Faces of Diversitythe socioeconomic plight of La-tinos in Colorado through com-munication,...
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The Council worked diligently this fiscal year to provide pro- grams and activities for the Boulder staff. Here are some highlights of the activities held during the year: Chile Cook-Off To celebrate National His- panic Heritage Month, BLDC sponsored a Chile Cook-Off Contest on October 18. Em- ployees prepared a variety of chile recipes and a contest was held for “best red” and “best green” chile recipes. The event was so popular that Council members acted as traffic cops to direct everyone through the food lines and seating areas, which was a great problem to have! The chile was tasty and so were the burritos and Spanish rice, which were served as an accom- paniment to the variety of tasty chiles. Adding to the fun, em- ployees assigned entertaining names to their unique chile recipes. Several employees volun- teered as taste judges, including NOAA employees Steven Peck- ham, Daniel Wolfe, Julie Singe- wald, and Rich Lataitis and NIST employees Nino Canales and David Novotny. After seri- ous consideration and much anticipation, the winners of the Chile Cook-Off were awarded. The 1 st place winner for “Best Red” chile went to Teresita Molina for her “Chile Colora- do.” The 2 nd place prize was given to Barbara Deluisi for her “Bodacious Beef and Bean.” “Best Green” chile winners in- cluded 1st place winner Rich Beeler for his “Flamin’ Shrimp Chile” and 2 nd place winner Mike Belver for “Mike’s Screaming Green Chile.” First place win- ners received dinner gift certifi- cates for two at a local restau- rant. Second place winners received a Chile Cookbook. Winners also received certifi- cates to proudly display. Lively entertainment was pro- vided by our very own Teresita Molina and Manuel Carillo with their band, La Dinamita Juarez Y Grupo Brasas. They provided a variety of Mexican and tropical music that had several co- workers dancing in the aisles. The event was a success because it provided employees with an insight into the Hispanic culture. As an added benefit, profits totaling $420 were donated to El Comité de Longmont. Estab- lished in 1980, El Comité pro- motes a proactive partnership with those sincere in addressing the socioeconomic plight of La- tinos in Colorado through com- munication, education, com- munity development, and cul- tural diversity. Bring Your Child to Work Day On April 24th, approximately 150 children attended the 2 nd annual Bring Your Child To Work Day program. Thanks to many NIST and NOAA presen- ters, the events and activities provided a wide range of learn- ing opportunities for the chil- dren. Each child set their own agenda by pre-registering for various activities scheduled throughout the day, such as: Atomic Clock, Live from the Sun, Cryogenics Magic Show, Science on a Sphere, Corals & Climate, Life at the South Pole, and Weather Balloon Launch. A new addition to this year’s program was the special kids’ lunch menu offered at the DSRC Cafeteria, including such favor- ites as hot dog or hamburger meal deals and macaroni and cheese. In addition to spending time with their parents/sponsors, many of the children participated in a coloring contest, with prizes and refreshments presented at the end of the day. According to the evaluations completed by the children and parent/sponsors, the day was considered a huge success! Here are a few of their comments: “This was a blast - hope to do it next year.” (child) “I had fun and want to come back next year!” (child) “Keep up the excellent program!” (parent/sponsor) “Thanks to all the vol- unteers. The planning and level of effort were very good and it showed in the presentations.” (parent/sponsor). Alternative Dispute Resolution Seminar On June 26 th , NGDC's Mai Edwards gave a seminar entitled "Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR): A Review of the Medi- ation Process." Mai has over eight years of experience as an supporting diverse groups through awareness of workforce and cultural diversity A Publication of the Boulder Labs Diversity Council Volume 2, Issue 1 September 2003 Faces of Diversity T he Boulder Labs Diversity Council (BLDC) is comprised of members from each of the agencies on the DOC Boulder campus: NOAA (OAR, NGDC, MASC, and NWS), NIST, NTIA/ITS. Due to Boulder’s unique setting, the Boulder Labs’ Board of Directors sanctioned the Council as a collaborative effort to combine agency resources, working together to present diver- sity and EEO activities and to sponsor site-wide diversity events. This Council does not replace individual agency-based diversity efforts, but rather supports and supplements such efforts. Our periodic meetings explore innovative programs that may have been implemented successfully elsewhere; make good “business sense” in terms of richer output from happier, more motivated employees; and make the Boulder Labs a more supportive and enjoyable place to work for everyone. The BLDC is always looking for new members who are ready to rol1 up their sleeves and provide new energy and fresh ideas as members of the Council. If you would like to join us, please call one of the council members, listed on page 2, so we can invite you to attend our next planning meeting. Summary of FY2003 Events and Activities
Transcript of Faces of Diversitythe socioeconomic plight of La-tinos in Colorado through com-munication,...
The Council worked diligentlythis fiscal year to provide pro-grams and activities for theBoulder staff. Here are somehighlights of the activities heldduring the year:
Chile Cook-OffTo celebrate National His-
panic Heritage Month, BLDCsponsored a Chile Cook-OffContest on October 18. Em-ployees prepared a variety ofchile recipes and a contest washeld for “best red” and “bestgreen” chile recipes. The eventwas so popular that Councilmembers acted as traffic cops todirect everyone through the foodlines and seating areas, whichwas a great problem to have!The chile was tasty and so werethe burritos and Spanish rice,which were served as an accom-paniment to the variety of tastychiles. Adding to the fun, em-ployees assigned entertainingnames to their unique chilerecipes.
Several employees volun-teered as taste judges, includingNOAA employees Steven Peck-ham, Daniel Wolfe, Julie Singe-wald, and Rich Lataitis andNIST employees Nino Canalesand David Novotny. After seri-ous consideration and muchanticipation, the winners of theChile Cook-Off were awarded.The 1st place winner for “BestRed” chile went to TeresitaMolina for her “Chile Colora-do.” The 2nd place prize wasgiven to Barbara Deluisi for her“Bodacious Beef and Bean.”“Best Green” chile winners in-cluded 1st place winner RichBeeler for his “Flamin’ ShrimpChile” and 2nd place winner MikeBelver for “Mike’s ScreamingGreen Chile.” First place win-ners received dinner gift certifi-cates for two at a local restau-rant. Second place winnersreceived a Chile Cookbook.Winners also received certifi-cates to proudly display.
Lively entertainment was pro-vided by our very own TeresitaMolina and Manuel Carillo withtheir band, La Dinamita JuarezY Grupo Brasas. They provideda variety of Mexican and tropicalmusic that had several co-workers dancing in the aisles.The event was a success becauseit provided employees with aninsight into the Hispanic culture.As an added benefit, profitstotaling $420 were donated to ElComité de Longmont. Estab-lished in 1980, El Comité pro-motes a proactive partnershipwith those sincere in addressingthe socioeconomic plight of La-tinos in Colorado through com-munication, education, com-munity development, and cul-tural diversity.
Bring Your Childto Work Day
On April 24th, approximately150 children attended the 2nd
annual Bring Your Child ToWork Day program. Thanks tomany NIST and NOAA presen-ters, the events and activitiesprovided a wide range of learn-ing opportunities for the chil-dren. Each child set their ownagenda by pre-registering forvarious activities scheduledthroughout the day, such as:Atomic Clock, Live from theSun, Cryogenics Magic Show,Science on a Sphere, Corals &Climate, Life at the South Pole,
and Weather Balloon Launch.A new addition to this year’s
program was the special kids’lunch menu offered at the DSRCCafeteria, including such favor-ites as hot dog or hamburgermeal deals and macaroni andcheese. In addition to spendingtime with their parents/sponsors,many of the children participatedin a coloring contest, with prizesand refreshments presented at theend of the day. According to theevaluations completed by thechildren and parent/sponsors,the day was considered a hugesuccess! Here are a few of theircomments:
“This was a blast - hopeto do it next year.” (child)
“I had fun and want tocome back next year!”
(child)“Keep up the excellent
program!” (parent/sponsor)“Thanks to all the vol-
unteers. The planning andlevel of effort were verygood and it showed in thepresentations.”(parent/sponsor).
Alternative Dispute ResolutionSeminar
On June 26th, NGDC's MaiEdwards gave a seminar entitled"Alternative Dispute Resolution(ADR): A Review of the Medi-ation Process." Mai has overeight years of experience as an
supporting diverse groups through awareness of workforce and cultural diversity
A Publication ofthe Boulder Labs
Diversity Council
Volume 2, Issue 1September 2003
Faces of Diversity
The Boulder Labs Diversity Council (BLDC) is comprisedof members from each of the agencies on the DOC Bouldercampus: NOAA (OAR, NGDC, MASC, and NWS), NIST,
NTIA/ITS. Due to Boulder’s unique setting, the Boulder Labs’Board of Directors sanctioned the Council as a collaborative effortto combine agency resources, working together to present diver-sity and EEO activities and to sponsor site-wide diversity events.This Council does not replace individual agency-based diversityefforts, but rather supports and supplements such efforts. Ourperiodic meetings explore innovative programs that may havebeen implemented successfully elsewhere; make good “businesssense” in terms of richer output from happier, more motivatedemployees; and make the Boulder Labs a more supportive andenjoyable place to work for everyone.
The BLDC is always looking for new members who areready to rol1 up their sleeves and provide new energy and freshideas as members of the Council. If you would like to join us,please call one of the council members, listed on page 2, so wecan invite you to attend our next planning meeting.
Summary of FY2003 Events and Activities
ADR mediator and has partici-pated in numerous employee ses-sions. A brief overview was givenon ADR, followed by a "mock"mediation presented by MaiEdwards, Lisa Taylor, and TedHabermann, in order for people tosee the process in action.
Mentor SeminarSeries
On July 9th, Karyn Sawyer, Di-rector of the Joint Office forScience Support (JOSS) of UCAR,was the first in the mentor sem-inar series. She described her as-cent on the corporate ladder fromwhen she started with no mar-ketable job skills to Director. Sheshared with us what qualitiesmake a good staff person and agood line-manager and how shewas mentored along her suc-cessful and outstanding careerpath.
Disability Awareness MonthBrown Bag Seminar SeriesDuring the week of July 21st,
the BLDC sponsored daily lunch-time events to help Boulder em-ployees gain more awareness re-garding people with disabilities.
The daily presentations allowedemployees to gain insight into thelives of co-workers who struggledaily with challenges that theaverage worker does not compre-hend.
The Council was pleased thatfellow employees Erin Presley-Froemke, Sean Coleman, andSteve Jenkins willingly sharedchallenges of their particular dis-abilities (dwarfism, cerebral palsy,and blindness respectively) in an
entertaining way to let us knowwhat they believe is important forus to understand. The 50-pluspeople who attended gained amuch better awareness and appre-ciation for the guest speakers’challenges. The program alsobenefited Erin, Sean, and Steve asthey were uplifted by the positiveresponse they received. Two ofthe speakers were videotaped. Ifyou would like to check out thevideotape, call Robin Wolf atx5525.
Other events during the weekincluded the following:° A video presentation about
learning to value people withdisabilities presented by KathyLock of Employment Link.
° A Powerpoint presentation onspecial hiring authorities forhiring people with disabilitiespresented by Wendy Dorsey ofMASC Human Resources.
° A presentation addressingmental health issues (bipo-larism, depression, and headinjuries) presented by AnnHurst of the Center for Disabil-ities.
° A presentation addressing con-cerns on Alzheimer’s and de-mentia presented by MarcySmallridge, Alzheimer’s Assoc.Rocky Mountain Chapter.
° A presentation addressing hear-ing impairments and assistivetechnology presented by AnnPruitt of the Colorado Schoolfor the Deaf and Blind.Out of 908 Boulder DOC
employees that are serviced byMASC, 54 employees havereported disabilities (about 6% of
the Boulder site population).These statistics do not includeguest researchers, students, con-tractors, or Boulder employeeswho are not serviced by MASC.These numbers also do not cap-ture disabilities that develop dueto the aging workforce.
What You Don’t KnowYou Don’t Know
On August 6, 2003 MauricioVelasquez, President of theDiversity Training Group inHerndon, Virginia, presented anexciting and fast-paced seminarat Boulder Labs entitled “WhatYou Don’t Know You Don’tKnow.”
Sponsored by the NIST Diver-sity Program, it was promoted bythe BLDC and open to all siteoccupants. Approximately 20 peo-ple from the various site agenciesattended this seminar.
The seminar included informa-tion concerning the changingdemographics of America andtheir implications in recruiting andretaining talent in the workplace.Participants were given a work-book containing a kit of everydaypractical tips and techniques todeal with difficult people, situa-tions, and circumstances.
The course evaluations thatwere returned indicate that partic-ipants enjoyed Mauricio’s pres-entation style, benefited from hisreal-life examples, enjoyed theclass interaction, welcomed thepractical tips, and wished thecourse was longer. It is probablysafe to say, they now know someof the things they didn’t knowbefore.
BIG ConferenceBlacks In Government (BIG) held
its 25th Annual Training Conferencein Denver, from August 25-29, 2003.This year’s theme was “AchievingExcellence Through ProfessionalDevelopment.”
BIG is an employee support andadvocacy organization whose pri-mary mission is to promote andenhance educational and trainingopportunities for African Amer-icans in government. BIG haschapters throughout the UnitedStates and abroad, representing
more than 2.5 million publicemployees. BIG continues to bethe largest organization dedicatedto the preservation and enhance-ment of African American civilservants.
Some of the topics covered atthe training conference includedinformation technology, commu-nication skills, career develop-ment, personal performance andproductivity, management andleadership skills, and EEO/humanresource mamangement.
BLDC members volunteeredtheir time in support of the Train-ing Conference on a variety ofcommittees including customerservice, evaluations, and logistics.
Boulder Labs DiversityCouncil Representatives
NTIA/TS Ext.Lise Matthews 5216Charlie Samora 3367
NISTDean Claus 3420Joe Magee 3298Viola Nathan 5678Andrew Novick 3378Robin Wolf 5525
NOAA/MASCTracy Levstik 4231Brenda Peeples 5059Amy Riley 4486Katie Stewart 6431Sheryl Thomasson 5199
NOAA/NGDCKaren Horan 6277Kimberly Nye 6160Annie Reiser 6215
NOAA/NWSByron Louis 3588
NOAA/OARConnie Craig 6650Debe Dailey-Fisher 6893Barbara Deluisi 4233Georgia Madrid 6732Julie Singewald 6818Tony Tafoya 6731Ann Thorne 6074Carol Wolf 5828Robert Zamora 6526
Newsletter published withBoard of Directors supportBLDC as ContributorsDirect comments to Dean Claus [email protected]
