement letter from the Facility Director) by close of business
Friday, May 11, 2012, to Lois Scoon, VBA Office of Diversity Management
and EEO (20M2), at Lois.Scoon@va.gov for
coordination and submission through the Under Secretary for Benefits.
- National Cemetery Administration (NCA): For employees located in NCA field sites,
nominations must be endorsed by the MSN Director. For NCA employees located in Central
Office, nominations must be endorsed by the Service Director. Upon receiving this
endorsement, forward completed nomination packages (including a completed nomination
template, supporting documentation, VA Form 0235, Authorization to Release Information,
and endorsement letter from the MSN or Service Director) by close of business
Friday, May 11, 2012, to Perdita Johnson-Abercrombie, NCA Office of
Diversity Management and EEO (41), at
Perdita.Johnson-Abercrombie@va.gov for coordination and submission through
the Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs.
- All other employees should submit nominations through the appropriate organizational
heads by close of business Friday, May 11, 2012.
- The Administration/Staff Office coordinator must electronically submit all completed
nomination packages (which will also include an endorsement by the appropriate Under
Secretary, Assistant Secretary, or Key Official) to
Yvonne Rannels by close of business Friday, June 15, 2012.
Reminder
Nominations are NOT COMPLETE and WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED until the following has
occurred AND the deadlines are met:
- Completed nomination packages (including a completed nomination template, supporting
documentation, VA Form 0235 [for ALL members of a Team nomination], Authorization
to Release Information [for ALL members of a Team nomination], and endorsement letters)
forwarded to the appropriate Administration/Staff Office coordinator by close of
business Friday, May 11, 2012.
- The nominee (or, in the case of a Team category nomination, ALL members of the Team)
pass the security check by Friday, June 1, 2012.
- The Administration/Staff Office coordinator must electronically submit all completed
nomination packages (which will also include an endorsement by the appropriate Under
Secretary, Assistant Secretary, or Key Official) to Yvonne Rannels, ODI, at Yvonne.Rannels@va.gov
by close of business Friday, June 15, 2012.
- Terry Gerigk Wolf (Manager/Supervisor): Mrs. Wolf is being recognized
for her outstanding leadership and commitment to fostering a
diverse workforce and an inclusive work environment at VAPHS.
Under Mrs. Wolf’s leadership, VAPHS is active in succession planning and has
enacted numerous programs to ensure that employees can bolster their professional
skills. Mrs. Wolf also supports flexible scheduling to help employees enhance productivity
while accommodating their educational and personal goals. In addition to being a
tireless advocate for educating employees, Mrs. Wolf is also greatly concerned with
communicating with all VAPHS stakeholders. Her management style champions communication,
which she sees as vital to ensuring that all employees feel included and engaged
in the conversations at VA Pittsburgh. She uses a number of innovative communication
methods to promote a culture of open communication and inclusion among her 3,704
employees. These include a “Director’s Page” on VA Pittsburgh’s
Intranet site—which includes a compliments page, blog, message board, and
an archive of every all-employee email message sent from the Director’s signature.
Mrs. Wolf is a VA leader whose actions serve as a model for diversity and inclusion
excellence as she continues to make invaluable contributions to furthering the Department’s
goals in these areas and to ensuring equal opportunity.
- Novella Brown Scott (Nonsupervisory Employee): When it comes to
the diversity and inclusion arena,
Ms. Scott has embraced the concept of shared leadership in
her role as a Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist within the CAVHCS, Mental Health-Residential
Rehabilitation Treatment Program (MH-RRTP). She shines as a beacon of hope to encourage
Disabled Veterans that they can be positive contributors in the workplace and has
dedicated herself to conveying this message to them as well as to CAVHCS staff,
stakeholders, communities, and even potential employers. Ms. Scott was instrumental
in the development of various programs and initiatives to aid homeless and unemployed
Veterans and Disabled Veterans, such as a “Ready to Work” training and
skills program for unemployed Disabled Veterans. She also helped to develop the
first MH-RRTP Women’s Focus Group and the first MH-RRTP Annual Prom in an
effort to recognize the service of women Veterans and promote positive awareness
of homeless Veterans seeking employment by ensuring participation of positive community
leaders. Ms. Scott worked to remove the stigma and barriers associated with the
equal opportunity employment of homeless Veterans and coordinated various trainings
to understand disabilities, decrease stigma, and emphasize the desire for community
employment by people with disabilities. Ms. Scott is a hidden treasure within the
walls of CAVHCS and is the manifestation of the organization’s leadership
drive to meet the vision of the Department of Veterans Affairs to create and sustain
a high-performing workforce by leveraging diversity and empowering employees to
achieve superior results in service to our Nation’s Veterans.
- VISN 16 Diversity Advisory Committee, South Central VA Health Care Network,
Ridgeland, MS (Team):
The VISN 16 Diversity Advisory Committee is being recognized for their outstanding
efforts to promote diversity and inclusion throughout the entire South Central VA
Health Care Network. The Committee took creative action knowing that a diverse workforce
and an inclusive work environment are essential to a high-performing organization.
They developed, signed, and executed a Diversity Contract aimed at creating and
sustaining a high-performing workforce by leveraging diversity and empowering all
employees to achieve superior results in service to our Nation’s Veterans
and leadership accountability in these areas. The Committee also created a Diversity
Web page to facilitate communication: the VISN Director can post monthly messages
and all employees can submit ideas for improvements and share thoughts about how
to create the best workplace cultures. Their proactive commitment also led them
to establish the goal of critically evaluating their VISN data and to identify opportunities
for continuous improvement in the areas of representation, recruitment, and retention.
The VISN 16 Diversity Advisory Committee serves as a model of excellence for their
creative and innovative approaches to VA’s diversity and inclusion goals.
Caption: Georgia Coffey (far left) and Ralph Torres (far right) with the 2010 Diversity
and Inclusion and Alternative Dispute Resolution Excellence Award recipients.
- Adam Walmus (Manage/Supervisor): Mr. Walmus is currently the new
director of the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, Texas. He was recognized
as the former director of the VA Medical Center in Muskogee, Oklahoma, for his focus
on cultural diversity awareness that helped to ensure that a wide-range of perspectives
was incorporated when addressing issues and concerns related to the delivery of
high-quality care to America’s Veterans. In addition, Mr. Walmus made participation
in the Student Career Experience Program (SCEP) a high priority, increasing the
number of students involved in the facility’s program from just five in fiscal
year (FY) 2006 to 25 in FY 2009, the highest number of SCEP interns among all VA
medical centers!
- Jeanette Goff (Nonsupervisory Employee): Ms. Goff, Medical Support
Assistant at the VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System in Reno, Nevada, was recognized
for her creative ideas on educating and training an employee with visual impairment
to perform the work of a medical support assistant. In addition to working directly
with the low-vision employee, Ms. Goff worked with call center team members to identify
unspoken assumptions, differing values, and initial resistance related to working
with persons with a visual disability. As a direct result of her efforts, the low-vision
employee can now perform competently and professionally the functions of this job,
and the call center team members know what people can do is much more important
than what they can’t do.
- Office of Health Information Management, Medical Record Technicians unit
at the Charles George VA Medical Center in Asheville, North Carolina (Ryl Giacchetta
accepted on behalf of the Team): Ms. Giacchetta accepted the team award
on behalf of the Office of Health Information Management, Medical Record Technicians
unit at the Charles George VA Medical Center in Asheville, North Carolina. The unit
was responsible for translating medical care services provided to Veterans into
billable codes recognized by third-party health insurers. Over the past three years,
members of the coding unit have overcome individual differences in order to become
a unified team, working together efficiently and effectively to focus on their shared
goals. In addition to deliberate efforts to build camaraderie, the coding unit has
benefited from increased training and expanded communications, both internal and
external. The performance of the coding unit has also improved as a result of increased
flexibility in how, when, and where work gets done. Their accuracy rate has climbed
from 75 percent to 90 percent, and other facilities are now asking them for assistance
with their coding concerns.