EdgeTh

e P

3

A Charlottesville Employee NewsletterVolume 5 • December 2015

The City of Charlottesville is currently participating in the third annual Innovation Academy, an 8-month leadership program designed to teach localities how to:

• understand the innovation process and how to integrate it into their organization

• build cross-functional teams that have the capacity to address organizational and community issues

• expand organizational capacity for ongoing innovation

• learn more about their organizational culture and how to cultivate leadership

The City of Charlottesville has responded by assembling a team of interdepartmental employees to form The Cville Innovation Team. Their first order of business was to undertake a project that will make a contribution to the organization and/or address a community issue, and they have done just that with City Compass - an initiative to help City employees navigate and reorient within our organization.

The City Compass seeks to promote the City’s mission, vision, and values by educating new hires and current employees. By setting the direction for new employees and reorienting current employees, the City Compass can enrich training practices and resource availability, strengthen communication among departments, and live into the City’s culture of excellence. The team is excited to bring positive, sustainable changes to one or more aspects of City operations, and they will be providing more details as the project develops; stay tuned!

Strategic Plan Goal 4: Be a well-managed and successful organization

2015 has been a year of change in our organization. We have both promoted from within and welcomed new faces to our team.

I was pleased to announce earlier in the fall that Mike Murphy and Leslie Beauregard were promoted to the roles of Assistant City Managers. Both of them have served the City for many years. Mike joined us in 1995 working in Community Atten-tion. He served as Director of Community Attention beginning in 2003 and became Director of Human Services when the de-partment was established in 2010. Leslie began working for the City of Charlottesville as Budget Manager in 2003 and was pro-moted to Director of Budget and Performance Management in 2007. Hopefully you will all have the chance to work with Mike or Leslie in the upcoming months and years.

We also welcomed two new lead team members to the City of Charlottesville. Alexander Ikefuna is our new Director of Neigh-borhood Development Services and has quickly gotten up to speed on several important projects such as the replacement of Belmont Bridge and the extension of Hillsdale Drive. You can read more about Alex in the short feature in this issue.

Our new Fire Chief, Andrew Baxter comes to us from Henrico County but has lived in the Charlottesville area for many years. Chief Baxter has many years of fire and rescue experience and brings that experience and enthusiasm to our outstanding Fire Department. You will be able to learn more about him in a fu-ture issue of The Edge.

Additionally, we learned on November 3rd that we will be wel-coming two new City Councilors in January. Incumbent Kathy Galvin along with newcomers Wes Bellamy and Mike Signer were elected to three of the five seats on City Council. We will spend the next couple of months provid-ing them with background on our orga-nization, the great work of our employ-ees and the challenges that lie ahead. We look forward to working with them and Councilors Szakos and Fenwick.

Thanks again for all that you do to make Charlottesville a wonderful place to live!

A Message from the City Manager

Recently, the City Manager’s Office organized a retreat to focus on effective ways to integrate the City’s Strategic Plan and associated processes to City employees. We started out the day by talking about a model for managing organizational change developed by the Centre for Creative Leadership.

It begins with understanding the results you are seeking and then

using your resources to maximize existing systems, structures and processes to create sustainable change. This model could be helpful for the rollout of any new requirement associated with the implementation of the strategic plan. We then discussed three specific strategies for creating a values-based culture within our organization:

1. Promote awareness and a basic understanding of our organizational values. An employee will be more willing to participate if they know what’s going on.

2. Publicly reward/recognize those demonstrating these values. Recognizing those demonstrating the right behaviors sends an important message to others and engages employees.

3. Provide support for the development of any skills, abilities or behaviors that can be used to achieve success. The City Manager’s Office will be testing this model over the next few months and will be happy to share the results with anyone interested in creating a successful values-based culture within their own department. Stay tuned!

2

LESLIE’S CORNER A Strategic Plan Update from Leslie Beauregard, Assistant City Manager

As the days get shorter and darkness settles in earlier during the winter months, the City wants to be sure you are safe as you walk to your car after closing hours. Be aware and follow these simple rules to keep out of harm’s way:

Be Seen: Walk in areas that are well-lit and observable; use sidewalks and not back alleys. Wearing bright clothing can make you more easily seen. If trying to get someone’s attention for help, use a flashlight or whistle.

Don’t Let Your Phone Distract You: Keep your phone in an easily accessible place like your pocket so you can quickly call for help, and make sure your phone is charged. Try not to text or do other distracting activity on your phone. If you have to be on the phone while you walk, do not use earbuds.

Walk Together: There is power in numbers. Walking with someone you know is a good safety habit, or at least make sure others know your route and schedule.

Trust Your Instincts: Your gut doesn’t just tell you when you are hungry! Walk with your head up, take in your surroundings and follow your instincts. If something doesn’t feel right, it usually isn’t.

When feeling unsafe, do not be afraid to call the police: Dial 911 and tell the dispatcher where you are, why you feel unsafe and that you want to see an officer. Move to a well-lit or public area if possible. If you have been harassed, tell a Department Head as soon as possible. Safety announcements will be sent to all employees if there are areas in the city that you need to use heightened caution. If you have any questions, please reach out to your Department Head, Human Resources, or the Police Department.

STAYING SAFE AFTER DARK by Caitlin Blessing

3 GRAND ILLUMINATION AND TOY LIFT 2015!

Strategic Plan Goal 5: Foster strong connnections by respecting and nourishing diversity, building collaborative partnerships, and promoting community engagement.

On Friday, December 4th the City hosted two special com-munity events on the Downtown Mall that embodied all of Goal 5’s objectives. With the assistance of multiple City departments and partnerships with the UVA Community Credit Union and Toy Lift Charities, the Downtown Toy Lift and Grand Illumination events were a rousing success!

GRAND ILLUMINATION!

For 2015, the City of Charlottesville and the UVA Community Credit Union partnered to bring the commu-nity its first all-LED Grand Illumination! Along with the helpful support of Energize!Charlottesville, over 15,000 LED lights transormed Central Place into a bright and energy-saving wonderland!

The evening incuded musical performances by local musi-cians, including the Hulubahoos, the Virginia Silhooettes, DMR Adventures, As One, The Morning Choir of CHS, The Virginia Belles, Jeffersonland Chorus, and many more. The event concluded with the lighting of the community tree and a special visit from Santa and all of his friends!

TOY LIFT PARTNERSHIP

This year’s partnership with the Toy Lift Foundation gave the Downtown Mall its very first toy drop collection site in the charity’s 28 years. With 867 toys, 131 books, and $1,250 in monetary donations collected, it made the Downtown Mall the most successful startup toy drop loca-tion in history!

The event featured the signature Toy Lift bucket truck, which hoisted brave supporters including Councilors Bob Fenwick, Kristin Szakos, and Kathy Galvin, along with our new Fire Chief Andrew Baxter! Other festivities included a special Holiday Market and music by the Charlottesville Municipal Band.

We are excited that these signature City holi-day events have cultivated lasting part-nerships that will benefit the community for years to come!

In August 2015, Alexander Ikefuna was appointed to be the Director of Neighborhood Development Services.

Mr. Ikefuna is the former Director of Community Development and Planning for Mobile, Alabama. Prior to his work in Mobile, Mr. Ikefuna served as Community Development Director of Post Falls, Idaho and Salt Lake City, Utah as well as the Community Planning Administrator for the City of Savannah, Georgia. Additionally, Mr. Ikefuna has worked as a consultant assisting communities with development and housing issues. In his previous positions, he has been involved in all aspects of community planning and neighborhood development, including smart growth initiatives, affordable housing projects, management of HOME and CDBG funding, community engagement, historic preservation and economic development. Mr. Ikefuna is a graduate of Marshall University and holds a Masters of Arts in Urban Planning/Public Administration from the University of Akron.

When offered the position, Alex noted “I’m excited to join the City of Charlottesville team. I consider Charlottesville a reference city. It is a city worth living in, and a city worth living in is a city worth working for,” said Mr. Ikefuna. “I look forward to helping the City of Charlottesville achieve its livable and healthy community goals.”

Alex is getting to know staff as well as those in the community who interact with NDS. He is looking forward to what the future will bring to Charlottesville.

MEET: ALEX IKEFUNA

by Joe Rice

by Missy Creasy

Thank you for reading! If you would like to submit content for a future edition of The P3 Edge, please email p3@charlottesville.org.

THE P3 EDGE EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER ©2015Editor: Joe Rice Content Editors: Leslie Beauregard, Paige Rice, Miriam Dickler, Caitlin Blessing

Strategic Plan Goals & ValuesInfoSheets!

4

Helpful one-page information sheets covering the ‘goals’ and ‘values’ of the strategic plan are available for your convenience!

Contact the Communications Office at #3129 or #3707 to request copies.

Just for Laughs!

PHOTO ARCHIVE

BRAIN-FREEZER

Grand Illumination and Toy Lift 2015!

Sudoku

DECEMBER 24 - City Hall Closes at 1pm 25 - Christmas Day Holiday 31 - Gym Membership Quarter Ends JANUARY 01 - New Year’s Day Holiday 04 - Souper Bowl Food Drive Challenge (Details Soon!) 13 - OnSite Nurse 9:30am–11am/City Hall 2FlCR OnSite Nurse 11:30am–1pm/Public Works Coventry Representative 9am–11am/City Hall 18 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Holiday 27 - OnSite Nurse 1:30pm–3:15pm/CAT Building FEBRUARY 01 - Winter Blood Drive - VBS 11am–3pm/City Hall BCR 04 - Souper Bowl Food Drive Challenge Ends 05 - National Wear Red Day 15 - President’s Day Holiday RECURRING CITYFIT EVENTS: EVERY WEDNESDAY: Lunchtime Yoga 12:10pm–12:50pm/JMRL - 2nd Fl

EVERY THURSDAY: Lunchtime Zumba 11:45am–12pm/Key Rec. Weight Watchers 12pm–12:30pm/Carver Rec.

SAVE THE DATE!

One of the City’s own has been chosen as the president of the 2015 graduating class of the National Criminal Justice Command College. Offered in partnership with the University of Virginia and the Virginia State Police, this intensive 10-week program is for mid and upper level law enforcement supervisors in state, county, or municipal units, as well as for executives in corrections and corporate or private security. The challenging curriculum of the Command College is taught by University of Virginia faculty, senior law enforcement officials and leading experts across the country.

The subtopics include: Leadership, Management, Collaboration and Negotiation, Organizational Effectiveness, and various Criminal Justice subjects. Sgt. Robert Haney was one of 22 law enforcement professionals from across the state who graduated on September 24, 2015. Each graduating class has the opportunity to select its president, and this year the class selected Sgt. Robert Haney of the City Police Department. Not only is it an honor to receive this recognition, but Sgt. Haney has the distinction of being only the third graduate to ever be selected as a Command College Class President who is not a member of the Virginia State Police. We congratulate him on this accomplishment!

HR EXTRA!DECEMBER 2015

For More Info Call HR at x3490

A P3 EDGE NEWSLETTER INSERT

Need a replacement insurance card or want to access our provider directories? By logging on to the sites below you can do that and more! Each site can provide you with not only general benefit information but in many cases, when you create a username and password, it allows you 24/7 access to your own benefit information. Log on today!

Benefits Provider Resources

Sgt. Robert Haney Chosen as President of 2015 Command College College

Coventry Health (800) 627-4872 member.cvty.comDelta Dental (800) 237-6060 www.deltadentalva.comMetLife Vision (855) 638-3931 www.metlife.com Cigna (800) 362-4622 www.CIGNA.comACI (800) 932-0034 charlottesville.acieap.comALFAC (434) 296-9500 www.aflac.comLD&B Benefits (540) 438-4130 www.ldbinsurance.com

Lt. Cheryl Sandridge; Chief Longo; Detective Lisa Best; Officer Cody Bowman; Flora Kelly-Bertsche; Sgt. Haney; Tom Von Hemert, and Officer Harvey Finkel.

Sgt. Robert Haney and Chief Longo

Thanks to all who attended the 2015 Health & Wellness Fair! Our 20+ vendors presented information on topics ranging from children’s fitness to elder care. All who stopped by the fair not only received great information from our vendors but also received fun giveaways and snacks. A special thank you goes out to all City employees who presented and helped out! Best Regards, Sara Simoneau, PHRHR Program Coordinator

2015 Health and Wellnes Fair

Mohamad Adldoos PoliceStephanie Alston PoliceChristian Babar PoliceLaurie Baerga Public WorksAndrew Baxter FireRobert Bourne Public WorksNancy Burney Parks & RecChristopher Burton Human ServicesBrittany Caine-Conley Human ServicesCobey Clark Public WorksJeanetta Corbin FinanceJimmy Day Parks & RecSterling Dudley Parks & RecMichael Duffy Public WorksJason Frazier FireMichael Goddard Public WorksDavid Graf Public WorksBrian Helmick Public WorksFranklin Hill Public WorksJulia Holt Social ServicesTierra Howard NDSAlexander Ikefuna NDSCynthia Ivery Public WorksElizabeth Kelso Parks & RecRebecca Kendall Human ServicesTila Kharel Public WorksJesus Lazo Public WorksBryce Level Social ServicesBahati Majuto Public WorksJulian Marsh Social ServicesLilian McVey Human ServicesCarolyn Mess NDSGlen Pack FinanceAnne Perkins Social Services

Markida Poindexter Public WorksLatara Ragland Human Ser-vicesAdin Ray FireSteven Schoening Voter RegistrarIris Sims Public Works David Sprouse PoliceNathan Stein PoliceMichelle Tanner Social ServicesAmy Tumbleson Parks & RecCharlie Turner PoliceCharnele Tyler PoliceGashaw Woldemariam Public WorksJames Worley Public Works

Amelia Bailey CACVBHarvey Finkel PoliceMichael Harris FleetRoger Henry PolicePamela Moore Social ServicesJack Ridley Transit

PROMOTIONS!

NEW HIRES!

RegularCity Employee

August–Dec 2015

RETIREMENTS!

ACI’s EAP benefits are available to employees and family members, out-of-state or abroad. ACI’s services are built for a global, 24/7 market. Instantly access your ACI benefits with mobile apps on iOS and Android. Download these free apps today!

ACI MOBILE APPSAVAILABLE!

Shaniece Bradford Comm. Atty.Casey Breeden PoliceRay Brown Public WorksLeslie Beauregard CMOCharlene Green CMOMitchell Harlow Public WorksMichael Murphy CMODanielle Pearson TreasurerMichael Rogers FireDerek Tyler Public Works

myACConline features easy-to-use tools, resources, referrals, and immediate access to assistance with travel, entertainment, gifts, and plenty of other perks.

myACI App

The HealthyU Student Assistance app is a component of your Student Assistance Program and provides instant mobile access to resources and services including clinical referrals, job search assistance, low-cost housing, time management coaching, affordable legal services, child care and more.

HealthyU StudentAssistance