The Executive Appeal with Alex D. Tremble

Bill Valdez is a recognized thought leader in the Federal government who has successfully led science and technology programs, significantly influenced government policies in science, technology and government administration, and has led efforts to modernize government programs to deliver improved mission value to American taxpayers and to create a 21st Century Federal workforce.Bill in 2020 co-founded the Alliance of Latinx Leadership & Policy (ALLP), which is dedicated to developing a pipeline of highly qualified Latinx policy leaders in the Federal government (www.LatinxPolicy.org).  ALLP is a non-profit and bipartisan group and will serve as a think tank and leadership pipeline program for Latinx professionals who wish to pursue a career in public service.Bill retired from Federal service in 2014.  His career with the Department of Energy spanned over 20 years and he held the positions of Director, DOE Office of Economic Impact; DOE’s Chief Diversity Officer; Director of Business Services, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy; and Director of Planning and Analysis, and Director for Workforce Development within DOE’s Office of Science.  During this time, Bill became expert in both programmatic and policy development, along with the operational side of the house including budget development/execution, HR, procurement and IT.Bill was the President of the Senior Executives Association (SEA) from 2016-2020 and focused on strengthening the Senior Executive Service (SES) through legislative and policy initiatives, building a leadership pipeline for the Executive Branch, working with a broad range of good government groups to modernize the civil service, restoring a public service ethic to the Federal government, and developing policies/programs that will promote the Future of Work, the Workplace and Workforce in the Federal government through innovative tools such as AI/RPA and shared services.Bill is currently President of Global Innovation Associates LLC, which provides advisory services to government agencies and private sector companies, and is a senior advisor with the Advanced Technology Group LLC, which develops rural and remote community broadband and economic development solutions.  He also is a member of the National Science Foundation’s Budget & Operations Advisory Committee. Prior to serving at DOE, Bill worked as a Senior Project Manager in private industry where he provided strategic planning services to Asian and European multinational corporations.  He also was a reporter in Austin, Texas.  Bill received a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Texas and his Master of Arts in International Economics and Energy Policy from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

Admiral Sandy Stosz started out in the US Coast Guard as an ensign serving aboard polar icebreakers, conducting national security missions from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Her forty-year career was filled with leadership lessons gleaned while breaking ice and breaking glass as the first woman to command an icebreaker on the Great Lakes and to lead a US armed forces service academy. Along the way, Sandy served for 12 years at sea, commanding two ships, and led large Coast Guard organizations during times of crisis and complexity. She finished her career as the first woman assigned as Deputy Commandant for Mission Support, directing one of the Coast Guard’s largest enterprises. She has lectured widely on leadership, and has been featured on CSPAN and other media outlets. In 2012, Newsweek’s “The Daily Beast” named Sandy to their list of 150 Women who Shake the World. She volunteers in leadership roles for several organizations and runs Sandra Stosz, LLC. Sandy enjoys hiking, swimming, birdwatching, beachcombing, and spending time with her family.

Ivan H. Lee is an experienced leader, program manager, and training facilitator who helps people and organizations find and fulfill their purpose so they can thrive. He has led change initiatives in learning, diversity, equity & inclusion, and corporate social responsibility at organizations such as Apple, AmeriCorps, and most recently at T-Mobile, where he manages their ethical leadership training program.

Dave Uejio was announced as the Acting Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., on January 20, 2021. As the Bureau’s Acting Director, Mr. Uejio oversees a $600 million budget and a 1,600-member workforce dedicated to protecting consumers from unfair, deceptive, and abusive practices, in the financial marketplace, through the enforcement of federal consumer financial law. Currently, the Bureau supervises over 150 depository institutions with assets totaling more than $10 billion. The Bureau also supervises mortgage originators and servicers and payday lenders, as well as companies from the consumer reporting, consumer debt collection, student loan servicing, international money transfer, and automobile financing financial marketplaces.Having been with the Bureau since 2012, Acting Director Uejio is committed to ensuring a smooth transition for President Biden’s nominated director, Commissioner Rohit Chopra. Acting Director Uejio will focus on taking all available measures to protect consumers, particularly vulnerable ones, negatively affected by the pandemic; he also will work to utilize the tools of the Bureau to tackle racial disparities and inequalities laid bare by the pandemic.Prior to becoming Acting Director, Mr. Uejio served the Bureau as Acting Chief of Staff, as Lead for Talent Acquisition, and, most recently, as the Bureau’s Chief Strategy Officer. As Chief Strategy Officer, Acting Director Uejio led the development of an integrative approach to strategic planning, policy prioritization, enterprise risk management, organizational performance, and program evaluation. Acting Director Uejio utilized this integrative approach to improve the strategic advice provided to the Director and to better translate the Director’s priorities into tangible, reportable, and auditable programs and initiatives.In addition, to his experience at the Bureau, Acting Director Uejio has served in Human Resources capacities at the National Institutes of Health, the Office of Personnel Management, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Acting Director Uejio began his career in government service in 2006, when he joined the NIH as a Presidential Management Fellow.Acting Director Uejio is devoted to public service both as a profession and a calling. He co-chairs the Federal Innovation Council, which is a leading federal government interagency body to drive public sector innovation. He also co-founded the largest event to connect, develop, and inspire emerging public service leaders, the Next Generation of Government Summit.Acting Director Uejio received a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Minnesota and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Karen M. Rainey is a masterful technician, leader, coach and speaker, whose passion is advocating for the equity, diversity and inclusion of women in the federal service. Ms. Rainey has made and indelible mark for the advancement and elevation of women in leadership and created greater opportunities for the professional growth and career advancement within our local, state and federal communities. Karen serving in her second term as the 24th National President of Federally Employed Women (FEW) in Philadelphia in 2018. She has 15 years of federal service experience at the Department of Treasury, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) within the Modernized, Information Technology and Service division. As a federal employee she is responsible for managing teams that provide a secure and sustainable environment for various tax systems and financial applications on a variety of information technology platforms.Academically, Karen has a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degree in Computer and Information Systems from the University of Detroit Mercy specializing in computer and information systems and process improvements.Ms. Rainey believe strongly in the vision of “Soaring to New Heights” to propel the organization forward by being the organization of choice in leadership, diversity and inclusion. Karen promotes through her advocacy, the organization mission to end sex and gender discrimination and to encourage the talents of women to create a more united and diverse pool of intellectual leaders inclusive of women leaders in the federal sector.She is the recipient of FEW’s most prestigious awards, the 2012 Presidential Award and the Barbara Boardman Tennant Award in 2018. In addition, she is currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund (FEEA), devoted solely to provide emergency financial assistance and scholarships to civilian and postal public servants and their families; and the National Coalition for Equity and Public Service (NCEPS), a coalition of organization that work to promote diversity and inclusion of minority employees career advancement. Originally from Union, SC, she lives with her family in Farmington Hills, MI.

Name: Arthur Allen (arthur.allen@va.gov)Short Bio: Arthur Allen is an infrastructure Project Manager in Service, Delivery Management section of VA’s IT Operations and Service division within DevSecOps of OIT. He has been with the Department of Veterans Affairs since June 2015. He has led a diverse team of IT professional responsible for the implementation of several enterprise-wide infrastructure projects (SCCM – 2012, Google Chrome-Pexip, ITSM Tool [ServiceNow] EHRM Facilities Server Room (Data Center) Assessment/Remediation and Microsoft Teams). These projects satisfied two of VA’s strategic principles, namely, Innovation and Teamwork. At the same time, the projects satisfied three of OIT’s Strategic Imperatives specifically providing Exceptional Customer Service, IT Modernization, and Seamless and Secure Interoperability. Arthur is a retired U.S. Air Force Officer that can claim he enjoyed his Atlantic crossing aboard the USS Cape St. George while training Navy CIC personnel. His favorite hobbies are traveling, photography, and jazz music.Name: Kathy Lipkea-DurkopShort Bio: Kathy Lipkea-Durkop is an Implementation Manager with the Service Management and Planning (SMP), Service Delivery Management (SDM), National Implementation Management Team. Ms. Lipkea-Durkop has been with the Department of Veterans Affairs since April 1991. She worked several administrative positions before joining the Office of Information Technology (OIT) in February 1998. Her 23 years of OIT experience ranges from VistA Application Support, System Analyst, Deputy Facility Chief Information Officer, Former Region 2 OIT Project Manager to her current position. She has led the implementation of several enterprise-wide infrastructure projects to include VA Applications Consolidated Servers (VACS), Microsoft Teams, and the Real Time Location System (RTLS). The Microsoft Teams implementation fulfilled VA’s strategic principles, namely, Innovation and Teamwork.Name: Stacy WashingtonShort Bio: Stacy Washington is a Manager, Technology Consulting Group (TCG) in VA National TeleStroke Program.  She has been with the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) since August 2007.  She has led diverse teams responsible for the implementation of several enterprise-wide infrastructure projects the Office of Information Technology (OIT) and as a Project Manager with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Office of Healthcare Transformation (OHT).  OHT is a program office in the Office of the Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Health (PDUSH) and provides the USH | PDUSH with program management, healthcare systems engineering, and strategic implementation services.  She led the successful migration of VA Pulse Social Platform to Microsoft Office 365 (O365) and SharePoint Online (SPO) and provided custom MS Teams and SharePoint Online (SPO) training to the VA employees. She demonstrates the VA’s ICARE core values and characteristics on each Project using her interpersonal skills to include my ability to resolve potentially difficult situations, which reduced resistance to change.Her favorite hobbies are traveling, cooking, and DIY projects.

Tiffany Pollard is a Human Resources Specialist with over 12 years of progressive Federal experience.  She began her Federal career in 2008 as a Human Resources Assistant for the Human Resources Operations Division of the Defense Commissary Agency but has worked for the Department of Army since 2011.  She spent the majority of her tenure with the Department of Army working for the Civilian Personnel Advisory Center (CPAC) at Fort Detrick and has been able to apply her knowledge of and experience in classification, staffing, and recruitment and placement to her current role with the 21st Signal Brigade.  Tiffany specializes in civilian human resources and personnel management and has established herself as both an expert and trusted advisor.  Her outstanding performance has earned her recognition as both the Civilian of the Quarter and Civilian of the Year and she most recently received a Civilian Service Achievement Medal.  She continues to demonstrate the Department of Defense core values of leadership, professionalism, and technical knowledge and prides herself on providing comprehensive advisory and exemplary customer service.  Tiffany believes that "as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another" and attributes everything she’s accomplished to everyone she’s ever worked with, humbly admitting that there’s not one person she’s crossed paths with that she hasn’t learned something from.

LaJuan Bryan-Beveridge, affectionately known as “LBB”, currently serves as the Department of Commerce Chief Learning Officer (CLO).  LBB’s 32-years of federal service truly exhibits her resilience while serving currently over 50,000 employees.  As a change agent, acts intentionally to build a shared vision with others, translating vision to action.  LBB within her current and previous roles, continuously sets the dynamics and collaboratively leverages organizational strategic priorities.  Although, diversity and inclusion are more recent priorities among government agencies, LBB has always fostered inclusivity and diversity among internal and external stakeholders. Driven by her tenacious approach to exceeding expectations, she remains committed to continuous improvement and delivers high-quality products and services.    9Customer service is always on the forefronts of every effort she leads, in hopes to build, manage, and enhance staff throughout the organization. LBB effectively creates learning environments that breed successful leaders at all levels and cultivates self-awareness, goal setting and planning, while providing exceptional customer service.  Challenges become the platform which helps to show her dynamic problem solving and critical thinking skills in the least ideal circumstances.LBB serves as a catalyst, emphasizing the benefits of respect and love. People are the heart of every successful organization, which explains why each opportunity to help customers is her primary focus and drive.  LBB maintains these guiding principles for the most amazing outcomes.Her truth: “Without the people, there is no process.”  

Ms. Amy Purnell is a Brooklyn, New York native. Raised in a single-parent household, her mom moved the family to Florida during her teenage years to provide Ms. Purnell and her two younger siblings with a better life.  There, she continued her education and graduated from high school in Orlando. Ms. Purnell holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Jackson State University and M.B.A. from Strayer University. Ms. Amy Purnell started her professional career in the insurance industry. She was recruited by State Farm Insurance during her senior year of college. During her 12 years with the company, she worked in various offices and held multiple positions. In 2013, Ms. Purnell changed career paths and became a federal employee. She currently supports the Department of Defense, excelling in her career as a Financial Analyst. In addition to working for the federal government, she also serves on the Fairfax County Tenant-Landlord Board of Commission, is a treasurer for the National Black MBA Association, Greater Maryland Chapter, and an Alexandria City Public Schools substitute teacher.  Leadership is a journey, not a destination. As Ms. Purnell continues her journey, she focuses on building relationships with other great leaders and leveraging their influence as pipelines of opportunities for underrepresented groups (single parents, recent college graduates, etc.). Cultivating a culture of change for equitable opportunities both professionally and personally will always remain on the forefront for Ms. Purnell as an advocate, new parent, and transformation leader!

MYSHEIKA W. ROBERTS, MD, MPHHealth CommissionerColumbus Public Health is working to protect the health and improve the lives of all residents by addressing our community’s most critical public health issues such as infant mortality, the opioid epidemic, tobacco use and obesity. Health Commissioner Dr. Mysheika W. Roberts leads the organization and a team of nearly 500 public health professionals who are focused on neighborhood-based approaches that address the social determinants of health from safe, affordable housing and education to jobs and violent crime in order to decrease the health disparities that exist.Dr. Roberts has a prolific 18-year public health background at the local, state and national levels. Prior to her appointment as Health Commissioner in December 2017, she was the Medical Director and Assistant Health Commissioner at Columbus Public Health. She also built a solid foundation in public health early in her career by investigating outbreaks in Ohio for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and leading an STD clinic and hepatitis prevention efforts at the Baltimore City Health Department. Dr. Roberts extends her service to the community beyond the walls of Columbus Public Health where she is active on the boards of the Columbus Medical Association Foundation and the YWCA of Columbus, as well as the Lifeline of Ohio Minority Advisory Group and OhioHealth’s Faith, Culture and Community Benefit Committee. She also serves as a mentor in OhioHealth’s Physician Diversity Scholars Program.She earned her MD from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and her MPH from the University of Michigan. A native of Los Angeles, she now calls Columbus home and enjoys spending down time with her husband Edward and their dogs Cosby and Rudy.