A Baby Boomer’s Advice to New Employees

After years of hiring freezes and budget cuts, we have been able to finally back-fill behind people who have retired years ago.  And with work load increasing, and a decent budget, we are also able to hire some “entry level” positions to off-set our aging workforce.  Often, our job openings are filled by others fromRead… Read more »

Overcoming Technical Work Hurdles

“It’s part of life to have obstacles. It’s about overcoming obstacles; that’s the key to happiness.” – Herbie Hancock System updates..upgrades…capabilities…permissions.  I prefer not to hear those terms anytime soon.  I met with some tech-savvy staff every day this week.  I have not reached the finish line, but I am closer to my goal. MyRead… Read more »

The Do’s and Don’ts of Records Management

On Wednesday, GovLoop hosted its Second Annual State and Local Government Innovators Virtual Summit, an all-day, virtual event with six different online trainings, networking opportunities and resources to help state and local govies do their job better. Below is a recap of our session on The Secret to Better Records Management. Records management is oneRead… Read more »

Why Big Data Storage doesn’t have to be a Big Problem  

Did you miss out? Yesterday, GovLoop hosted its Second Annual State and Local Government Innovators Virtual Summit, an all-day, virtual event with 6 different online trainings, networking opportunities and resources to help state and local govies do their jobs better. You can now watch past sessions and be sure to read the other recaps here.Read… Read more »

Gov Masters of Social Media Storytelling

During the Second Annual State and Local Government Innovators Virtual Summit, keynote speaker Akash Karia delivered a thought-provoking presentation on how to improve your communication skills to be as effectively as a TED talk presenter. Karia identified storytelling as the key for government agencies, and any public entity, to better deliver their agency’s messages andRead… Read more »

Got Enough Drive to Advance Your Career? 5 Lessons from High Achievers

Yesterday, I had the privilege of closing out GovLoop’s State and Local  Innovators Virtual Summit with a video chat that covered career advice for government professionals. In preparing for the chat, I reflected a bit on the traits I’ve observed in the most successful people across my 20-year career. The main distinction I’ve seen isRead… Read more »

How the Gov Got Rid of Chemical Weapons – Safely

On August 21st, 2013 Syrian President Bashar al-Assad carried out an attacked that killed more than 1,400 Syrian civilians with sarin-a chemical weapon used as a nerve agent. In the wake of the attack, a worldwide call for action was launched to get rid of the chemical weapons stockpile. Timothy Blades, Director of Operations atRead… Read more »