newsletter vol 1 issue 2 v2

newsletter vol 1 issue 2 v2

• 1.
  ShopTalk Highlights and Transitions Officialswith the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s New Car Assessment Program presented PAG 2 the Results through Teamwork Award in July for producing the first GAO report that incorporates online video graphics. Congratulations to Jena Sinkfield, visual information specialist (VIS); Gail Traynham, electronic publishing specialist (EPS); and Ann McDermott, PAG 2 manager, for their groundbreaking, creative efforts § Congratulations to Lessie Burke- Johnson and Michael Derr, editors, and Jena Sinkfield on their promotions to Band II status § Congratulations to new homeowners Cynthia Taylor, EPS, and Jena Sinkfield § The E- Government Institute presented GAO’s EAGLE team with the Pioneer Award for their collaborative design of the Electronic Assistance Guide for Leading Engagements. Sandra Edwards, VIS, was recognized for designing the logo § Condolences to Michael Jenkins, assistant PAG 2 manager, and his family on the loss of his father-in-law § Congratulations to Kevin Bailey, VIS, on his June marriage to the former Lena Jernberg Perrotta of Stockholm, Sweden. The happy couple said their vows during a Buddhist ceremony in Baltimore, Maryland § Comptroller General David Walker honored GAO employees for their military Reserve service during a May 25 ceremony in the Staats Briefing Room. The honorees included Jerome Mapp, editor, a former Marine now serving as a Navy Reserve photojour- nalist. Walker signed a statement of support pledging GAO’s commitment to the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve program § PAG 2 recently put out the welcome mat for Patrick Castella, who replaces Monisha Sharma as a contract VIS. Castella is a graduate of the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. William Shear, FMCI’s Director By Jerome W. Mapp, PAG-2 When William “Bill” Shear arrived at GAO in 1994, it marked the second time in 11 years that this St. Paul, Minnesota, native was drawn by the power of public service to tackle the economic challenges and issues that daily impact the lives of millions of American taxpayers. As one of five directors of the Financial Markets and Community Investment (FMCI) team, Shear helps guide the talents of policy and communications analysts to ensure the effective and smooth operation of U.S. markets and help the Congress identify fiscal dangers to businesses, households, and individuals. It is a job for which he has spent a lifetime preparing. Shear began the first leg of his academic journey as an 18-year-old freshman at George Washington University. After graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 1976 with a degree in economics, he entered and completed the doctoral program in economics at the University of Chicago and later joined the faculty at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. During his first GAO tour—from 1983 to 1987—Shear arrived armed with a doctoral degree from the University of Chicago, university-level teaching creden- tials, and a gritty determination to tackle economic issues while assigned to the Office of the Chief Economist. When his wife, Joanne, a physician, accepted a position in Chicago in 1987, Shear pulled up stakes in the nation’s capital and relocated to the “Windy City,” where he worked on economic issues for a major consulting firm. The opportunity to return to GAO in 1994 prompted another move for the Shear family, and they eventually settled in Baltimore. One of the family’s major leisure activities is serving as volunteers at the Baltimore Streetcar Museum. He says that one rewarding aspect of the director’s job with FMCI involves conducting evaluations that address the credit needs of low-income residents. “I really value my involvement in public service,” Shear says. “The jobs we do here [at GAO] directly impact the economic well-being of our communities and our nation.” As he reflected on his public service, Shear recalled that his favorite GAO moment was a time when he met with Rep. Jim Leach (R-Iowa), former chairman of the House Banking Committee, while conducting work for Leach on government-sponsored enterprises. With a broad body of work behind him, Shear takes special pride in directing GAO work that can improve the effectiveness of credit, housing, and economic programs that serve the needs of low-income Americans. “The jobs we do here directly impact the economic well-being of our communities and our nation.”
• 2.
  PAG 2 Profile SuzanneSherwood: Reflections in an Editor’s Eye By Jerome W. Mapp, PAG2 As Suzanne Sherwood pondered her June 31 retirement as a federal employee after more than 20 years of service—the last 4 with GAO—she proudly recalled that her initial editorial success had a lot to do with her decision to seek work as an editor on the federal level. In 1979, Sherwood was employed part-time as general office support with the Department of the Interior’s (DOI) Fish and Wildlife Service at the Lahontan National Fish Hatchery in Gardnerville, Nevada. While there, she wrote a detailed justification for an increase in the hatchery’s petty cash fund that resulted in an increase from $200 to $1,200 monthly for the fund. “I count that as my first writing success,” Sherwood said. As she continued to sharpen her editorial skills, Sherwood sought out greater professional challenges that resulted in a transfer to DOI headquar- ters in Washington, D.C., and accepted a temporary assignment to Interior’s Office of the Executive Secretariat (OES). Despite the heavy editorial demands of this position, Sherwood realized that working as an editor on the federal level was her calling. “Even though I haven’t always been titled editor, it seems that most of my jobs have had an editorial component,” she said. “I then realized that this is perhaps where my greatest interests and best skills lie. So I decided to pursue that.” When her program at Fish and Wildlife was transferred to the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1987, Sherwood decided to expand to full time her part-time studies in English at nearby George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. She reasoned that a bachelor of arts degree in English would lend more credibility if she hoped to secure a career as an editor. “I com- pleted my degree in 1990 and accepted a position as an editorial assistant with the Office of Surface Mining,” an agency within DOI. The position, which involved writing and editing newsletters, offered Sher- wood wider editorial responsibilities. She was eventually promoted to writer- editor and public affairs assistant, but an agency reduction in force prompted her to seek a transfer to another agency, DOI’s Minerals Management Service, as a communications specialist. When Sherwood realized that the job was more about public relations than editing, she opted for a solo career as a freelance editor. “I did this (freelancing) for about 2 years before returning to government service,” she said. “I freelanced for such ‘Beltway Bandits’ as Litton PRC, Booz Allen, and the National Academy of Sciences. Sherwood returned to government service in 1999, this time with the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, as a publications assistant. She arrived at GAO in the wake of the 2001 terrorists’ attacks on New York; Washington, D.C.; and Pennsylvania. She was initially assigned to PAG4 before being reassigned to PAG2. As she reflects on more than two decades of federal service, Sherwood said she believes that her position at GAO has met all the requirements of her “dream job.” In summing up the highlight of her tenure at GAO, Sherwood said it has been “the apprecia- tion expressed by each team for my part in making their report better.”