Past Speaker Synopsis
September 2017-June 2018
September 14, 2017
A. I briefed those attending the major changes that will be seen in this year's CFC Campaign.
1. Electronic giving will be conducted at onsite, that will have links from local websites, twitter and snapchat.
a. this can be through payroll deduction or credit card
2. Federal annuits and Military retirees may give on a reoccurring basis.
3. Campaign will be conducted from Oct 2, 2017 through Jan 12, 2018.
4. Heart of the Midlands now includes Lincoln and Western SD.
5. Social Events are encouraged, however no money will be collected.
B. The GSA Tenant Satisfaction Survey results have been provided to the local GSA. You should be contacted by a Building Manager or Lease Representative if any issue were identified.
C. We need nominations for FEA Officers Positions: President, 1st Vice-President, 2nd Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary.
I would like nominations NLT October's meeting.
D. Retirement Workshop will be held in the Winter. No responses were received regarding what information the members wanted to be presented.
E. By-laws will be changed for approval at Octobers meeting adding all Agency Directors (or equivalent) and Deputy as non-voting Honorary members (no-dues).
F. To discuss at October's meeting: whether meetings should be held all year round - once a quarter physical meeting and remaining meetings would be conference call.
Physical meetings would have a guest speaker and remaining meetings would be business. (Your Thoughts)
September 2016-June 2017
May 18, 2017
2016 Omaha - Lincoln FEA Federal Employee(s) of the Year Award Winners. The WINNERS are...
Secretarial/Clerical: SSgt. Maira Rivera, 55th Wing Chapel Services
Other Nominee: Carl Swotek, US Citizenship and Immigration Servic
Professional/Scientific: TSgt. John Smith, 55th Contracting Squadron
Other Nominee: Anthony Harlow, 55th Civil Engineer Squadron
Managerial/Supervisory: SMSgt. Jeremy Swistak, 55th Contracting Squadron
Other Nominees: SSgt. Jaime Drew, 55th Maintenance Squadron
Lt. Col. James Parrish, 55th Wing Chapel Services
Community Service: TSgt. Kade Forrester, 55th Contracting Squadron
Other Nominee: Michele Williamson, US Citizenship and Immigration Service
Janie Augustine Administrative/Technical: Patrick Hegemann, US Citizenship and Immigration Service
Other Nominee: SSgt. Joshua Busch, 55th Wing Chapel Services
Norma I. Kolbe Team Award: I-140 Premium Processing Team, US Citizenship and Immigration Service
Other Nominees: Offutt AFB Fire and Emergency Services, A-Shift, 55th Civil Engineer Squadron
55th Contracting Squadron, 55th Wing
Offutt AFB Chapel Services, 55th Wing
High Frequency Global Communications Systems Team, 55th Strategic Communications Squadron
Treatment Team, US Probation and Pretrial Services
I would like to also thank Lt. Col. Vance Goodfellow and SMSgt. Jeremy Swistak for staying after the event and helping tear down, it was a great reflection on the Mission Support Group and the 55th Wing. President Terry Morgan.
April 13, 2017
Attendees: Justin Panasiuk GSA, Susanne Bartmess USBC, Eva Roeber USBC, Lisa Smith USBC, Mary Lee Ranheim, Clara Wooden NPS, Reggie Robinson HUD,
Robert Swanson USGS , Jane Griffin Groundwater Foundation and Terry Morgan GSA.
Conference Call: Larry Hisle KC Federal Executive Board
11:35am – 12:00pm: Lunch service, financial report and General Business:
Financial Report: $1,220.34 in savings, Checking, PayPal and on-hand.
Set-up: Diane Zech, Clara Wooden and Terry Morgan
Check-in:
Greeting:
Tear-down: Diane Zech, Clara Wooden and Terry Morgan
The KC-FEB would be hosting a VTC of a live presentation of " Whats in Your Wallet" on the . This is geared toward early and mid-career employees.
That all agency heads are a member of the KC-FEB, I will send out an email vote to offer all Omaha-Lincoln Agency Heads and Honorary Omaha-Lincoln FEA membership (non-voting)
Suggested a Peer to Peer call to assist with recruiting new members.
Suggested to look for agency meeting and get invited to discuss the FEA.
12:00pm – 12:05pm: Robert Swanson introduced Jane Griffin, President of the Ground Water Foundation.
12:05pm – 12:45pm: Presentation: Ensuring Sustainable Clean Groundwater for Future Generations
The presentation will be emailed at a later date.
March 9, 2017
Introductions provided by those attending. Lunch provided by the Offutt AFB, Patriot Club was delicious.
General Business was discussed during this time.
1.Annual Awards is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, May 11, 2017 starting approximately at 2:30pm. No venue has been selected, the Double tree has provided a quote for a room with hors d'oeuvre and without. May check and see if a beverage service and cookies could be provided. If you have a venue idea please email me. There are no nominations to date. Financial Report: Savings: 123.28, Checking: 851.35, Paypal: 164.22, Ready for deposit: 40.00, Cash on Hand: 11.00 - Total 1,189.85
2. Future of the FEA, members have still stated a need. Possible meeting solutions: Quarterly meetings, Video Meetings (still being tested), Conference call-in available for meetings.
3. Guest speaker: The guest speaker was
SMSgt Wesley Poindexter, Superintendent and Wing Functional Manager for Aircrew Flight Equipment. SMSgt. Poindexter provided a very passionate and uplifting presentation on the importance of mentoring.
1. Leaders should be mentoring and grooming employees not only to replace them, but to improve on what the leader has done.
2. Middle tier employees are in the perfect position to be mentored and the mentor others.
3. At your appraisal, evaluation or conversation with supervisor, you need to be honest and tell them what you need from them to grow.
4. Attendees also watch a motivation video by John Maxwell - If you are lonely at the top, you are doing something wrong.
February 9, 2017
Meeting cancelled.
January 12, 2017
Introductions and Get-to Know –You Question (Favorite New Years Tradition). Some of the comments were as follows: Football, food, family, relaxing and recovering from New Year's Eve. High School football games and marching bands.
Lunch service. Another delicious lunch was served and the General Business was discussed during this time.
1. The FEA is in need of a new 1st VP, Mr. Mark Drabik will more than likely be medically retired. I will be the lead on the Annual Awards Ceremony, please provide me with any venue ideas. I will be researching the Double Tree again for an afternoon event. Diane Zech and Justin Panasiuk volunteered to assist with the event. Please email if you are interested in assisting.
2. I briefed the members attending the changes in the CFC beginning this year. Please email me if you would like some detailed information.
Guest speaker. The guest speaker was Dr. Hank Robinson and the presentation was regarding Nebraska's Level of Education versus Available Jobs. This was a very interesting presentation and brought up concerns regarding:
1. Over educated the NE workforce (employees taking jobs well below there education level)
2. Need to bring industry to NE that is related to agriculture.
3. Employers and business owners need to get out of the mind set that using lots of cheap labor is most effective. An example given, A business owner in western NE complained that they could not hire anyone to load 50 lbs bags of product.The issue is not the lack of labor, but why NE business are not upgrading their infrastructure to be more efficient and provide higher paying jobs.
4. NE has a great educated workforce, however business are stuck in the we have always done it this way mode, and not changing for the better.
Note: the Executive committee is: Diane Zech (USBC) and Robert Swanson (USGS) have been selected to the Executive Committee. The current members are: Terry Morgan (GSA), Earl Redrick (HUD), Susanne Bartmess (USBC), Justin Panasiuk (GSA), Robert Swanson (USGS) and Diane Zech (USBC). I would still like to get a member from the 55th Wing.
Next month's will be Thursday, February 9, 2017. See you there.
December 8, 2016
This months questions was: " What is your favorite Christmas / Holiday movie or show?" The answer varied from: a Charlie Brown's Christmas, It's a Wonderful Life, Home Alone & Home Alone 2, Bad Santa, A Christmas Story, Twas the Night Before Christmas and the Grinch Who Stole Christmas.
CMSgt (Select) Gloria Weatherspoon provide a great presentation regarding the Power of Words. The presentation covered items regarding:
1. Workplace common courteous and respectful behaviour and how this reduces incidents involving intent vs impact "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel" - Maya Angelou
2. When communicating, there is still the message, intended meaning, perceived meaning, and feedback. However you need to consider the sender's and receiver's reality.
3. Listen, don't just hear, Listen
4. Have you ever heard these phases:
a. You ______ like a girl.
b. How did you get this job?
c. It was just a joke.
d. You can't do anything right!
e. Lazy Millennial
f. Man Up.
g. Bossy
h. You're not the stupid?
i. You're to uptight!
Now here is the kicker..........How many of these phases have you used???
" Words Can Inspire and Words Can Destroy. Choose Your Well" - Robin Sharma.
General business item discussed:
1. The emphasis will be on recruiting new members.
2. Meeting with agencies and explaining who the FEA is.
3. The FEA will trying concurrent satellite meetings using Web Meetings for the March 2017 meeting.
4. Possibility having an FEA meeting at Offutt AFB.
Next month's will be Thursday, January 12, 2017. See you there.
November 11, 2016
Meeting Cancelled.
October 13, 2016
Introductions and Get-to Know –You Question (Favorite thing about Fall). There were many favorite things about fall that were brought up: the colors, cooler weather, smells, pumpkin, Nebraska and Texas football, High School football games and marching bands.
Another delicious lunch was served. Our current OPC member has changed and they will be contacting Roger Humphries (USPS) regarding sponsorship. If we can not be sponsored the meetings can be moved to the Double Tree after the first of the year, for no room charge and the meals will be between 16-18 dollars.
General business discussion.
1. Vote on By-laws. The By-laws were passed by the members in attendance.
2. Emphasis on Recruiting members this year.
a. Establish a Recruiting Committee to work with Mark Drabik
i. Develop recruiting plan
ii. Coordinate and attend FEA recruitment events
I will be sending out a email asking for members to join this committee, since we are not funded by appropriated funds nor
do we have an OPM staffer, I would like to consider getting sponsorship from businesses for the recruiting events and the
Annual Awards banquet. This will be part of the committees tasking. Heather Saxman (USDC) suggested we set-up a FEA table at agency Health Fairs explaining who we are. Robert Swanson (USGS) would like to try concurrent meeting in Lincoln and Omaha. The main meeting would be at the OPC and with a Skype, Go to Meeting or Facetime connection to a meeting place in Lincoln (i.e. USGS Building). The reasoning is technology is there and this could increase Lincoln membership. This could also be used for the Offutt members. Tentative trial meeting will be March 2017.
3. Select Executive Committee. Diane Zech (USBC) and Robert Swanson (USGS) have been selected to the Executive Committee. The current members are: Terry Morgan (GSA), Mark Drabik (USSTRATCOM), Earl Redrick (HUD), Susanne Bartmess (USBC), Justin Panasiuk (GSA), Robert Swanson (USGS) and Diane Zech (USBC). I wouuld like to get a member from the 55th Wing.
Next Months Meeting will be in Lincoln at the USCIS-NE Service Center (Highland Building) a tour is to follow the meeting.
September 8, 2016
Guest speakers Deb Denbeck, CEO, and Tracey Wells, Director of Volunteer Relations, for Partnership 4 Kids (P4K). P4k has a 25-year history of success in mentoring youth from disadvantaged environments. Formally two programs, Winners Circle and All Our Kids, P4K helps more students from disadvantaged environments stay in school and graduate. Through its various mentoring programs, P4K proudly serves more than 5,200 students in 23 Omaha Public Schools. It is dedicated to helping those students reach their fullest potential achieve success from kindergarten to careers! Some of the topics P4k covered during their presentation include: Partnership 4 Kids Mission and Who It Serves, Student Successes, Research Surrounding Mentoring, and How/Why Volunteering is Good For Business.
September 2015 - June 2016
April 16, 2016
Good Afternoon,
The question of the month was "What is your favorite think about Spring." We had a fantastic from our guest speaker Paul Ross, Federal Security Director, TSA Nebraska. During his presentation, Mr. Ross discussed the following:
1. The fine balance between a robust security and customer service. 2. How commercial airline transportation receives 80% of the budget, however passenger airlines is the largest means of transportation. He also stated that TSA covers all means of transportation, air, ports, rail and over the road. 3. How TSA successfully partners with Private rail firms to secure the nations railways. 4. Before 9/11 the airlines themselves handled all security needs, after 9/11 this came under the control of the government. The airlines were not unhappy to give this up because it was an expense to their profits. 5. There has been a noticeable increase of people trying to bring weapons on to aircraft. You can legal fly with a weapon, however it must be in checked baggage, stored in a locked case and declared at the counter. 6. Consider TSA Pre-check the cost is $85.00 for 5 years or &17.00 a year. Please note even with Precheck, if the metal detector alarms, the alarm has to be resolved. 7. Check the website and remember to say thank-you.
BUSINESS: The Omaha-Lincoln FEA Annual Awards is Thursday, May 12, 2016 at the Double Tree Downtown Omaha, 19th Floor. I will need help with the invocation, greeting, check-in, awards presentation and photos.
There has been a motion to change the name of the Omaha-Lincoln Federal Executive Association to the Omaha-Lincoln Federal Employee Association. This is in hopes to increase recruitment. Please email me you yes or no vote by May 11, 2016.
We are also taking nomination for officers if you or someone you know is interested in a positions please email your nominations. The position will be voted on at the June's meeting. There will be a Federal Employee Thank You Table with cookies at the Zorinsky Federal Building on Wednesday, May 4, 2016, please consider something similar at your building.
See you at the awards banquet.
February 11, 2016
Good Afternoon,
The question of the month was "What was your most memorable Valentines."
We had a very interesting presentation from our guest speaker is Special Agent Nathan Hines from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. During this presentation, SA Hines discussed current cyber threats that are seen by the FBI impacting businesses and citizens from cyber criminals, hacktivists, nation state actors, insider threat, and terrorists.
The CFC Awards Luncheon will be held on Tuesday, April 7, 2016 from 11:00am - 1:00pm, venue to be determined. Note: the FEA will not have a meeting on Thursday. April 9, 2016. The membership voted to increase the lunch price from $15.00 to $16.00 to allow for a tip to be provided to the staff. A request was made for a 1st Vice President and award luncheon volunteers to help with; greeting, check-in, invocation, awards presentation and photography. If you are interested please email me.
I look forward to seeing you next month.
October 8, 2015
On Thursday, October 8th, our chapter conducted its second meeting of the 2015-2016 year. 1st Sergeant Lara Hook with the Omaha Military entrance Processing Station (MEPS) was our guest speaker. She briefly and enthusiastically guided us through the enlistment and processing prior to departing to Basic Training; brought back memories for us veterans. Great Job!.
HUD has taken advantage of the agency membership with a total membership of seven (7). Please consider this type of membership ($80.00) or ($20.00) per year for individual membership. All memberships may be made to Heather Saxman or Individual Memberships can be paid with PayPal on the FEA website.
Guest Speakers for this Fall, so go ahead and put these dates on your calendar:
November 12, 2015 - Congressman Brad Ashford, Omaha Press Club.
December 10, 2015 - (Working on Senator Ben Sasse), Denney Federal Bldg, Lincoln, NE.
Earl Redrick has put together a list of prospective speakers for next year that he email out to the membership on October 12, 2015. Please review and provide him any comments. I encourage each of us to invite a guest to our meetings.
September 20, 2015
On Thursday, September 10th, our chapter began the 2015-2016 year with our luncheon in Omaha. Todd Enger and Amy Prochaska with the US Probation and Pretrial Services were our guest speakers. They educated the attending members on the multiple ways that the US Probation and Pretrial Services are helping individuals to get their lives back on track. Great Job!. Amy also discussed their Emergency Clothing and Clothing Closets, where they are able to provide basic clothing to their clients to assist in normal everyday live and interviews. If you are interested donating clothing or toiletry items please contact Amy at 402-661-7495 or email her at Amy_Prochaska@nep.uscourts.gov. Your new leadership for 2015-2016 is:
1) President – Terry Morgan (GSA)
2) 1VP-Membership & Awards - Two members from STRATCOM have voiced interest.
3) 2VP-Programs - Earl Redrick (HUD)
4) Secretary – Mary Lee Ranheim (US Probation)
5) Treasurer – Heather Saxman (US District Court)
September also means it is time to renew our membership. Annual dues will be $20 per year for individuals and $80.00 for an agency membership. Agency memberships will need to include the names and contact information
of the members that are included under it. All memberships may be made to Heather Saxman or Individual Memberships can be paid with PayPal on the FEA website.
We also discussed the possibility of sponsoring a Mentor Program, more information to come.
Guest Speakers for this Fall, so go ahead and put these dates on your calendar:
1) October 08, 2015 - Lara Hook, 1SG, US Army, Omaha Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS), Omaha Press Club.
2) November 12, 2015 - Congressman Brad Ashford, Omaha Press Club.
4) December 10, 2015 - (Working on Senator Ben Sasse), Denney Federal Bldg, Lincoln, NE.
I look forward to the coming year and hope to see you at our next luncheon in October and I challenge each of you to bring one guest by the end of the calendar year!
Please take a moment of time to remember those you lost their lives, fourteen years ago on September 11th.
Thank s. Terry Morgan, President, Omaha-Lincoln Federal Executive Association
September 2014 - June 2015
June 11, 2015
On Thursday, June 11th, our chapter concluded the 2014-2015 year with our luncheon in Lincoln. Our own Robert Swanson, Director of the US Geological Survey's Nebraska Water Science Center, not only served as our luncheon host at his southwest Lincoln facility but was also our guest speaker. Not only does his staff have a fleet of vehicles, their transportation assets include several boats (now is anyone ready to join?). Bob explained the many and varied responsibilities of both USGS as a whole and his organization. As he mentioned, when there's a fire, you call the fireman. When there's flooding, you call his team. Bob also showed off some of their water measuring equipment, which gives them accurate measurements of floodwaters in a number of different situations.
Also this month, we presented and voted on a slate of officers for next year's organization. Your new leadership for 2015-2016 is:
1) President – Terry Morgan (GSA)
2) 1VP-Membership & Awards - ? [Still looking for a volunteer for this position]
3) 2VP-Programs - Earl Redrick (HUD)
4) Secretary – Mary Lee Ranheim (US Probation)
5) Treasurer – Heather Saxman (US District Court)
Our 'outgoing' treasurer, Kathleen Piper, presented our budget status for the end of this year. Currently we have $914.99 in three accounts (savings, checking, PayPal). This will enable us to easily cover our major expenses for next year (Annual Awards Luncheon; website). We also discussed providing a membership fee 'discount' to federal agencies that have more than four members. Rather than charging an additional $20 per year for each member over four, an agency could get as many members as they wish for $80. This item will probably come up for a vote in September.
Terry Morgan has already lined up some great speakers for this Fall, so go ahead and put these dates on your calendar:
1) September 10, 2015 - US Probation & Pretrial, Omaha Press Club, regarding their Community Service Teams.
2) October 08, 2015 - Allison Azevedo, GSA-PBS Regional Commissioner, Omaha Press Club, regarding GSA and you
3) November 12, 2015 - Congressman Brad Ashford, Omaha Press Club.
4) December 10, 2015 - (Working on Senator Ben Sasse), Denney Federal Bldg, Lincoln, NE.
I look forward to the coming year and hope to see you at our next luncheon in September!
Thanks.
Lee Higgins
Former President, Omaha-Lincoln Federal Executive Association
May 14, 2015 - Award Luncheon
The Omaha-Lincoln Federal Executive Association recently recognized six exceptional federal employees as winners of the O-L FEA’s Federal Employee of the Year awards. These awards are given annually to federal civilians and military for outstanding performance in their chosen professions as the culmination of Public Service Recognition Week activities in eastern Nebraska. Twelve nominees from over 45 federal agencies and organizations in the Omaha and Lincoln areas competed in six categories for these honors. On Thursday, May 14, 2015, the following six winners received their awards at a luncheon at the DoubleTree Hotel in downtown Omaha.
Managerial/Supervisory: Christina Richards, U.S. Strategic Command
Christina Richards is the Integrated Air and Missile Defense Advocacy Section Chief in the Missile Defense and Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction Division at US Strategic Command. Christina laid the groundwork for senior Defense officials to debate the $7.9 billion Missile Defense Agency’s budget request. Her advocacy of critical missile defense capabilities garnered endorsement of an additional $662 million plus-up for Command priorities.
Secretarial: Angela Stephens, U.S. Postal Service
Angela Stephens is the secretary to Omaha Postmaster Keith Reid. Each day Angela prepares employee status and mail volume reports for the postmaster from reports that she designed, providing him with information needed to make operational decisions. She played a key role in the hiring of new personnel, from crafting vacancy announcements to arranging interviews to overseeing new employee orientation activities.
Janie Augustine Administrative/Technical: Melissa DeWitt, U.S. Strategic Command
Melissa DeWitt is the Executive Assistant and Travel Planner to the Associate Director and Chief of Staff, Capability and Resource Integration Directorate, at US Strategic Command. She superbly managed the division’s $52,000 travel budget and ensured that all travel vouchers were processed properly. She managed the schedules for the senior staff, ensuring that conflicts were eliminated and alternates were provided for meetings as needed.
Community Service: Luana Duennerman, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Service
Luana Duennerman is an Immigration Services Officer (level 2) in the Family Division of the US Citizenship and Immigration Service’s Nebraska Service Center. She received the President’s Service Award (Gold Level) in 2014 for contributing over 500 hours of volunteer service. She has worked with Special Olympics since 1998, helping organize regional activities and games, as well as serving as a coach and photographer. Past Nebraska Governor Dave Heinemann appointed her to the Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing where she has served for six years on the commission’s board.
Professional/Scientific: Sarah Mussoni, U.S. Strategic Command
Sarah Mussoni is a Collaboration Science expert and analyst assigned to the US Strategic Command’s Command and Control Facility Program Management Office. She was handpicked to design $627,000 worth of collaboration rooms which will be the benchmarks for up to 130 additional collaboration spaces in the Command’s new facility. She partnered with UNO to provide a new video teleconferencing system for the commander’s high-level discussions with the Secretary of Defense and the Department of Defense Joint Staff.
Norma Kolbe Team Award: Tactical Search Team, U.S. Probation & Pretrial Services Office
The U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Office’s 50-person office supervised 1719 post-conviction criminal offenders in 2014. To ensure that the office properly handled legal and warranted searches of individuals on probation, an eight-person Tactical Search Team was created. In 2014, the team conducted 11 searches across the state, almost double the number from 2013. Among the items confiscated were illegal drugs, cash, and weapons. The searches led to additional criminal charges being filed.
The Omaha-Lincoln Federal Executive Association is made up of local federal employees who meet monthly to network with their federal counterparts, gain familiarity with other federal agencies, hear dynamic speakers ranging from Congressional representatives to local dignitaries, and work together to reach common agency goals. More information may be found at their website: www.feanebraska.org .
April 9, 2015 - General Meeting
At our April luncheon yesterday, we were pleased to have been updated by Roger Humphries on the status of the Annual Awards Banquet (Thursday, May 14, 2015 at the Double Tree). Things are progressing well, however as of the meeting we only had 3 nominees. If you have not sent your package in please sent it to Roger today, or no later than Monday morning, April 13, 2015. We discussed guest speakers and the speakers next year will be geared toward Federal Employees and Policy. We discussed the agency membership fee of $80.00 to aid in membership, attending members believe we passed this measure, however we will discuss this with Lee Higgins when he returns and notify if and when this will go into effect. We are currently taking nominations for officer positions, duties are listed on the website: www.feanebraska.org. Please forward your nominations to Lee Higgins by May 14, 2015. We will need volunteers to help out with the Awards Banquet in the following areas: Check-in, Greeting, Photography, Recruiting and Presenting the Awards. Please contact Roger Humphries. I would like to thank Justin Panasiuk (Lunch Menu), David Golida (Banquet Venue), Roger Humphries (Awards Banquet) and all members who have or will volunteer to help. We look forward to seeing you all at the Annual Awards Banquet. Signups/ RSVP for the banquet will be on our FEA website (www.feanebraska.org ) soon.
February 12, 2015 - Speaker Ms. Julie Nash
Ms. Julie Nash, the State Director for the Nebraska Field Liaison Office at the Corporation for National and Community Service, spoke to us on the mission and activities of CNCS. Ms. Nash presented information on AmeriCorps (which includes Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA), and the National Civilian Community Corps), Senior Corps (330,000+ Americans over age 55 volunteering in a wide range of activities), and the Social Innovation Fund, which provides grant opportunities. CNCS not only provides volunteer options, but more importantly, it is the nation’s largest grant maker in support of service and volunteering. There are some programs which provide a modest living allowance and the chance for educational awards. Also, federal agencies can work with CNCS to utilize these volunteers for projects with their organizations. There are also plenty of ways that federal employees can continue to serve our country after retirement. More information on the Corporation for National and Community Service can be found at: www.nationalservice.gov
January 8, 2015. Speaker Mr. Harold Sargus
Mr. Harold Sargus, Manager of Professional & Organizational Development, Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC), spoke to us on the mission and activities of the NBDC. Each year, NBDC works with over 2000 business clients in 88 of the state’s 93 counties to help them along the entire life cycle of a business – from “idea” to “operations” and ultimately “transition”. The result is increased sales, more jobs created, and an enormous positive impact to our economy. Perhaps more directly related to our federal agencies is the extensive list of management and leadership courses offered via the NBDC. These courses are on the GSA schedule and can be customized to your organization. More information on the Nebraska Business Development Center can be found at: www.nbdc.unomaha.edu .
December 11, 2014. Speaker Dr. Martha Shulski
Dr. Martha Shulski, Director of the High Plains Regional Climate Center (HPRCC) and Assistant Professor of Applied Climate Science in UNL’s School of Natural Resources, spoke to us on the mission and activities of the HPRCC. One of six regional climate centers in the U.S., the HPRCC monitors the weather via 77 monitoring stations and uses the data collected to produce information that can be used by a wide variety of customers (agricultural, educational, industrial). Her 10-person staff not only gathers and quality-controls this data, but they also provide local and regional climate summaries (which you see in the newspaper), customizable data products, and information for student use in such things as reports and science projects. Sadly, she could not explain why Nebraska’s weather seems to change every five minutes. More interestingly, after the meeting, two of our attendees met with Dr. Shulski because their federal work and the HPRCC’s efforts have some ties that can benefit from an expanded relationship. This is why FEA brings you a full spectrum of speakers – because somewhere along the way, your organization may benefit. More information on the HPRCC can be found at: http://www.hprcc.unl.edu.
November 13, 2014. Speaker Ms. C.J. Chelin
Ms. C. J. Chelin, founder and president of Search and Rescue (SAR) Unit, Inc, which provides Search & Rescue dogs for work with law enforcement and service dogs for work with military veterans suffering Post Traumatic Stress. Ms. C. J. gave us a rundown of how she gets her dogs (and handlers), their training, and how these canines are used in the field to find missing persons or help recover remains. This organization provided assistance at both the Murrah Federal Building bombing in Oklahoma City and at the World Trade Center attack. In recent years, SAR Unit has moved into the service dog arena. She shared with us the secrets to a bloodhound’s success as a ground tracker. Ms. C. J. also brought along Minion, one of her recovery canines. Minion behaved rather well, despite keeping a close eye on the excellent Omaha Press Club food!
October 9, 2014. Speaker Mr. David Brown
Mr. David Brown, President and CEO of the Greater Omaha Chamber. I believe that all of us had our eyes opened by David’s
presentation. True to Omaha’s new slogan (“We Don’t Coast!”), David didn’t rest as he gave us just a brief rundown on the numerous activities that the Chamber has been a catalyst for – from levies on the Missouri, to recruitment of pipefitters, to multi-billion dollar economic development, and creation of Omaha’s ‘brand’. The enormous impact that the Chamber has had for Omaha and the six-county region (including Council Bluffs) touches your wallet and mine each and every day – in a very positive way. If you want to learn more, go to www.omahachamber.org. or www.wedontcoast.com.
September 11, 2014. Speaker Ms. Clara Wooden
Ms. Clara Wooden, Associate Regional Director of the National Park Service gave us a great overview of her organization, the Midwest Region of NPS, as well as some important points regarding Equal Opportunity. She also pointed out a number of volunteer opportunities with NPS, especially as they approach their 100-year anniversary. There is also a rumor going around that Facebook has a picture of “Ranger” Wooden decked out in her uniform – but that could not be confirmed!
September 2013 - June 2014
June 12, 2014. Speaker Mr. Jay Sturdevant
We ended our 'luncheon year' down in Lincoln with a great presentation from Mr. Jay Sturdevant from the National Park Service's Midwest Archaeological Center (MWAC). Jay helped us 'unearth' a number of interesting facts about their work that none of us knew. Did you know that one of their staff members testified at the trial of Saddam Hussein based on his work with mass graves? Did you know that there is at least one historical building under NPS control for every NPS employee -- over 27,000! You would know this if you'd been with us today.
May 15, 2014. 2013 FEA Federal Employee of the Year Awards
We held our annual FEA Federal Employee of the Year Awards luncheon at the Omaha Press Club. We celebrated with 23 nominees over 6 categories. The results are:
Category: Secretarial/Clerical; Winner: Valesca Dummitt, US Strategic Command
Category: Professional/Scientific; Winner: Charlie House, Dept of Housing & Urban Development
Category: Managerial/Supervisory; Winner: William Cowgill, Air Force Weather Agency
Category: Jane Augustine Administrative/Technical; Winner: Rosswald Guevarra, Air Force Weather Agency
Category: Community Service; Winner: Terry Morgan, GSA
Category: Norma Kolbe Team; Winner: Moral Reconation Therapy Team, US Probation Office (yes, the team name is spelled correctly)
April 10, 2014. Speaker Mr. Steve Bradburn
Mr. Steve Bradburn, District Commander at the Federal Protective Service, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, gave us a thorough overview of the extensive work his organization does to protect many of us while we are at our federal places of work. There’s more to FPS than just the security team at the front of our buildings.
January 9, 2014. Speaker SMSgt Frank Chism
Our Guest Speaker, Senior Master Sergeant Frank Chism from Offutt Air Force Base, gave us a nice rundown on the Enlisted Structure of today's Air Force and the many and varied responsibilities that they carry. We also learned that our own Henry Atkinson, a retired Air Force Chief Master Sergeant, was one of the "top 1%" of the enlisted folks in our Air Force. And be sure to ask him (when you next see
him) what the penalty is when he fails a "coin challenge". One of the benefits of our organization is the opportunity to interact with others from agencies that you might not normally work with on a daily basis. For example, today at our table we welcomed a new
face, Tom Kallman -- Nebraska Senator Mike Johann's new Director of Military Relations, and learned more about Tom and his 28-year Army career that just ended recently.
December 12, 2013. Speaker Mr. Jon Hempel
Based on the fact that we peppered them for about 20 minutes with questions, I think we were all very impressed with our guest speakers in Lincoln -- Jon Hempel, Director - National Soil Survey Center, and Chris Lee, Physical Science Technician at the Kellogg Soil Survey Laboratory. I know I enjoyed getting all of the "dirt" about their operations and learning the "ground truth" about what their organization does.
September 2017-June 2018
September 14, 2017
A. I briefed those attending the major changes that will be seen in this year's CFC Campaign.
1. Electronic giving will be conducted at onsite, that will have links from local websites, twitter and snapchat.
a. this can be through payroll deduction or credit card
2. Federal annuits and Military retirees may give on a reoccurring basis.
3. Campaign will be conducted from Oct 2, 2017 through Jan 12, 2018.
4. Heart of the Midlands now includes Lincoln and Western SD.
5. Social Events are encouraged, however no money will be collected.
B. The GSA Tenant Satisfaction Survey results have been provided to the local GSA. You should be contacted by a Building Manager or Lease Representative if any issue were identified.
C. We need nominations for FEA Officers Positions: President, 1st Vice-President, 2nd Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary.
I would like nominations NLT October's meeting.
D. Retirement Workshop will be held in the Winter. No responses were received regarding what information the members wanted to be presented.
E. By-laws will be changed for approval at Octobers meeting adding all Agency Directors (or equivalent) and Deputy as non-voting Honorary members (no-dues).
F. To discuss at October's meeting: whether meetings should be held all year round - once a quarter physical meeting and remaining meetings would be conference call.
Physical meetings would have a guest speaker and remaining meetings would be business. (Your Thoughts)
September 2016-June 2017
May 18, 2017
2016 Omaha - Lincoln FEA Federal Employee(s) of the Year Award Winners. The WINNERS are...
Secretarial/Clerical: SSgt. Maira Rivera, 55th Wing Chapel Services
Other Nominee: Carl Swotek, US Citizenship and Immigration Servic
Professional/Scientific: TSgt. John Smith, 55th Contracting Squadron
Other Nominee: Anthony Harlow, 55th Civil Engineer Squadron
Managerial/Supervisory: SMSgt. Jeremy Swistak, 55th Contracting Squadron
Other Nominees: SSgt. Jaime Drew, 55th Maintenance Squadron
Lt. Col. James Parrish, 55th Wing Chapel Services
Community Service: TSgt. Kade Forrester, 55th Contracting Squadron
Other Nominee: Michele Williamson, US Citizenship and Immigration Service
Janie Augustine Administrative/Technical: Patrick Hegemann, US Citizenship and Immigration Service
Other Nominee: SSgt. Joshua Busch, 55th Wing Chapel Services
Norma I. Kolbe Team Award: I-140 Premium Processing Team, US Citizenship and Immigration Service
Other Nominees: Offutt AFB Fire and Emergency Services, A-Shift, 55th Civil Engineer Squadron
55th Contracting Squadron, 55th Wing
Offutt AFB Chapel Services, 55th Wing
High Frequency Global Communications Systems Team, 55th Strategic Communications Squadron
Treatment Team, US Probation and Pretrial Services
I would like to also thank Lt. Col. Vance Goodfellow and SMSgt. Jeremy Swistak for staying after the event and helping tear down, it was a great reflection on the Mission Support Group and the 55th Wing. President Terry Morgan.
April 13, 2017
Attendees: Justin Panasiuk GSA, Susanne Bartmess USBC, Eva Roeber USBC, Lisa Smith USBC, Mary Lee Ranheim, Clara Wooden NPS, Reggie Robinson HUD,
Robert Swanson USGS , Jane Griffin Groundwater Foundation and Terry Morgan GSA.
Conference Call: Larry Hisle KC Federal Executive Board
11:35am – 12:00pm: Lunch service, financial report and General Business:
Financial Report: $1,220.34 in savings, Checking, PayPal and on-hand.
- Annual Awards Update
- Venue: NPS, Regional Headquarters at 601 Riverfront Drive, Omaha NE. 68102, admission and parking is free.
- Conducted in the Afternoon, Set-up at 12:00pm, event at 2:30pm
- Free event with donated items, from the membership. If FEA members are interested in donating please email Terry Morgan.
- Would members ask local business for a food –item or beverage donation. Their name will be mentioned in the event program.
- Seventeen nominees in six categories.
- Awards are $54.00 ea., the total will be $324.00. I should have enough blank certificates.
- Volunteers: Invocation, Present Awards, Check-in, Set-up and Tear-down.
Set-up: Diane Zech, Clara Wooden and Terry Morgan
Check-in:
Greeting:
Tear-down: Diane Zech, Clara Wooden and Terry Morgan
- The majority of the membership still values the FEA
- Monthly meetings will also include a conference call number. The conference call number is 866-928-2008, passcode: 147985
- Try quarterly or semi-annual Video meetings.
- Possibly have a member recruiting drive…most recruited free yearly membership or gift certificate
The KC-FEB would be hosting a VTC of a live presentation of " Whats in Your Wallet" on the . This is geared toward early and mid-career employees.
That all agency heads are a member of the KC-FEB, I will send out an email vote to offer all Omaha-Lincoln Agency Heads and Honorary Omaha-Lincoln FEA membership (non-voting)
Suggested a Peer to Peer call to assist with recruiting new members.
Suggested to look for agency meeting and get invited to discuss the FEA.
12:00pm – 12:05pm: Robert Swanson introduced Jane Griffin, President of the Ground Water Foundation.
12:05pm – 12:45pm: Presentation: Ensuring Sustainable Clean Groundwater for Future Generations
The presentation will be emailed at a later date.
March 9, 2017
Introductions provided by those attending. Lunch provided by the Offutt AFB, Patriot Club was delicious.
General Business was discussed during this time.
1.Annual Awards is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, May 11, 2017 starting approximately at 2:30pm. No venue has been selected, the Double tree has provided a quote for a room with hors d'oeuvre and without. May check and see if a beverage service and cookies could be provided. If you have a venue idea please email me. There are no nominations to date. Financial Report: Savings: 123.28, Checking: 851.35, Paypal: 164.22, Ready for deposit: 40.00, Cash on Hand: 11.00 - Total 1,189.85
2. Future of the FEA, members have still stated a need. Possible meeting solutions: Quarterly meetings, Video Meetings (still being tested), Conference call-in available for meetings.
3. Guest speaker: The guest speaker was
SMSgt Wesley Poindexter, Superintendent and Wing Functional Manager for Aircrew Flight Equipment. SMSgt. Poindexter provided a very passionate and uplifting presentation on the importance of mentoring.
1. Leaders should be mentoring and grooming employees not only to replace them, but to improve on what the leader has done.
2. Middle tier employees are in the perfect position to be mentored and the mentor others.
3. At your appraisal, evaluation or conversation with supervisor, you need to be honest and tell them what you need from them to grow.
4. Attendees also watch a motivation video by John Maxwell - If you are lonely at the top, you are doing something wrong.
February 9, 2017
Meeting cancelled.
January 12, 2017
Introductions and Get-to Know –You Question (Favorite New Years Tradition). Some of the comments were as follows: Football, food, family, relaxing and recovering from New Year's Eve. High School football games and marching bands.
Lunch service. Another delicious lunch was served and the General Business was discussed during this time.
1. The FEA is in need of a new 1st VP, Mr. Mark Drabik will more than likely be medically retired. I will be the lead on the Annual Awards Ceremony, please provide me with any venue ideas. I will be researching the Double Tree again for an afternoon event. Diane Zech and Justin Panasiuk volunteered to assist with the event. Please email if you are interested in assisting.
2. I briefed the members attending the changes in the CFC beginning this year. Please email me if you would like some detailed information.
Guest speaker. The guest speaker was Dr. Hank Robinson and the presentation was regarding Nebraska's Level of Education versus Available Jobs. This was a very interesting presentation and brought up concerns regarding:
1. Over educated the NE workforce (employees taking jobs well below there education level)
2. Need to bring industry to NE that is related to agriculture.
3. Employers and business owners need to get out of the mind set that using lots of cheap labor is most effective. An example given, A business owner in western NE complained that they could not hire anyone to load 50 lbs bags of product.The issue is not the lack of labor, but why NE business are not upgrading their infrastructure to be more efficient and provide higher paying jobs.
4. NE has a great educated workforce, however business are stuck in the we have always done it this way mode, and not changing for the better.
Note: the Executive committee is: Diane Zech (USBC) and Robert Swanson (USGS) have been selected to the Executive Committee. The current members are: Terry Morgan (GSA), Earl Redrick (HUD), Susanne Bartmess (USBC), Justin Panasiuk (GSA), Robert Swanson (USGS) and Diane Zech (USBC). I would still like to get a member from the 55th Wing.
Next month's will be Thursday, February 9, 2017. See you there.
December 8, 2016
This months questions was: " What is your favorite Christmas / Holiday movie or show?" The answer varied from: a Charlie Brown's Christmas, It's a Wonderful Life, Home Alone & Home Alone 2, Bad Santa, A Christmas Story, Twas the Night Before Christmas and the Grinch Who Stole Christmas.
CMSgt (Select) Gloria Weatherspoon provide a great presentation regarding the Power of Words. The presentation covered items regarding:
1. Workplace common courteous and respectful behaviour and how this reduces incidents involving intent vs impact "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel" - Maya Angelou
2. When communicating, there is still the message, intended meaning, perceived meaning, and feedback. However you need to consider the sender's and receiver's reality.
3. Listen, don't just hear, Listen
4. Have you ever heard these phases:
a. You ______ like a girl.
b. How did you get this job?
c. It was just a joke.
d. You can't do anything right!
e. Lazy Millennial
f. Man Up.
g. Bossy
h. You're not the stupid?
i. You're to uptight!
Now here is the kicker..........How many of these phases have you used???
" Words Can Inspire and Words Can Destroy. Choose Your Well" - Robin Sharma.
General business item discussed:
1. The emphasis will be on recruiting new members.
2. Meeting with agencies and explaining who the FEA is.
3. The FEA will trying concurrent satellite meetings using Web Meetings for the March 2017 meeting.
4. Possibility having an FEA meeting at Offutt AFB.
Next month's will be Thursday, January 12, 2017. See you there.
November 11, 2016
Meeting Cancelled.
October 13, 2016
Introductions and Get-to Know –You Question (Favorite thing about Fall). There were many favorite things about fall that were brought up: the colors, cooler weather, smells, pumpkin, Nebraska and Texas football, High School football games and marching bands.
Another delicious lunch was served. Our current OPC member has changed and they will be contacting Roger Humphries (USPS) regarding sponsorship. If we can not be sponsored the meetings can be moved to the Double Tree after the first of the year, for no room charge and the meals will be between 16-18 dollars.
General business discussion.
1. Vote on By-laws. The By-laws were passed by the members in attendance.
2. Emphasis on Recruiting members this year.
a. Establish a Recruiting Committee to work with Mark Drabik
i. Develop recruiting plan
ii. Coordinate and attend FEA recruitment events
I will be sending out a email asking for members to join this committee, since we are not funded by appropriated funds nor
do we have an OPM staffer, I would like to consider getting sponsorship from businesses for the recruiting events and the
Annual Awards banquet. This will be part of the committees tasking. Heather Saxman (USDC) suggested we set-up a FEA table at agency Health Fairs explaining who we are. Robert Swanson (USGS) would like to try concurrent meeting in Lincoln and Omaha. The main meeting would be at the OPC and with a Skype, Go to Meeting or Facetime connection to a meeting place in Lincoln (i.e. USGS Building). The reasoning is technology is there and this could increase Lincoln membership. This could also be used for the Offutt members. Tentative trial meeting will be March 2017.
3. Select Executive Committee. Diane Zech (USBC) and Robert Swanson (USGS) have been selected to the Executive Committee. The current members are: Terry Morgan (GSA), Mark Drabik (USSTRATCOM), Earl Redrick (HUD), Susanne Bartmess (USBC), Justin Panasiuk (GSA), Robert Swanson (USGS) and Diane Zech (USBC). I wouuld like to get a member from the 55th Wing.
Next Months Meeting will be in Lincoln at the USCIS-NE Service Center (Highland Building) a tour is to follow the meeting.
September 8, 2016
Guest speakers Deb Denbeck, CEO, and Tracey Wells, Director of Volunteer Relations, for Partnership 4 Kids (P4K). P4k has a 25-year history of success in mentoring youth from disadvantaged environments. Formally two programs, Winners Circle and All Our Kids, P4K helps more students from disadvantaged environments stay in school and graduate. Through its various mentoring programs, P4K proudly serves more than 5,200 students in 23 Omaha Public Schools. It is dedicated to helping those students reach their fullest potential achieve success from kindergarten to careers! Some of the topics P4k covered during their presentation include: Partnership 4 Kids Mission and Who It Serves, Student Successes, Research Surrounding Mentoring, and How/Why Volunteering is Good For Business.
September 2015 - June 2016
April 16, 2016
Good Afternoon,
The question of the month was "What is your favorite think about Spring." We had a fantastic from our guest speaker Paul Ross, Federal Security Director, TSA Nebraska. During his presentation, Mr. Ross discussed the following:
1. The fine balance between a robust security and customer service. 2. How commercial airline transportation receives 80% of the budget, however passenger airlines is the largest means of transportation. He also stated that TSA covers all means of transportation, air, ports, rail and over the road. 3. How TSA successfully partners with Private rail firms to secure the nations railways. 4. Before 9/11 the airlines themselves handled all security needs, after 9/11 this came under the control of the government. The airlines were not unhappy to give this up because it was an expense to their profits. 5. There has been a noticeable increase of people trying to bring weapons on to aircraft. You can legal fly with a weapon, however it must be in checked baggage, stored in a locked case and declared at the counter. 6. Consider TSA Pre-check the cost is $85.00 for 5 years or &17.00 a year. Please note even with Precheck, if the metal detector alarms, the alarm has to be resolved. 7. Check the website and remember to say thank-you.
BUSINESS: The Omaha-Lincoln FEA Annual Awards is Thursday, May 12, 2016 at the Double Tree Downtown Omaha, 19th Floor. I will need help with the invocation, greeting, check-in, awards presentation and photos.
There has been a motion to change the name of the Omaha-Lincoln Federal Executive Association to the Omaha-Lincoln Federal Employee Association. This is in hopes to increase recruitment. Please email me you yes or no vote by May 11, 2016.
We are also taking nomination for officers if you or someone you know is interested in a positions please email your nominations. The position will be voted on at the June's meeting. There will be a Federal Employee Thank You Table with cookies at the Zorinsky Federal Building on Wednesday, May 4, 2016, please consider something similar at your building.
See you at the awards banquet.
February 11, 2016
Good Afternoon,
The question of the month was "What was your most memorable Valentines."
We had a very interesting presentation from our guest speaker is Special Agent Nathan Hines from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. During this presentation, SA Hines discussed current cyber threats that are seen by the FBI impacting businesses and citizens from cyber criminals, hacktivists, nation state actors, insider threat, and terrorists.
The CFC Awards Luncheon will be held on Tuesday, April 7, 2016 from 11:00am - 1:00pm, venue to be determined. Note: the FEA will not have a meeting on Thursday. April 9, 2016. The membership voted to increase the lunch price from $15.00 to $16.00 to allow for a tip to be provided to the staff. A request was made for a 1st Vice President and award luncheon volunteers to help with; greeting, check-in, invocation, awards presentation and photography. If you are interested please email me.
I look forward to seeing you next month.
October 8, 2015
On Thursday, October 8th, our chapter conducted its second meeting of the 2015-2016 year. 1st Sergeant Lara Hook with the Omaha Military entrance Processing Station (MEPS) was our guest speaker. She briefly and enthusiastically guided us through the enlistment and processing prior to departing to Basic Training; brought back memories for us veterans. Great Job!.
HUD has taken advantage of the agency membership with a total membership of seven (7). Please consider this type of membership ($80.00) or ($20.00) per year for individual membership. All memberships may be made to Heather Saxman or Individual Memberships can be paid with PayPal on the FEA website.
Guest Speakers for this Fall, so go ahead and put these dates on your calendar:
November 12, 2015 - Congressman Brad Ashford, Omaha Press Club.
December 10, 2015 - (Working on Senator Ben Sasse), Denney Federal Bldg, Lincoln, NE.
Earl Redrick has put together a list of prospective speakers for next year that he email out to the membership on October 12, 2015. Please review and provide him any comments. I encourage each of us to invite a guest to our meetings.
September 20, 2015
On Thursday, September 10th, our chapter began the 2015-2016 year with our luncheon in Omaha. Todd Enger and Amy Prochaska with the US Probation and Pretrial Services were our guest speakers. They educated the attending members on the multiple ways that the US Probation and Pretrial Services are helping individuals to get their lives back on track. Great Job!. Amy also discussed their Emergency Clothing and Clothing Closets, where they are able to provide basic clothing to their clients to assist in normal everyday live and interviews. If you are interested donating clothing or toiletry items please contact Amy at 402-661-7495 or email her at Amy_Prochaska@nep.uscourts.gov. Your new leadership for 2015-2016 is:
1) President – Terry Morgan (GSA)
2) 1VP-Membership & Awards - Two members from STRATCOM have voiced interest.
3) 2VP-Programs - Earl Redrick (HUD)
4) Secretary – Mary Lee Ranheim (US Probation)
5) Treasurer – Heather Saxman (US District Court)
September also means it is time to renew our membership. Annual dues will be $20 per year for individuals and $80.00 for an agency membership. Agency memberships will need to include the names and contact information
of the members that are included under it. All memberships may be made to Heather Saxman or Individual Memberships can be paid with PayPal on the FEA website.
We also discussed the possibility of sponsoring a Mentor Program, more information to come.
Guest Speakers for this Fall, so go ahead and put these dates on your calendar:
1) October 08, 2015 - Lara Hook, 1SG, US Army, Omaha Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS), Omaha Press Club.
2) November 12, 2015 - Congressman Brad Ashford, Omaha Press Club.
4) December 10, 2015 - (Working on Senator Ben Sasse), Denney Federal Bldg, Lincoln, NE.
I look forward to the coming year and hope to see you at our next luncheon in October and I challenge each of you to bring one guest by the end of the calendar year!
Please take a moment of time to remember those you lost their lives, fourteen years ago on September 11th.
Thank s. Terry Morgan, President, Omaha-Lincoln Federal Executive Association
September 2014 - June 2015
June 11, 2015
On Thursday, June 11th, our chapter concluded the 2014-2015 year with our luncheon in Lincoln. Our own Robert Swanson, Director of the US Geological Survey's Nebraska Water Science Center, not only served as our luncheon host at his southwest Lincoln facility but was also our guest speaker. Not only does his staff have a fleet of vehicles, their transportation assets include several boats (now is anyone ready to join?). Bob explained the many and varied responsibilities of both USGS as a whole and his organization. As he mentioned, when there's a fire, you call the fireman. When there's flooding, you call his team. Bob also showed off some of their water measuring equipment, which gives them accurate measurements of floodwaters in a number of different situations.
Also this month, we presented and voted on a slate of officers for next year's organization. Your new leadership for 2015-2016 is:
1) President – Terry Morgan (GSA)
2) 1VP-Membership & Awards - ? [Still looking for a volunteer for this position]
3) 2VP-Programs - Earl Redrick (HUD)
4) Secretary – Mary Lee Ranheim (US Probation)
5) Treasurer – Heather Saxman (US District Court)
Our 'outgoing' treasurer, Kathleen Piper, presented our budget status for the end of this year. Currently we have $914.99 in three accounts (savings, checking, PayPal). This will enable us to easily cover our major expenses for next year (Annual Awards Luncheon; website). We also discussed providing a membership fee 'discount' to federal agencies that have more than four members. Rather than charging an additional $20 per year for each member over four, an agency could get as many members as they wish for $80. This item will probably come up for a vote in September.
Terry Morgan has already lined up some great speakers for this Fall, so go ahead and put these dates on your calendar:
1) September 10, 2015 - US Probation & Pretrial, Omaha Press Club, regarding their Community Service Teams.
2) October 08, 2015 - Allison Azevedo, GSA-PBS Regional Commissioner, Omaha Press Club, regarding GSA and you
3) November 12, 2015 - Congressman Brad Ashford, Omaha Press Club.
4) December 10, 2015 - (Working on Senator Ben Sasse), Denney Federal Bldg, Lincoln, NE.
I look forward to the coming year and hope to see you at our next luncheon in September!
Thanks.
Lee Higgins
Former President, Omaha-Lincoln Federal Executive Association
May 14, 2015 - Award Luncheon
The Omaha-Lincoln Federal Executive Association recently recognized six exceptional federal employees as winners of the O-L FEA’s Federal Employee of the Year awards. These awards are given annually to federal civilians and military for outstanding performance in their chosen professions as the culmination of Public Service Recognition Week activities in eastern Nebraska. Twelve nominees from over 45 federal agencies and organizations in the Omaha and Lincoln areas competed in six categories for these honors. On Thursday, May 14, 2015, the following six winners received their awards at a luncheon at the DoubleTree Hotel in downtown Omaha.
Managerial/Supervisory: Christina Richards, U.S. Strategic Command
Christina Richards is the Integrated Air and Missile Defense Advocacy Section Chief in the Missile Defense and Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction Division at US Strategic Command. Christina laid the groundwork for senior Defense officials to debate the $7.9 billion Missile Defense Agency’s budget request. Her advocacy of critical missile defense capabilities garnered endorsement of an additional $662 million plus-up for Command priorities.
Secretarial: Angela Stephens, U.S. Postal Service
Angela Stephens is the secretary to Omaha Postmaster Keith Reid. Each day Angela prepares employee status and mail volume reports for the postmaster from reports that she designed, providing him with information needed to make operational decisions. She played a key role in the hiring of new personnel, from crafting vacancy announcements to arranging interviews to overseeing new employee orientation activities.
Janie Augustine Administrative/Technical: Melissa DeWitt, U.S. Strategic Command
Melissa DeWitt is the Executive Assistant and Travel Planner to the Associate Director and Chief of Staff, Capability and Resource Integration Directorate, at US Strategic Command. She superbly managed the division’s $52,000 travel budget and ensured that all travel vouchers were processed properly. She managed the schedules for the senior staff, ensuring that conflicts were eliminated and alternates were provided for meetings as needed.
Community Service: Luana Duennerman, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Service
Luana Duennerman is an Immigration Services Officer (level 2) in the Family Division of the US Citizenship and Immigration Service’s Nebraska Service Center. She received the President’s Service Award (Gold Level) in 2014 for contributing over 500 hours of volunteer service. She has worked with Special Olympics since 1998, helping organize regional activities and games, as well as serving as a coach and photographer. Past Nebraska Governor Dave Heinemann appointed her to the Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing where she has served for six years on the commission’s board.
Professional/Scientific: Sarah Mussoni, U.S. Strategic Command
Sarah Mussoni is a Collaboration Science expert and analyst assigned to the US Strategic Command’s Command and Control Facility Program Management Office. She was handpicked to design $627,000 worth of collaboration rooms which will be the benchmarks for up to 130 additional collaboration spaces in the Command’s new facility. She partnered with UNO to provide a new video teleconferencing system for the commander’s high-level discussions with the Secretary of Defense and the Department of Defense Joint Staff.
Norma Kolbe Team Award: Tactical Search Team, U.S. Probation & Pretrial Services Office
The U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Office’s 50-person office supervised 1719 post-conviction criminal offenders in 2014. To ensure that the office properly handled legal and warranted searches of individuals on probation, an eight-person Tactical Search Team was created. In 2014, the team conducted 11 searches across the state, almost double the number from 2013. Among the items confiscated were illegal drugs, cash, and weapons. The searches led to additional criminal charges being filed.
The Omaha-Lincoln Federal Executive Association is made up of local federal employees who meet monthly to network with their federal counterparts, gain familiarity with other federal agencies, hear dynamic speakers ranging from Congressional representatives to local dignitaries, and work together to reach common agency goals. More information may be found at their website: www.feanebraska.org .
April 9, 2015 - General Meeting
At our April luncheon yesterday, we were pleased to have been updated by Roger Humphries on the status of the Annual Awards Banquet (Thursday, May 14, 2015 at the Double Tree). Things are progressing well, however as of the meeting we only had 3 nominees. If you have not sent your package in please sent it to Roger today, or no later than Monday morning, April 13, 2015. We discussed guest speakers and the speakers next year will be geared toward Federal Employees and Policy. We discussed the agency membership fee of $80.00 to aid in membership, attending members believe we passed this measure, however we will discuss this with Lee Higgins when he returns and notify if and when this will go into effect. We are currently taking nominations for officer positions, duties are listed on the website: www.feanebraska.org. Please forward your nominations to Lee Higgins by May 14, 2015. We will need volunteers to help out with the Awards Banquet in the following areas: Check-in, Greeting, Photography, Recruiting and Presenting the Awards. Please contact Roger Humphries. I would like to thank Justin Panasiuk (Lunch Menu), David Golida (Banquet Venue), Roger Humphries (Awards Banquet) and all members who have or will volunteer to help. We look forward to seeing you all at the Annual Awards Banquet. Signups/ RSVP for the banquet will be on our FEA website (www.feanebraska.org ) soon.
February 12, 2015 - Speaker Ms. Julie Nash
Ms. Julie Nash, the State Director for the Nebraska Field Liaison Office at the Corporation for National and Community Service, spoke to us on the mission and activities of CNCS. Ms. Nash presented information on AmeriCorps (which includes Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA), and the National Civilian Community Corps), Senior Corps (330,000+ Americans over age 55 volunteering in a wide range of activities), and the Social Innovation Fund, which provides grant opportunities. CNCS not only provides volunteer options, but more importantly, it is the nation’s largest grant maker in support of service and volunteering. There are some programs which provide a modest living allowance and the chance for educational awards. Also, federal agencies can work with CNCS to utilize these volunteers for projects with their organizations. There are also plenty of ways that federal employees can continue to serve our country after retirement. More information on the Corporation for National and Community Service can be found at: www.nationalservice.gov
January 8, 2015. Speaker Mr. Harold Sargus
Mr. Harold Sargus, Manager of Professional & Organizational Development, Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC), spoke to us on the mission and activities of the NBDC. Each year, NBDC works with over 2000 business clients in 88 of the state’s 93 counties to help them along the entire life cycle of a business – from “idea” to “operations” and ultimately “transition”. The result is increased sales, more jobs created, and an enormous positive impact to our economy. Perhaps more directly related to our federal agencies is the extensive list of management and leadership courses offered via the NBDC. These courses are on the GSA schedule and can be customized to your organization. More information on the Nebraska Business Development Center can be found at: www.nbdc.unomaha.edu .
December 11, 2014. Speaker Dr. Martha Shulski
Dr. Martha Shulski, Director of the High Plains Regional Climate Center (HPRCC) and Assistant Professor of Applied Climate Science in UNL’s School of Natural Resources, spoke to us on the mission and activities of the HPRCC. One of six regional climate centers in the U.S., the HPRCC monitors the weather via 77 monitoring stations and uses the data collected to produce information that can be used by a wide variety of customers (agricultural, educational, industrial). Her 10-person staff not only gathers and quality-controls this data, but they also provide local and regional climate summaries (which you see in the newspaper), customizable data products, and information for student use in such things as reports and science projects. Sadly, she could not explain why Nebraska’s weather seems to change every five minutes. More interestingly, after the meeting, two of our attendees met with Dr. Shulski because their federal work and the HPRCC’s efforts have some ties that can benefit from an expanded relationship. This is why FEA brings you a full spectrum of speakers – because somewhere along the way, your organization may benefit. More information on the HPRCC can be found at: http://www.hprcc.unl.edu.
November 13, 2014. Speaker Ms. C.J. Chelin
Ms. C. J. Chelin, founder and president of Search and Rescue (SAR) Unit, Inc, which provides Search & Rescue dogs for work with law enforcement and service dogs for work with military veterans suffering Post Traumatic Stress. Ms. C. J. gave us a rundown of how she gets her dogs (and handlers), their training, and how these canines are used in the field to find missing persons or help recover remains. This organization provided assistance at both the Murrah Federal Building bombing in Oklahoma City and at the World Trade Center attack. In recent years, SAR Unit has moved into the service dog arena. She shared with us the secrets to a bloodhound’s success as a ground tracker. Ms. C. J. also brought along Minion, one of her recovery canines. Minion behaved rather well, despite keeping a close eye on the excellent Omaha Press Club food!
October 9, 2014. Speaker Mr. David Brown
Mr. David Brown, President and CEO of the Greater Omaha Chamber. I believe that all of us had our eyes opened by David’s
presentation. True to Omaha’s new slogan (“We Don’t Coast!”), David didn’t rest as he gave us just a brief rundown on the numerous activities that the Chamber has been a catalyst for – from levies on the Missouri, to recruitment of pipefitters, to multi-billion dollar economic development, and creation of Omaha’s ‘brand’. The enormous impact that the Chamber has had for Omaha and the six-county region (including Council Bluffs) touches your wallet and mine each and every day – in a very positive way. If you want to learn more, go to www.omahachamber.org. or www.wedontcoast.com.
September 11, 2014. Speaker Ms. Clara Wooden
Ms. Clara Wooden, Associate Regional Director of the National Park Service gave us a great overview of her organization, the Midwest Region of NPS, as well as some important points regarding Equal Opportunity. She also pointed out a number of volunteer opportunities with NPS, especially as they approach their 100-year anniversary. There is also a rumor going around that Facebook has a picture of “Ranger” Wooden decked out in her uniform – but that could not be confirmed!
September 2013 - June 2014
June 12, 2014. Speaker Mr. Jay Sturdevant
We ended our 'luncheon year' down in Lincoln with a great presentation from Mr. Jay Sturdevant from the National Park Service's Midwest Archaeological Center (MWAC). Jay helped us 'unearth' a number of interesting facts about their work that none of us knew. Did you know that one of their staff members testified at the trial of Saddam Hussein based on his work with mass graves? Did you know that there is at least one historical building under NPS control for every NPS employee -- over 27,000! You would know this if you'd been with us today.
May 15, 2014. 2013 FEA Federal Employee of the Year Awards
We held our annual FEA Federal Employee of the Year Awards luncheon at the Omaha Press Club. We celebrated with 23 nominees over 6 categories. The results are:
Category: Secretarial/Clerical; Winner: Valesca Dummitt, US Strategic Command
Category: Professional/Scientific; Winner: Charlie House, Dept of Housing & Urban Development
Category: Managerial/Supervisory; Winner: William Cowgill, Air Force Weather Agency
Category: Jane Augustine Administrative/Technical; Winner: Rosswald Guevarra, Air Force Weather Agency
Category: Community Service; Winner: Terry Morgan, GSA
Category: Norma Kolbe Team; Winner: Moral Reconation Therapy Team, US Probation Office (yes, the team name is spelled correctly)
April 10, 2014. Speaker Mr. Steve Bradburn
Mr. Steve Bradburn, District Commander at the Federal Protective Service, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, gave us a thorough overview of the extensive work his organization does to protect many of us while we are at our federal places of work. There’s more to FPS than just the security team at the front of our buildings.
January 9, 2014. Speaker SMSgt Frank Chism
Our Guest Speaker, Senior Master Sergeant Frank Chism from Offutt Air Force Base, gave us a nice rundown on the Enlisted Structure of today's Air Force and the many and varied responsibilities that they carry. We also learned that our own Henry Atkinson, a retired Air Force Chief Master Sergeant, was one of the "top 1%" of the enlisted folks in our Air Force. And be sure to ask him (when you next see
him) what the penalty is when he fails a "coin challenge". One of the benefits of our organization is the opportunity to interact with others from agencies that you might not normally work with on a daily basis. For example, today at our table we welcomed a new
face, Tom Kallman -- Nebraska Senator Mike Johann's new Director of Military Relations, and learned more about Tom and his 28-year Army career that just ended recently.
December 12, 2013. Speaker Mr. Jon Hempel
Based on the fact that we peppered them for about 20 minutes with questions, I think we were all very impressed with our guest speakers in Lincoln -- Jon Hempel, Director - National Soil Survey Center, and Chris Lee, Physical Science Technician at the Kellogg Soil Survey Laboratory. I know I enjoyed getting all of the "dirt" about their operations and learning the "ground truth" about what their organization does.