community transit celebrates our employees 2011 coach...

16
1 May 22, 2012 Community Transit Celebrates Our Employees Each year, Community Transit recognizes the many outstanding contributions of our employees with special awards. There are Service Awards, Safe Driving Awards, Transit Team Awards, Director’s Awards and other special awards given out by departments, the agency and the IAM. Please help us celebrate you and your peers for outstanding work! 2011 Coach Operator of the Year Ralph (Berry) Hatfield is the 2011 Coach Operator of the Year! Berry was hired as a coach operator in October 2001. He is always cheerful, has a positive attitude and great work ethic. He’s consistently friendly and easy to work with. Berry does his best to handle situations on his own and always speaks to others with respect. Berry has regular, dependable attendance and has received about 80 percent of the reliability awards since the program started in 2005. Berry has received several commendations within the past 12 months and has an excellent driving record. 2011 COACH OPERATORS OF THE QUARTER: 1 st Quarter Victor Coale 2 nd Quarter Berry Hatfield 3 rd Quarter Davinder Kaur 4 th Quarter Tom Rairden 2011 Maintenance Employee of the Year Todd Burris was selected by his peers as the 2011 Maintenance Employee of the Year! Todd takes pride in ensuring that everything he does is done to the best of his ability and done right. He is always willing to assist others, a trait most evident in his current training and support for the shop apprentice mechanic. His peers notice and appreciate Todd’s commitment, easy-going personality, and lack of complaints as he goes through his daily assignments. He is an excellent employee and a pleasure to work with.

Upload: others

Post on 27-Sep-2020

2 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Community Transit Celebrates Our Employees 2011 Coach ...content.govdelivery.com/attachments/WACOMMT/2012/06... · 6/21/2012  · better ways of doing business. Director Joy Munkers

1

May 22, 2012

Community Transit Celebrates Our Employees Each year, Community Transit recognizes the many outstanding contributions of our employees with special awards. There are Service Awards, Safe Driving Awards, Transit Team Awards, Director’s Awards and other special awards given out by departments, the agency and the IAM. Please help us celebrate you and your peers for outstanding work!

2011 Coach Operator of the Year Ralph (Berry) Hatfield is the 2011 Coach Operator of the Year! Berry was hired as a coach operator in October 2001. He is always cheerful, has a positive attitude and great work ethic. He’s consistently friendly and easy to work with. Berry does his best to handle situations on his own and always speaks to others with respect. Berry has regular, dependable attendance and has received about 80 percent of the reliability awards since the program started in 2005. Berry has received several commendations within the past 12 months and has an excellent driving record.

2011 COACH OPERATORS OF THE QUARTER: 1st Quarter – Victor Coale 2nd Quarter – Berry Hatfield 3rd Quarter – Davinder Kaur 4th Quarter – Tom Rairden

2011 Maintenance Employee of the Year Todd Burris was selected by his peers as the 2011 Maintenance Employee of the Year! Todd takes pride in ensuring that everything he does is done to the best of his ability and done right. He is always willing to assist others, a trait most evident in his current training and support for the shop apprentice mechanic. His peers notice and appreciate Todd’s commitment, easy-going personality, and lack of complaints as he goes through his daily assignments. He is an excellent employee and a pleasure to work with.

Page 2: Community Transit Celebrates Our Employees 2011 Coach ...content.govdelivery.com/attachments/WACOMMT/2012/06... · 6/21/2012  · better ways of doing business. Director Joy Munkers

2

2011 MAINTENANCE EMPLOYEES OF THE QUARTER: 1st Quarter – Roger McDonald 2nd Quarter – Donald Perkins 3rd Quarter – Tracy Peterson 4th Quarter – Todd Burris

IAM Awards (Chosen by Operations Supervisors) PAT RICHARDSON MEMORIAL AWARD The Operations Supervisors unit has chosen to honor Supervisor Stephanie Dunn with our Pat Richardson Memorial Award for 2011.

Stephanie can be characterized as being serious, passionate and creative. She is serious about knowing, being prepared and fulfilling her responsibilities in each role she serves, and cares about her coworkers. She has worked many evening and weekend shifts on the road and in the dispatch arena, and is passionate about assisting customers and operators to succeed with some of the most challenging inter-agency connections (especially late night and last-trip-of-the-night trips). She has come up with creative suggestions for improving the safety and flow of coaches and pedestrians at our major transit centers. Hired as a trainee Dec. 20, 1994, Stephanie became a part-time operator Feb. 14, 1995, a full-time dispatcher June 24, 1996, and a full-time supervisor Feb. 3, 2003. Stephanie has earned the respect

of her unit, and was presented with the 2011 Pat Richardson Memorial Award. OPERATIONS SUPERVISOR AWARD The Operations Supervisors unit has chosen to honor Coach Operator Valeriy Cherkasskikh with our Operations Supervisor Award.

“Ahh, brother – how are you this morning?” “How may I help?” “What would you like me to do?” These are fairly typical expressions coming from Valeriy. He is regularly ready to do anything assigned to him, and any extra work requested. He is always here when he is supposed to be, and works with accuracy, courtesy and professionalism. He has earned several commendations from his passengers. Though he will not boast about it, for several years he sang with a men’s ensemble from his church, “The Brothers.” Valeriy started training with Community Transit in July 1999, started as a part-time operator Sept. 4, 1999, and was hired full-time Dec. 3, 2000. We are very glad to have Valeriy as a coworker.

Page 3: Community Transit Celebrates Our Employees 2011 Coach ...content.govdelivery.com/attachments/WACOMMT/2012/06... · 6/21/2012  · better ways of doing business. Director Joy Munkers

3

Board Chairman’s Award Service Development Team Sam Brodland, Chuck Calendine, Kirk Edward, Eric Goodman, Sara Hayden, Michael Porter and Scott Ritterbush The Chairman of the Community Transit Board of Directors recognizes the Service Development Team for exemplary and extraordinary performance in their work developing the 2012 System Change. At the direction of the Board of Directors, these staff took on the daunting task of creating three separate and complete service alternatives to cut 80,000 hours from the system, which was necessary due to revenue shortfalls. This effort required that the team assure the internal integrity of each alternative in a complex and dynamic system giving the public and the board real and viable choices. They spent countless hours discussing how and where to make cuts and how to assure that the resulting alternatives would retain riders (emphasizing productivity) and retain geographic coverage. They collected input from customers, community members and drivers along with analyzing a wealth of service and ridership data. They were able to meet the Board goals in all three alternatives as well as create one alternative that actually furthers the goals of our Long Range Plan. Early ridership reports confirm the quality of this team’s work. Ridership levels have remained relatively steady despite a 20 percent reduction in service in February 2012. All seven of these individuals set an example of creativity, dedication, skill, persistence, integrity and teamwork.

(L to R) Eric Goodman, Chuck Calendine, Director Joy Munkers, Michael Porter, Sam Brodland and Scott Ritterbush. Not pictured, Kirk Edward and Sara Hayden.

Page 4: Community Transit Celebrates Our Employees 2011 Coach ...content.govdelivery.com/attachments/WACOMMT/2012/06... · 6/21/2012  · better ways of doing business. Director Joy Munkers

4

Chief Executive Officer’s Award Jeanine Gallacci has been the agency’s Manager of Organizational Development for 10 years, but worked with us for several years before that as a consultant. In her role, she helps the company with planned, systematic, education-oriented changes that improve company-wide performance. Jeanine is a vital part of Community Transit’s success and was awarded by CEO Joyce Eleanor with the 2011 Chief Executive Officer’s Award. Jeanine works on programs and projects that improve the efficiency and effectiveness of internal processes within and across departments, and those in turn help the overall effectiveness of the agency as a whole. Jeanine facilitates Process Improvement Teams that brainstorm, analyze and test new and more efficient ways to do things that we already do. This past year she worked with groups on a 4/10 workday schedule, driver fatigue and how to deter graffitti at bus shelters. She also facilitates department retreats, employee meetings and other group settings where we need someone whom everyone in the room respects to get us past the individual agendas everyone brings to these meetings. Just to keep her busy, Jeanine also works with the Unity Team, our employee diversity group; The Citizens Advisory Committee which last year had a role transition; and she led the internal communications, testing and facilitation of the Transit Values Exercise last year with employees.

Director’s Awards Each Department Chief or Director has chosen one person to receive his or her department’s Director’s Award. The winners are selected for outstanding achievement in Leadership, Safety, Customer Service or Efficiency Improvements.

Administration – Larry Olson Larry Olson has worked at Community Transit for 12 years and has held his current position as Enterprise Architect in the Information Technology Department since 2007. The Administration Department, in particular, is grateful for Larry’s invaluable support of the payroll/human resources, budgeting, and financial systems that keep our work moving. From PeopleSoft and HRMS upgrades to Trapeze troubleshooting, Larry brings to the table a vast amount of technical experience, expert problem-solving skills, and best of all, patience. Director

Page 5: Community Transit Celebrates Our Employees 2011 Coach ...content.govdelivery.com/attachments/WACOMMT/2012/06... · 6/21/2012  · better ways of doing business. Director Joy Munkers

5

Emmett Heath presented Larry with the 2011 Administration Director’s Award. Customer Relations – Mario Rojas Mario Rojas performed at his usual high standard as a Swift Ambassador this past year as two colleagues left the program. He is the consummate professional talking with customers and checking fares on Swift buses and remains calm and professional at all times. Mario brings many talents to his job. His ability to speak Spanish has helped many customers better understand the Swift service and other transit information as well. He has helped Marketing by reviewing Spanish text and always looks for ways to improve our customers’ riding experience. As the senior Ambassador, he has taken on a leadership role with the team and his hard work and dedication are greatly appreciated. Director Bob Throckmorton presented Mario with the 2011 Customer Relations Director’s Award.

Executive – Juanita Shuler After the 2010 layoffs left the agency without a records management specialist, Administrative Assistant Juanita Shuler took on responsibility for the agency’s records management program (something not in her original job description). She jumped in with enthusiasm, and quickly learned the laws and regulations related to retention and basic records management. She redesigned the new Records Center, better utilizing the area available and making records easier to locate when requested. She worked closely with IT and the vendor to secure, learn and refine a new records software program (replacing the old system that was no longer vendor supported), saving several thousand dollars in the process. Since taking on these new responsibilities, Juanita has found more efficient and less costly ways to do things. She maintained a positive and "can do" attitude in a difficult situation, actively sought opportunities to

learn her new duties, and demonstrated creative and innovative ways to get the job done. CEO Joyce Eleanor presented Juanita with the 2011 Executive Department Director’s Award. Information Technology – Brian Moran Brian Moran was hired in July 2010 as a Senior Network Engineer. He quickly established himself as a team player and a get-things-done kind of professional and did a lot of the work required to clean up the agency’s network. His expertise, willingness to train and educate staff, and desire to go the extra mile were immediately apparent. He was also a key member of our Outlook conversion team. He was rewarded for his hard work with a promotion in October 2011 to Supervisor of Network Engineering. Director Tim Chrobuck presented Brian with the 2011 Information Technology Director’s Award.

Page 6: Community Transit Celebrates Our Employees 2011 Coach ...content.govdelivery.com/attachments/WACOMMT/2012/06... · 6/21/2012  · better ways of doing business. Director Joy Munkers

6

Maintenance – Dianne Koshelnik

Dianne Koshelnik has been the Maintenance Department’s Human Resource representative for many years. Over the past year in particular, the support provided for personnel layoffs, issue investigations, discipline, hiring and general assistance required by staff has been exceptional. She is always supportive of the department’s needs and timelines. Her attitude is consistently positive and her commitment to delivering appropriate human resource assistance is beyond reproach. Dianne is a significant contributor to the success of the Maintenance Department. Director Dave Richards presented Dianne with the 2011 Maintenance Director’s Award.

Planning & Development – Dan Root Data Program Manager Dan Root is a motivated worker and a talented data professional. In a relatively short time he has established his reputation as “the Data Guy.” Colleagues who work with Dan are impressed with his technical ability and his willingness to jump in to help whether it's his area of expertise or not. Dan is on the front lines of looking at data in new ways, which has been needed with APTS, use of data in the February 2012 Service Change discussions and development of the data-driven Transit Values Exercise. Dan implemented a new National Transit Database (NTD) sampling plan and consolidated contracted services transportation monitoring into the strategic planning data program, helping to reduce our cost per rider. Dan is at the heart of helping to build a data program to support new and better ways of doing business. Director Joy Munkers presented Dan with the 2011 Planning & Development Director’s Award. Public Affairs – Kathryn Rasmussen

Kathryn Rasmussen's attention to detail is unparalleled. As a grant specialist she is dedicated to ensuring we meet or exceed all federal expectations in the funding requests we make and are awarded. Thanks to Kathryn's careful attention and high standards, we have been able to fulfill complex requirements and maximize our eligibility for funding. Dealing with federal funding programs has been challenging in recent years due to economics and politics. When federal programs or rules change we are often forced to change our strategy and shift our projects to get the funding we need - Kathryn always finds a way to make it work! Additionally, Kathryn is a team player who is always willing to lend a hand. Chief of Strategic Communications Todd Morrow presented Kathryn with the 2011 Public Affairs Director’s Award.

Page 7: Community Transit Celebrates Our Employees 2011 Coach ...content.govdelivery.com/attachments/WACOMMT/2012/06... · 6/21/2012  · better ways of doing business. Director Joy Munkers

7

Transportation – Martin Munguia Public Information Officer Martin Munguia played a key role in the development, management and implementation of the 2012 service change, helping to shape the public input process, the post-decision public information posted on our website, and public education for the change itself. This included constant changes to information on the website for nearly a year, blog articles detailing proposals and actions, rider alerts and overseeing content for the Guide to Service Change. Martin also arranged outreach to employees through multiple Company Conversations meetings, CommunityTimes articles, CEO Reports and State of the Agency presentations. This was particularly important because giving our employees detailed and timely information helped to ease public concerns once the public outreach began. The success of this work is evidenced in how well our customers and community partners have transitioned through a challenging 2012 service change process. Director Fred Worthen presented Martin with the 2011 Transportation Director’s Award.

Transit Team Awards Employees selected as exemplifying the agency’s Core Values become members of the Transit Team. They will also become members of the WSDOT State Wall of Fame and have their picture displayed on perpetual plaques located in all three Community Transit buildings.

Accountability – By establishing clear priorities, setting realistic goals and maintaining consistent policies we are pledging to accept responsibility for our own performance – both as individuals and as teams – and providing the means to measure our success. Jillian Derscheid consistently manages projects – such as transportation demand management work with CTR employers, Curb the Congestion promotions and the agency’s Facebook page – with determination and creativity to achieve department and agency goals. As a promotions and outreach specialist, she welcomes the challenges that change can bring, and leaves nothing unexplored to discover the best possible solution. Jillian holds her work performance to a high standard, and is a shining example of hard work and dedication. Her work earned her the 2011 “Accountability” Transit Team Award.

Page 8: Community Transit Celebrates Our Employees 2011 Coach ...content.govdelivery.com/attachments/WACOMMT/2012/06... · 6/21/2012  · better ways of doing business. Director Joy Munkers

8

Continuous Learning – Employees will have the tools, resources and training each of us needs to do our jobs well and serve our customers better. Virginia Ponce de Leon’s natural curiousity and willingness to learn have proven valuable to the agency on many projects utilizing her work as capital development project assistant. Supporting the Capital Development division, she became an expert in PeopleSoft, EPO and Prologue computer systems for budget, project and contract management. Desiring to increase her skills further, Virginia took evening classes, organized a study group and passed the difficult professional exam to earn her Project Management Professional certification in 2011. Still not content to rest on her laurels, Virginia is working on her AA in Business and has become a role model for nutrition and wellness in the agency. She is truly a life-long learner and earned the 2011 “Continuous Learning” Transit Team Award.

Customers First – Exceeding our customers’ expectations for an enjoyable and convenient trip is our reason for being. We serve them by actively looking for ways to improve their riding experience. Sheryl Olson has worked at Community Transit as a Human Resources Specialist since 2006, and in that time has come to be known as a friendly and reliable go-to person for administrative employees throughout the company. Sheryl is known for her professional, responsive and creative work style, as well as her ability to easily absorb specialized topics and terminology from a variety of departments; most notably her quick mastery of the many unique (and ever-changing) acronyms used in the IT Department. Her dedication earned her the 2011 “Customers First” Transit Team Award.

Environmental Stewardship – We embrace ways of doing business that are environmentally friendly, and seek to be a role model for other organizations in reducing environmental impacts. Rick Rickman includes the concepts of Environmental Stewardship in almost all tasks and projects he is involved with. He is a member of the agency’s Environmental Management System (EMS) team that establishes policies and procedures to reduce our agency’s impact on the environment. Rick worked on the remediation project necessary to correct the underground fluid leaks at Kasch Park. He established new maintenance and operating procedures for our underground storage tanks as part of that project. He has worked hard to ensure that everything we do meets the requirements of applicable laws and regulations. His efforts throughout the year have helped Community Transit remain a company that cares about and works to protect our environment. His efforts earned him the 2011 “Environmental Stewardship” Transit Team Award.

Page 9: Community Transit Celebrates Our Employees 2011 Coach ...content.govdelivery.com/attachments/WACOMMT/2012/06... · 6/21/2012  · better ways of doing business. Director Joy Munkers

9

Integrity – We are honest in our behaviors and communications; we follow through on our commitments; we are good caretakers of the public’s resources and preserve the public trust.

Jay Hermsmeier was hired in November 2009 to be Community Transit’s ORCA project coordinator. He had to join this large and complex regional project mid-stream and quickly get up to speed representing our agency as one of the seven site managers. While the system did go live on April 20, 2009, it did not formally complete Final Systems Acceptance (FSA) until December 12, 2011! During those two plus years there was a lot of detailed project management work and intra-agency coordination on vendor management, software changes, scope, goals and budget issues. Jay smoothly balanced the needs of each department within Community Transit along with the needs of our partner agencies to make sure our interests were taken care of in a timely manner. He never took a back seat to any of the larger regional partners and stood his ground for the benefit of Community Transit; not an easy thing to do. Yet he did so professionally and with a smile on his face. His work earned him the 2011 “Integrity” Transit Team Award.

Mutual Respect – We are committed to treating one another with respect and with sensitivity to diversity, and thereby cultivating positive working relations, good internal communication and open decision-making. Tamara Smith was hired as a coach operator in October 2006 and has proven to be a very positive force in the workplace. She enjoys her work, has a great attitude and work ethic, and is always willing to help out. She offers great solutions to problems, is respectful towards other employees and shows the highest level of caring for her passengers and co-workers. She always smiles – even during the most difficult times – and is a pleasure to be around. Her attitude earned her the 2011 “Mutual Respect” Transit Team Award. Repect for the Communities We Serve – We stress community involvement in our planning processes so that we can understand their needs and they can understand how we are striving to meet them.

With responsibility for securing locations and permits for all Community Transit bus stops, Tony Smith develops and maintains unique relationships with key contacts in every city and county we serve. By continually nurturing these relationships, Tony is able to accomplish our objectives while building goodwill in the community. Tony is equally amazing dealing with requests and concerns of customers and property owners. People immediately sense his genuine respect for them and his willingness to help resolve issues. Customers, jurisdiction staff, property owners and colleagues all love to work with Tony, which helps the agency. His work earned him the 2011 “Respect for the Communities We Serve” Transit Team Award.

Page 10: Community Transit Celebrates Our Employees 2011 Coach ...content.govdelivery.com/attachments/WACOMMT/2012/06... · 6/21/2012  · better ways of doing business. Director Joy Munkers

10

Rewarding Initiative and Innovation – We foster an entrepreneurial spirit that gives us the flexibility to exploit opportunities and the encouragement to take risks that allow us to be at the cutting edge of new and better ways to better serve our customers and communities. Jeff Ristau has been a regular fixture at Community Transit for 27 years. As our Chief Financial Officer, Jeff and his staff are responsible for many types of financial reporting, procurements, audits and developing the annual budget, which has been especially challenging over the past several years. Last year, Jeff spearheaded an innovative strategy called a fuel hedge to reduce the risk we face with the volatile fluctuations in the price of diesel fuel; one of our biggest and most unpredictable expenses. Jeff methodically researched and evaluated the very complex and technical process of fuel hedging, then helped guide the Executive Team and Board of Directors through the year-long process that resulted in our first fuel hedge contract in 2012. This contract sets a cap in place that limits the price we will have to pay for fuel this year, allowing us to breath a little easier as we see the price at the pump rising, almost daily. His calculations earned him the 2011 “Rewarding Initiative and Innovation” Transit Team Award.

Wellness Star Rita Fox has been an administrative assistant in the Transportation Department since 2002 and was an avid participant in many, if not all of the Wellness activities in 2011. Rita is a member of her local YMCA but you can see her getting out and hitting Hardeson Road for a wellness walk when it isn’t pouring rain. In her support role, Rita has the opportunity to arrange for lunches, snacks and refreshments for meetings. You can count on Rita to bring fresh fruit, trail mix or granola bars for those looking for a healthy bite. What sets Rita apart and what makes her a role model for all of us to follow is her consistency. Many of us wax and wane in our commitment to wellness but Rita incorporates wellness activities easily into her daily routine so much that it has become a way of life for her. She also works hard to get the word out about wellness activities and the benefits of participating in the activities.

Page 11: Community Transit Celebrates Our Employees 2011 Coach ...content.govdelivery.com/attachments/WACOMMT/2012/06... · 6/21/2012  · better ways of doing business. Director Joy Munkers

11

All Star Team Awards Intergovernmental Strategies (IS) Team Colleen Baumann, Roland Behee, Art Braeul, Sam Brodland, Melissa Cauley, Donna Clausen, June DeVoll, Joyce Eleanor, Bonnie Ginsberg, Emmett Heath, Wade Mahala, Jan McBride, Todd Morrow, Martin Munguia, Joy Munkers, Tom Pearce, Jeff Ristau, Lynn Starcher, Carol Thompson, Bob Throckmorton and Fred Worthen The IS Team stays abreast of all external matters impacting the authorizing environment of Community Transit. This includes government and political issues at the local, regional, state and federal level. The team seeks to position the agency favorably with those who play a critical role in funding the agency. This is done through strategizing, planning and implementation of the agency's corporate positioning work, across departments and other work teams. Often times the actual work is done through sub-groups outside the IS Team. In those cases the job of the IS Team is to make sure the work is coordinated with other agency efforts and consistent with the messaging, brand and goals of Community Transit. In 2011, the IS Team helped to:

Direct the creation and implemention of a comprehensive outreach plan for the 2012 service change. This included CEO Roundtables with local business leaders, the Transit Values Exercise, media interactions, presentations to city and county councils and briefings for key elected officials.

Coordination of a comprehensive strategy for obtaining new state funding. We got a bill written and introduced that would have given Community Transit authority to seek new car tab fees, but that legislation changed in the final days of the legislative session so we did not get that authority.

Preparation of a comprehensive strategy for the reauthorization of the federal surface transportation program. Congressman Larsen received a tour of Swift to see first-hand the value of innovative investment and service.

2012 Service Change Outreach & Communication Team Debbie Anderson, Jeff Anderson, Colleen Baumann, Jason Becker, Roland Behee, Art Braeul, Sam Brodland, Don Burr, Mike Burress, Chuck Calendine, Melissa Cauley, Jillian Derscheid, June DeVoll, Kirk Edward, Karen Gerrodette, Bonnie Ginsberg, Scott Glassman, Eric Goodman, Jennifer Hass, Sara Hayden, Joe Hebert, Rob Jensen, Karen Johnson, Tony Jones, Kristin Kinnamon, Dawn Kirsch, Treva Kosloski, Nancy Lamus, Wade Mahala, Sue Masel, Mark Melnyk, Martin Munguia, Dana Osborn, Tom Pearce, Steve Peters, Michael Porter, Sri Rome, Scott Ritterbush, Seema Sharma, Tony Smith and Mike Warren Once it was announced that the agency would implement a 20 percent service reduction in February 2012, a multi-departmental team was assembled to coordinate and implement a comprehensive public outreach and communication effort. The public comment phase of the outreach took place in June 2011. The team solicited public comment on three proposed system change alternatives.The effort consisted of five open house meetings, one public hearing, 14 rider forums and an on-line comment card. Staff informed 216 riders at the open house events, received 1,800 online comments and talked with 3,700 customers at rider forums.

Page 12: Community Transit Celebrates Our Employees 2011 Coach ...content.govdelivery.com/attachments/WACOMMT/2012/06... · 6/21/2012  · better ways of doing business. Director Joy Munkers

12

Communication and support materials for the public comment effort included:

A video entitled “The Recession’s Impact.” The video was posted on Community Transit’s website and YouTube channel.

2012 System Change Alternatives Brochure. The high-level “concepts” brochure was distributed on all buses and at all outreach events and directed riders to the Community Transit website and an online comment card.

Presentation boards for public meetings were produced to educate open house attendees about the state of the agency and the three proposed alternatives.

Mailing to DART riders.

Website, Facebook and blog posts.

Rider alerts, bus shelter alerts, stop alerts.

Press releases, print advertisements. In late 2011, the team regrouped to coordinate the implementation phase of the outreach effort that took place in January/February 2012. Outlook Conversion Team Karen Doughty, Ann Martin, Sammy Sall, Laura Shupe, Dave Tovrea and Diane Webb-Cristelli In the first quarter of 2011, Community Transit moved from the only email system it had ever known (GroupWise) to the brand new Microsoft Exchange/Outlook email system. Email conversion can be a huge and impactful undertaking for any company, taking months and months to plan and execute – sometimes exceeding a year. Fortunately for us, we had a fantastic Outlook Conversion team ready for the challenge. Training’s Sandy Stewart played a key role obtaining an outstanding training vendor and organizing the many training courses pre- and post-conversion. There was also a whole team of department champions that received specialized training and provided local support in preparation for the conversion and in the weeks following the conversion. All in all, the planning and conversion took a total of only 2 months. Other interesting information:

Staff reduced email storage by 54 percent (623GB to 284GB) which was critical for the conversion to stay within the weekend. Experts had told us we’d be lucky to get a 5 percent reduction.

1.7 million messages were converted.

140,000 contact cards were converted.

447,000 calendar entries were converted.

98 percent of users had over 98 percent of their data converted. Payroll Scheduling Team Raj Bhangu, Trent Botham, Margaret Evans, Rita Fox, Rich Link This team was tasked with improving the payroll scheduling process and containing costs within Transportation supervisory ranks. The team took the then-current payroll scheduling processes and made changes to improve the payroll scheduling process. This included determining priorities for filling weekly staffing vacancies stemming from scheduled absences and vacations. There were

Page 13: Community Transit Celebrates Our Employees 2011 Coach ...content.govdelivery.com/attachments/WACOMMT/2012/06... · 6/21/2012  · better ways of doing business. Director Joy Munkers

13

a number of tests performed during the process to ensure the instructions were clear to any supervisor working within the position of payroll scheduler in Transportation. As a result of the teams efforts, there has been a reduction in both costs and scheduling errors in the weekly development of supervisory schedule development. Technical Support Services – Help Desk Team Ann Martin, Laura Shupe and Richard Stobb The Help Desk team did an outstanding job supporting all our departments in 2011. Combined they closed more than 4,700 Help Desk tickets last year, up from a 2010 total of 4,500. Whether it’s answering a question over the phone, replacing broken equipment or being onsite over the weekend to support a new operator bid or shakeup, you can always count on a friendly and knowledgeable Help Desk staff member who cares about solving your problem. Perhaps their crowning achievement last year was the smooth conversion to the new Outlook email system and implementation of a new Blackberry release which meant every single Blackberry had to be reinstalled and reconfigured. It was crazy busy and they worked long, long hours, but somehow they kept a smile on their face throughout the project and in the weeks following. They’re tireless, they’re good, and they are totally committed to help everyone with their technology needs and questions. Transit Values Exercise Team Jason Becker, Roland Behee, Melissa Cauley, June DeVoll, Jeanine Gallacci, Bonnie Ginsberg, Scott Glassman, Eric Goodman, Karen Johnson, Treva Kosloski, Sue Masel, Martin Munguia, Dan Root and Carol Thompson Taking direction from the CEO to develop a “game” that would educate people about the conflicts involved in cutting bus service, this team brainstormed, researched and debated before coming up with the Transit Values Exercise – an innovative approach to educating elected officials, business owners and the public about the value trade-offs inherent in transit planning. The team developed the game concept using data from the 2010 On-Board Survey and System Census projects. Consolidating that data into twelve individual “characters” humanized the choices and made the exercise meaningful to a broad range of stakeholders. The Transit Value Exercise was developed, tested, refined and facilitated entirely by Community Transit staff. The project encouraged conversations among customers, advocates, taxpayers and employees that helped to refine the approach to the service cuts the agency faced. The exercise was well received in every venue it was offered including testimonials from community members and significant interest at the APTA Intermodal Operations Conference. Many transit agencies across the country have asked for the exercise to replicate what Community Transit has done! In a year of tremendous workload, this team rose to the challenge to produce something both innovative and effective.

Page 14: Community Transit Celebrates Our Employees 2011 Coach ...content.govdelivery.com/attachments/WACOMMT/2012/06... · 6/21/2012  · better ways of doing business. Director Joy Munkers

14

2011 Service Awards 35 Years - Bruce Bachtel 30 Years - Betty Burns, David Biddlecome 25 Years - Isaac Hanks, Michael Howe 20 Years - Mark Ehlert, Lyle Nichols, James Cornett, Pamela Muellenbach, Darren Bredeson, Justin Irby, Troy Talbot, Jan McBride, Dale Blegen, David Gibson, Jimmy Maynard, Darrell Meriwether, David Thompson, Rakesh Phambota, Lisa Burdett, Vijay Sharma, Darren Noblick, Thomas Hanni, Joseph Hebert, Michael Burress, Pamela Alcorn 15 Years - Lori Fox, Cindy Stever, Treva Kosloski, Gary Buck, Timothy Caldwell, James Mathes, Glen Page, Dave Richards, Royce Fischer, Jayen Hass, Cynthia Elders, Mary Davis, Jay Gellings, Donna Irby, Mike Majors, Don Burr, William Kalinowski 10 Years - Thomas Rairden, Kristin Kinnamon, Thomas Pearce, Dave Shultz, Michael Meads, Trevor Vaden, Jeri Welch, Anthony Gordon, Matthew Chomjak, Michael Phippen, Vasiliy Prigodich, Cliff Ganske, Hurnake Johal, Ralph Hatfield, Walter Lenon, Ronald Robinson, Rick Jurkovic, Tommy Hawkins, Gina Akachat, Christine Brydges, Gene King, Denice Raines, Ana Shorb, Kerry Mullen, Karen Albedyll, William Baker, William Brescia, Dwayne Jones, Rafael Martinez, Charles Parks, Rodd Steele, LaVonne Sunde, Roger Kee, William Carroll, Andrey Kulik, William Windau, Curtis Wright, Tadesse Yeglatu, Steve Richards, Dennis Abbarno, Joe Kellen, Michael Lawless, Laurel Boyd, Allan Mehau, Craig Koppenberg, Rigo Oropeza, Diane Holyoke 5 Years - Debra LaMorena, Karen Johnson, Terry Graham, Paolo Stracqualursi, Timothy Wood, Kurt Krueger, Gary Choo, Carol Thompson, Stephan Kimbrough, Jaswinder Bains, Patrick Jacoby, Becky Tomberg, Neil MacKay, Jhunior Plantilla, Gregory Farrenkopf, Lee Ann McCorkle, Jason Becker, Nancy Lamus, Jeff Paden, Shelly Ray, Richard Byde, Trevor Endreson, Perrin Hopkins, Ed Linstedt, Tamara Mosiej, Linda Pitts, Theresa Teschlog, Tammy Hoveland, Sharon Gray, Adrianne Elliott, Jillian Derscheid, Jeanie Sharkey, Andrew Kirkaldie, Peter Kuprewicz, Rebecca May, Robert Taylor, Sheryl Olson, Margaret Evans, Radnesh Prasad, Michael Klink

2011 Safe Driving Awards 30 years – Raymond Harnisch, Jr. 29 years – Parminder Singh 26 years – Carl Huth 25 years – Merlin Yost, Thomas Hanni 23 years – Connie Zesbaugh, James Cornett 22 years – Karren Hill, Steve Harper

Page 15: Community Transit Celebrates Our Employees 2011 Coach ...content.govdelivery.com/attachments/WACOMMT/2012/06... · 6/21/2012  · better ways of doing business. Director Joy Munkers

15

21 years – Cheryl Jensen 19 years – Mark Ehlert, Richard Sabol, Sukhbir Sangha, Victor Coale 18 years – Darren Noblick, Bruce Bergman, Danise Enstrom, Chris Reiter, Kulwinder Sahota, David Gibson, Vijay Sharma, Perry Young 17 years – Theresa Imholt, Rakesh Sud, James Horton, Nick Plantilla 16 years – Lisa Burdett, Christy Christensen, Chuck Hoops, Scott Preston, David Eddy, Mark Terry, Ron Holly 15 years – Howard Boyle, Lavonne Benefield, Greg DeLosSantos, Ronald Robinson, Roger Policarpio, Carl Broman, Jimmy Maynard 14 years – David Samii, Muriel Cort, Diane Sasse, Reza Ghandhari, Cris Healy, Amjad Khalil, Peter Majkut, Mike Majors 13 years – Timothy Caldwell, David Rix, Solomon Habte, Mary Davis, Behrooz Asghari, James Snodgrass 12 years – Linda Dudnick, Jarnail Batth, Rakesh Kumar, Kim Schilperoort 11 years – Glen Page, Mark Webster, Manuel Nuval, Jay Gellings, Donald Ewing, Keith Bird, Dani Charles, Leonard Gay, Joey Kim 10 years – Valeriy Cherkasskikh, Victor Moroz, Darrell Meriwether, Steve Brown, Anthony Gordon, Darrell Johnson, Vasiliy Prigodich, Richard Van Tassel 9 years – William Finch, Donald Harden, Tadesse Yeglatu, William Baker, John Wollak, Rafael Martinez, Rodd Steele, Mark Proud 8 years – Samir Jasarevic, Hurnake Johal, Lyon Hozhabr Vessali, Kristi Brooks, Dave Shultz, Michael Meads, David Thompson, Gene King, Dennis Abbarno, Allan Mehau, George Bressler, Ronald Holmes, James Farrens, Aleksey Gorelyy, Ashwani Kumar, Eric Sullivan, Sergio Olson, Rigo Oropeza 7 years – Gordon Bell, Clemente Olegario, Leslie Lee, Tajinder Mahal, Leslie Lee, Gina Akachat, Dawn McDaniels, Curtis Wright, Mark Hodson, LaVonne Sunde, Ralph Hatfield, Maxwell Lall 6 years – Bruce Kurjiaka, Rocky Cazares, Andrey Kulik, Sean Poland, Sophie Ray, Steven Schwartzhoff, Loren Bolinger, Penelope Hess, Crystal Knight, Michael Todd, Michael Blank, Jason Caldwell, Ernie Fleming, Walter Lenon, David Parker, Robin Hunt 5 years – Spencer Nesbitt, Thomas Rairden, William Vande Werfhorst, Karen Albedyll, Jaswinder Bains, Neil MacKay, Donald Smith, Eric Wilkinson, Cristina Jordan, Ed Linstedt, Lee Ann McCorkle, Carwilla Bjornstad, Gregory Farrenkopf, Sojourner Elena Zahorodni, Westley Fischer, James Guirl

Page 16: Community Transit Celebrates Our Employees 2011 Coach ...content.govdelivery.com/attachments/WACOMMT/2012/06... · 6/21/2012  · better ways of doing business. Director Joy Munkers

16

4 years – Jack Bartlett, Rebecca May, Tamara Smith, Andrew Kirkaldie, Laura Aguilera, David Eddy, Robert Taylor, Geoffrey Smith, Thomas Parsons, Perrin Hopkins, Barbara Davis, Dale William Miner, Michael Sattler, Brett Schlee, Geri Buttke, Steven Charron, Tatyana Kozyubenko, Linda Pitts, Andrew Santos, Brett Carlson, Joseph Finke, Carlisle Kalpinski, Zeru Cherkos, Daniel Cordell, Patrick Woolsey 3 years – Mahad Ahmed, Donald Barrett, Laura Blegen, Richard Byde, Paul Felten, William Ferro, Don Griffiths, Daniil Gorelyy, Rebecca Hilton, D'Anne Sarceda, Quinton Middleton, Pierre Sarey, Pantelija Djurdjevic, Keith Kinsella, Balbir Sahota, Trevor Endreson, Linda Imholt, Philip Ferro, Corey Glover, Jenifer Blackmon, Jon Elmgren, Jeanie Sharkey, Pamela Smith, Patti Stephens, Kelli Wedemeyer, Gabriel Roper, Steven Tilson, Davinder Kaur, Kimberley Jo Meliza 2 years – Dennis Earl Smith, Patricia Hewitt, Neal Huntley, Darrell Garner, Sr., James Monheimer, Herbert Nelson, Cecil Graham, Jizammie Griggs, Jason Tepper, Kari Townsend, Stuart Brennan, Bobby Crawford, Stephen Cross, Jeffrey Schroeppel, Kristine Tyni, Jason Grant, Michael Herrewig, Anne Lewis, Paolo Stracqualursi 1 year – Bradley Allen Pettet, Jonathan Phillips, Jhunior Plantilla, Penney Marie Olsen, David Fisher, Jeffrey Andrews, Satinder Dhadli, Sharanjit Singh, Franklin Braddy

Congratulations to everyone!