Meeting Summary for July 2022

August 2, 2022

In Case You Missed It 

Meeting Summary for July 2022: 

The following is a summary of the presentations from our July meeting and membership transition. A YouTube link of the recording of the presentations will be available on our Facebook page soon. Handouts and meeting minutes are usually posted on icsew.wa.gov within seven business days following each meeting. 

Topics 

Annual report and anniversary  

Deidre Bissonette provided a history recap of ICSEW, as 2023 marks the 60th anniversary of ICSEW, and ICSEW will be incorporating activities celebrating the milestone over the coming year. If you’d like to help with 60th anniversary events, send an email to icsew@ofm.wa.gov.  

Executive board members also presented the ICSEW annual report, which highlights major accomplishments of subcommittees.  

Highlights in the annual report included: 

  • The Legislative & Policy subcommittee  organized three garden volunteer opportunities with the Thurston County Food Bank. State employees from several agencies 
  • The ICSEW website visits increased by 51.7%, while page views dropped by 24%.  The increase in web traffic is attributed to the website and redesign launch the previous fiscal year. The site has fewer pages and the improved design makes it easier for visitors to find what they’re looking for. 
  • ICSEW held its first ever completely virtual professional development conference. The daylong event had 450 attendees and generated $13,000 for ICSEW. 

The annual report can be viewed here:  

Thanking members for their service 

ICSEW welcomed new members and recognized members who have completed their service over the past year.  ICSEW also announced incoming board members. 

New Board members 

Transitioning On: 

  • Siri Olsen, Department of Licensing – Treasurer  
  • Rebecca LaMar, Health Care Authority – Communications Co-Chair 
  • Keri O’Connell, Department of Revenue – Legislative and Policy Committee 
  • Morgan Montes, Department of Revenue – Professional Development  
  • Kassandra Drake, State Investment Board – ICSEW Conference Co-Chair 
  • Summer Ramos, Department of Revenue – ICSEW Conference Co-Chair 

Transitioning Off: 

  • Josefina Magana, Department of Labor and Industries – Former Chair of ICSEW 
  • Lu Eyles, Health Care Authority – Outgoing Vice-Chair of ICSEW 
  • Marie Splaine, Conference Chair, Department of Commerce 

Awards and Recognition  

Fourteen ICSEW members received awards and recognition for their service to ICSEW over the past year. 

Leadership Award – Josefina Magana, Department of Labor and Industries 

Magana served as ICSEW chair since 2020 and worked at the Department of Labor and Industries until June 2022. This award is given to an outstanding lead. The recipient demonstrates courage in making leadership decisions, excellence in professionalism and actively assists others in realizing their potential. 

Everlasting Award – Lu Eyles, Health Care Authority  

The recipient of the Everlasting Award has served at least two terms as representative for their state agency. The recipient remains calm under pressure and handles changes in leadership with resilience. This representative also retains and shares a wealth of historical information and assists others at all times. 

Visionary Award – Morgan Montes, Department of Revenue 

This award recognizes a committee member who helps see our future and helps us get there. The recipient demonstrates innovation and constantly implements new ideas. 

Lorrie Jo Brown Award – Sequenna Fashana, Department of Licensing 

This award honors someone who demonstrates innovative problem solving and excellence in public service. It is named after the late Lorrie Jo Brown. During her service with ICSEW, Lorrie Jo Brown played an instrumental role in the committee's breastfeeding survey project and in mentoring others. 

Extra Mile Award – Leslie Wolff, Commerce 

The recipient of this award has gone above and beyond to serve the ICSEW's mission. The recipient demonstrates an outstanding effort on committee work and activities and commits time and energy to enrich lives through advocacy, outreach and opportunity. 

Outstanding Subcommittee Members:  

  • Communications Recognition – Tanyah Williams, Washington State Patrol 
  • Public Outreach Recognition – Rachael Hopkins-Friesner, State Auditor’s Office  
  • Membership Recognition – Valerie Robinson, Department of Fish and Wildlife  
  • Professional Development Recognition -  
  • Summer Ramos, Department of Revenue 
  • Kassandra Drake, State Investment Board 
  • Lyn Peters, Department of Financial Institutions 
  • Connie Becker, Office of Administrative Hearings   
  • Jennie Cheng, Department of Revenue 
  • Legislative and Policy Recognition – Tammy Wild, Department of Health 

Other business 

ICSEW members participated in breakout rooms for networking. They had the opportunity to provide input as to what initiatives ICSEW should address in the following year and what types of professional development training they wanted ICSEW to provide. If you missed the meeting, but would like to make suggestions on these topics, please send them to icsew@ofm.wa.gov. 

The meeting concluded with a question and answer panel from past and present ICSEW members, led by Connie Becker of the Office of Administrative Hearings. They provided insight about how ICSEW has shaped their personal and professional lives. The following were panel members: 

  • Leatta Dahlhoff, Dept of Enterprise Services 
  • Josefina Magana, Director of Thurston Thrives (former chair of ICSEW) 
  • Jhenifer Morfitt, Department of Licensing (Former ICSEW Chair 2012-2015) 
  • Keri O'Connell, Department of Revenue 
  • Jennifer Ward, Employment Security Department 
  • Robin Vazquez, Health Care Authority 

Upcoming Events   

  • Amy Leneker Series: ICSEW is sponsoring a series of professional development trainings with Amy Leneker.  Trainings are free and open to anyone. Sessions take place from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on the following dates:  
  • August 3 - Embracing Conflict at Work  
  • November 3 - Work/Life Harmony.  

To register see: https://www.thelenekerteam.com/events   

  • Conference: The Interagency Committee of State Employed Women is pleased to announce its 2022 Professional Development Virtual Conference on November 1 – 2.  The theme this year is Leading where you are.  Anyone interested in volunteering, serving as a sponsor or speaking at the conference, please contact Kassandra Drake, kassandra.drake@sib.wa.gov. 

Get Involved  

  • Serve on our executive board: ICSEW is currently taking applications for vice chair, executive co-secretary and public outreach chair. For more information or to apply, send an email to icsew@ofm.wa.gov 
  • Be a blog contributor: ICSEW is taking submissions for its Interact blog. We accept submissions on all topics, as long as they relate to ICSEW values of Wellness, Advocacy, Leadership, Integrity Fostering growth and Empowerment. We also love articles highlighting state agencies supporting state employed women or profiles of state employees who embody values of ICSEW. If you have a story or a news item to share? Send an email to icsew@ofm.wa.gov with BLOG in the subject line.  
  • Become an ICSEW Representative: Anyone employed by a Washington State government agency or higher education institution may serve on ICSEW. Agencies may appoint one representative per 2,000 employees. They can also appoint as many alternate representatives as they choose. If you have a desire to empower Washington State employees in their professional and personal lives, consider becoming an ICSEW representative for your agency. To get started, fill out the membership interest form on our website and someone from our membership subcommittee will reach out to you. 

Stay Up to Date on ICSEW News! 

  • Join our mailing list: Receive notifications of upcoming meetings as well as post-meeting summaries via GovDelivery. As a reminder, all regular membership meetings are held from 8:45 a.m. to noon on the third Tuesday of each odd-numbered month. Meetings are free and open to anyone, regardless of employment status, but you must pre-register to attend. 
  • Review the meeting minutes and presentation handouts: Our document library contains minutes from our past meetings as well as copies of handouts from meeting presentations. 
  • Watch our presentations online: Miss a speaker? We’ve got you covered! ICSEW records presentations and post them on ICSEW’s Facebook  and page. Click on the videos tab. Note: It may take a day or two after the meeting for the video to appear in the video archive.  
  • Subscribe and follow our blog: Our blog contains news and information submitted by state employees, state agencies and Business Resource Groups.  

Feel free to forward this to your agency’s executive sponsor, communications division, or anyone else who may be interested in ICSEW. 

 

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