Journeys

U. S . D E PA R T M E N T O F T H E I N T E R I O R

P M B A d m i n i s t ra t i v e S e r v i c e s

AV S O C A D R I B C O FA S O H A

Our Vision: To Deliver Outstanding Products and Customer Service While Actively Creating and Sustaining a Respectful Focus

M AY 2 0 2 0

Message from the Deputy Assistant Secretary

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Dear Administrative Services Team,

I hope you and your loved ones are staying safe during this time of

challenge as we work through the COVID-19 pandemic. I have been so

impressed with everyone’s resilience in the face of extraordinary difficulties,

and I want you to know how grateful I am for your commitment to

achieving DOI’s mission during these challenging times.

My heart goes out to each of you, especially those who have suffered loss of

loved ones. Yet I know we will persevere if we give each other and ourselves

the gift of compassion. AsTonianne Baca-Green mentions in her insightful

article on page seven, “We are all called to be our best selves right now. By

bringing awareness and compassion to yourself you build the capacity to be

a resource for others in your world.”

Thank you, Tonianne, and thanks to all who seek a compassionate world.

We truly are stronger together.

Take care and stay safe, - Jacqueline M. Jones

Calendar

MAY

National Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

The history of North America is shaped by the stories of

immigrants from Asia and the Pacific and the native people

of the Pacific Islands. While some of the earliest Asian

immigrants arrived from China, Japan, India, and Korea,

immigration reforms tied to U.S. civil rights legislation

brought even more groups to the United States—such as

Vietnamese, Cambodians, Laotians, Indonesians, the

Hmong and other peoples from South and Central Asia.

Discover these stories in our nation's parks, trails, and

historic sites.

Asian American Pacific Islander National Historic

Landmarks Theme Study

Public Service Recognition Week

May 3-9, 2020 More information

Memorial Day (Federal Holiday)

Monday, May 25, 2020

Did someone in your family give their lives for freedom?

Administrative Services will be honoring these heroes in a

special commemoration. Please access the Teams site for

more information and to honor your loved ones. Thank you.

JUNE

LGBTQ Pride Month

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ)

Pride Month is currently celebrated each year in the month

of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in

Manhattan. Celebrations include pride parades, picnics,

parties, workshops, symposia and concerts, and LGBTQ

Pride Month events attract millions of participants around

the world. Memorials are held during this month for those

members of the community who have been lost to hate

crimes or HIV/AIDS. Read more here

JULY

Independence Day (Federal Holiday)

July 4, 2020 (Federal Holiday observed Friday, July 3,

2020)

Independence Day marks the historical event when the

United States of America declared its independence from

the rule of Great Britain. On July 2, 1776, the Second

Continental Congress approved the Lee Resolution, also

known as the resolution of independence. The Declaration

of Independence was approved on July 4, 1776. 3

This Month’s Shout Out CADR Spotlight on Asian and Pacific Island American Heritage Month

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New Zealand and the Maori

By Tahirih Varner, MSCM, Certified Organizational

Ombuds Practitioner, CADR

Maybe it started with The Lord of the Rings, maybe with rugby,

I’m really not sure, but a few years ago my older son Michael

developed a healthy curiosity about New Zealand. This past

summer he was afforded the incredible opportunity to spend a

month in Aotearoa (the Maori name for the country) with nine

other high school students from across the United States as

part of a Student Diplomacy Corps (SDC) program. In its vision

statement, SDC says that by “challenging our students to share,

give, laugh, struggle and learn about the world around us, we

inspire the next generation of young activists to invest in

creating a more sustainable, peaceful, successful and

interconnected global community.” So, with this mission, the

young group and their not-much-older group leader set out to

learn about the politics, ecology, and cultural dynamics of this

amazing land.

They visited black sand beaches and volcanic hot springs too

hot to soak in. They tubed down rivers that went through caves

lit only by glow worms, observed street protests, visited

universities, and stayed in Marea – Maori cultural community centers where they learned how to prepare traditional Maori meals,

took language and culture classes, and were welcomed with an intense and thrilling Haka.

The Haka is a traditional Maori dance that

has been popularized in recent years by the

New Zealand national rugby team, The All

Blacks, who begin each match by performing

a Haka in the face of their opponents. It has

been performed in a number of other popular

arenas recently as well, including by Jason

Momoa at the premiere of Aquaman. Its

origins date back hundreds of years though

as a war cry and dance to elicit strength and

courage in the face of overwhelming odds

and to strike fear in the heart of the

opponent. The Maori people were small in

number and had suffered great adversity, but

they stood strong, held on to their values and

traditions, and their culture is rich and alive

everywhere they live and call home today.

That is a part of the meaning and significance

of the Haka, and there are others.

Tahirih with her sons Michael Cox (18) and Jamal Cox (14)

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Over time, the Haka has taken on a variety of meanings

and is performed on a number of occasions, such as

weddings, funerals, reunions and more. There is also a

popular form of Haka called the Kapa Haka or

performance art Haka, used by Maori youth to bring

awareness to and address social issues in community

forums and even in international competitions.

Something else that fascinated my teenage son during

his time in the Pacific Islands, were the ever-present Ta

Moko or Maori tattoos, naturally. But what left him awe-

struck, beyond their cool designs, was their spiritual and

cultural significance. One that he recounted making a

great impression on him was an artistic representation

of an owl that is worn on the chin of select elder women,

who are designated the very honored and respected role

of passing on Maori traditions to the next generation.

Raising children and teaching them the Maori culture is

a responsibility shared by the whole family and

community, but there are certain wise women that earn

this revered position and it is denoted by this tattoo on

their chin.

The strength and resilience integral to the rich culture

and identity of the Maori people, interwoven with a

palpable warmth, peace and tranquility that my son

experienced left a life-altering impression on him. All I

know is we’re now retiring in New Zealand, because he is

determined to get back there on a more permanent

basis. If the beautiful picture of

community life he painted wasn’t

enough to win us over (which it

was), his first reports home last

summer were that “everywhere here

looks like screensavers” and “there

are no dangerous animals or

insects,” so we’re all on board.

In closing, I want to clarify that I am

certainly no expert or authority on

Maori culture, just sharing what I

joyfully learned from my

enthusiastic albeit sleep-deprived

globe-trotter. Above: Participants in the Student Diplomacy Corps trip to New Zealand pose in front of one of many waterfalls they visited; Michael learns that in Maori culture, the traditional skirt-like garment made up of numerous strands of prepared flax fibers, woven or plaited, is called a piupiu.

Check out NPS’s great site celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month!

Focus on Wellness

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Finding the Right Lever

By Chadwick J. Fleck, Training Officer, IBC

The circumstances around us have made me more mindful of

my health. You might be in the same boat. For example, I’ve

been working on weight loss for years, trying fitness and diet

routines that don’t stick. You might also be in this boat. If so

let’s both grab an oar and row together.

The good news: I’ve recently had some success with weight

loss, which is awesome. The bad news: I have no clue what

changed, so I’ve been worried it won’t stick. Then a colleague

and I were discussing our personal values. She reminded me, “If

you want to change your behavior, use your values as levers.”

Bingo. I realized why the weight loss was working. I deeply

value scientific thinking. I love data and analysis. I love having

the best possible and most objective data to make disciplined

decisions. (My wife jokes that I won’t buy a toaster without

checking Consumer Reports scores.) I think the reason I’m

having success is because I found a mobile app that works for

science nerds trying to lose weight. The app teaches users the

science and psychology of nutrition and behavior change. Every

time I tap the app I’m tapping into my core value. It’s like

reading Consumer Reports for nutrition, which gives me the

data I need to make better (healthier) decisions. That’s it.

Weight loss is still a work in progress. I’m still rowing. I don’t

think the app I’m using is the answer for everyone. Other

people might be deeply motivated by financial discipline or

recognition, affiliation or accomplishment. Other behavior

change approaches or apps might work better for them. The

question is, what personal value is your motivational lever?

[The National Institutes of Health website (nih.gov) offers wellness

toolkits and other resources to support healthy changes. Start here.]

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By Tonianne Baca-Green, J.D.

“Full Catastrophe Living” seems like a most appropriate

descriptor for the times we are living in right now. It is also

the title of the seminal book published thirty years ago by Jon

Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D. and the source material for our mindfulness

based emotional intelligence skills training here at DOI. We

really need our thinking brain and compassionate heart right

now; emotional intelligence is not optional!

One of the most basic definitions of mindfulness is simply

“paying attention.” We all already know how to do that; it’s not

rocket science. However, it is simple but not easy. More

specifically, mindfulness is “Paying attention, on-purpose, to

the present moment without judgement.” Ah ha, this becomes

a little more challenging.

We have been trained to be distracted, to be discriminating, to

choose this over that. It is a necessary skill of course, but one

that gets us into trouble when we don’t want to “be here now.”

By cultivating moment to moment awareness and purposely

paying attention to things we ordinarily never give a thought

to we can develop new kinds of control and wisdom. This is

based on our inner capacities for relaxation, paying attention,

awareness and insight. Awareness is key. By building a

greater skill and capacity for awareness using mindfulness

practices, we can build and strengthen our thinking and

compassionate heart-mind; our emotional intelligence.

Emotional Intelligence is the ability to be aware of our own

emotions, to manage them deliberately and manage our

relationships with empathy and compassion. This includes our

relationship with ourselves (self-compassion). Emotional

Intelligence includes self-awareness and self-management as

well as social awareness and relational management. It

requires some discipline (strangely), to relax and pay

attention. It requires some wisdom to bring awareness to

what is without judgment and to gain insight from that

awareness. These are skills that we can strengthen with

practice. There is an art to facing difficulties in ways that lead

to effective solutions and to inner peace and harmony.

There is a skill

to developing

the ability to

mobilize inner

resources to

face problems

artfully; to

orient

ourselves to let

the pressure of

the problem

propel us through it, like a sailboat. No one controls the

weather. We can however, read it and respect its power;

control what is controllable and let go of the rest. This is

mindful emotional intelligence and it is trainable.

To end this article, I want to leave you with an easy mindful

self-compassion exercise. This is called the “Self-compassion

break” and has three parts:

1. When you notice a distressing thought or event, name

it and feel it in your body: “This is a moment of

suffering.”

2. Remind yourself of our common humanity: “I am not

alone.” Suffering is part of all human experience.

3. Give yourself compassion: “May I be kind to myself” or

“It’s OK, dear one” or “What do I need right now?” And

then give it to yourself.

We are all called to be our best selves right now. By bringing

awareness and compassion to yourself you build the capacity

to be a resource for others in your world.

Tonianne Baca-Green, J.D., is a Mindfulness and Compassionate

Leadership trainer and attorney within OHA. She is also a mediator

and a coach. Join Tonianne as guest instructor for Wednesday’s

Virtual Resilience Café.

Tonianne welcomes your questions and comments. She may be

reached at Tonianne.Baca-Green@bia.gov.

CADR’s weekly one-hour Virtual Resilience Café, hosted by Saman

Hussein, Wednesdays through June 24, from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. EDT,

is open to all DOI employees and no advance sign-up is required.

Please join by WebEx link. Thank you!

Full Catastrophe Living

Focus on Health and Wellness

8

“I respect myself and insist

upon it from everybody. And

because I do it, I then respect

everybody, too.”

- Dr. Maya Angelou

AVSO Spotlight on Fitness

Patrick Morton, Geologist, Division of Minerals

Evaluation, in AVSO’s Denver office, is pictured here

during a recent bike ride on South Table Mountain in

Golden, CO.

Abigail True, Writer-Editor in AVSO’s Denver office, recently gave the

following challenge to her co-workers:

“Did you know that May 2nd is National Fitness Day? This

motivational day sets out to celebrate the power of fitness and the

positive impact it has in our lives. Many of us have had to deal with

gym closures, limited use of parks and open spaces, cancelled events,

and other barriers to achieving our fitness goals. What creative ways

are you finding to nurture your physical and mental wellness? Let's

motivate one another to keep moving!”

The stunning photo above was submitted by Kaiulani Rees,

Administrative Officer, Indian Trust Property Valuation Division, in

AVSO’s Anchorage office. Said Kai, “Here is a photo my husband took of

me while we were exercising and practicing social distancing by hiking on

the wild side of Alaska along the Turnagain Arm. We are very fortunate

that these trails are literally at our backyard because they are a great

way to decompress by getting our exercise in after work.”

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BEFORE AFTER

Lynne Carpenter, Geologist, Division of Minerals

Evaluation, in AVSO’s Denver office, went on a rafting

trip to the Grand Canyon. An experienced canoer and

rafter, Lynne writes, “While all the craziness was going

on topside, I was happily rowing and hiking away at the

bottom of the canyon. Sometimes in my tutu. Haha!”

Lynne’s trip in March was her fourth visit to the Grand

Canyon. She explored the canyon for the first time in

2010 as a passenger and then rowed her own boat in

2012, 2018, and now in 2020.

“I hope to go as many times as possible in my lifetime. It

is a lot of hard work, but I love it. Each time is a new

experience and teaches me new things about myself, the

canyon, and about people.”

Pictured, right: Edward Stehouwer, Team Lead

Appraiser (Parks and Reclamation Team), Federal Lands

Division in AVSO’s Denver office, is seen here summiting

one of Colorado’s mountains known as a “Fourteener.”

In the mountaineering parlance of the Western United

States, a fourteener is a mountain peak with an

elevation of at least 14,000 feet.

What are you doing to stay active and fit this

Summer? Tell us about it here! respect@ibc.doi.gov

This Month’s Shout Out Spotlight on IBC / CFC Special Solicitation

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Do you have a shout-out for a co-worker, customer or colleague? Please send it here! respect@ibc.doi.gov

IBC Names Associate Directors for Human Resources, Financial Management

IBC Acting Director Keith O’Neill announced in

April that Julie Bednar and Wendell “Baze”

Bazemore were selected for the positions of

Associate Directors within the Human

Resources and Financial Management

Directorates.

Julie began her federal civilian career in 1991 as

a GS-4 secretary with the Internal Revenue

Service in Denver. Julie joined IBC in 2001,

starting as an HR Specialist. She quickly rose

through the ranks to Lead HR Specialist, HR

Supervisor, HR Officer, IBC’s HR Deputy

Associate Director, and culminating in her

current position as IBC’s HR Associate Director.

Her wide range of experience in federal human

resources includes all fields of HR including

classification, staffing, benefits, employee

relations, labor relations and HR systems.

Baze began his professional career in the United

States Marine Corps where he served 23 years

as a Communications and Information Systems

Officer including managing deployments of Pay,

Personnel, and Accounting Systems at the

Defense Finance and Accounting Service

(DFAS) in Kansas City. He has over 25 years of

experience in managing IT infrastructure,

telecommunications, systems implementation

and other technology intensive programs in

support of federal and state organizations. Baze

joined IBC in May of 2016 as the Project

Management Branch Chief and later became the

Deputy Associate Director. He is a 2019

graduate of the Federal Executive Institute and

holds Master of Science Degrees in Information

Technology Management and Systems

Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate

School and George Washington University

respectively.

Best of luck to you both as you serve in these

important leadership positions for IBC.

Focus on Honor

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HONOR OUR HEROES THIS MEMORIAL DAY

WITH A PLAQUE ON THE VIRTUAL WALL OF HONOR

Do you have a family member who gave

their life in service to America? Please join

us in honoring these heroes as part of our

Memorial Day Virtual Wall of Honor by

sending a picture of them along with their

name, rank, years served, locations served,

and their relationship to you, and we will be

privileged to honor them.

Please send by COB 5/20/2020 to:

respect@ibc.doi.gov

Of the 21 employees in IBC’s Sacramento

office, two are required to go into the

office during the pandemic to provide

essential services they cannot provide

from home. Imagine their surprise and

delight when they came in recently and

discovered these hand-crafted wooden

coins honoring them for their

commitment to DOI’s mission. Modeled

after the Buffalo nickel, these coins say

“Essential Employee 2020 Bravery Amid

Crisis” on one side and “U.S. Department

of the Interior” on the other. Kudos to

them - and kudos to their co-workers

for this thoughtful and creative gesture!

Coffee Break

Journeys MAY 2020

Journeys is a monthly publication of the

Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary,

Administrative Services. Your input is

essential to making this a valuable

resource for all employees. Please feel free

to share your ideas, suggestions and

articles/pictures with editor Steve Carlisle

by emailing Stephen_Carlisle@ibc.doi.gov

or calling (505) 288-4092. Thank you!

ON THE COVER:

Skyline Arch really knows how to “rock” a sunset. The vibrant warm hues leave spectators with a deep sense of awe. When visiting Arches National Park in Utah, try camping with family or friends in Devil's Garden Campground. From there, take the short hike up behind Skyline Arch. Experiencing the sunset from this vantage point promises some of the best evening light and can be a dream scenario for photographers. Photo by Nina Mayer Ritchie @ninamayerritchie (www.sharetheexperience.org). #usinterior #Findyourpark

Staying Connected Virtually

From Sarah Moore, HR Specialist, IBC

Here are a few of the activities we are doing to stay connected:

Virtual Coffee Break: Basically a Teams meeting where

everyone can join and hang out virtually for 15 minutes.

I Spy: Post an "I spy with my little eye..." and have them post

what they see that looks like the thing.

Virtual Bingo: Provide Bingo cards to everyone and play the

game.

Video Watch Party: Post a video and then discuss in a chat

thread. On top of that, we are just posting fun things in the

channel thread.

- These are awesome, Sarah! Thanks for sharing!

Pictured, left: Tara Mallory, an Appraisal Program Specialist in

the Land Buy-Back Valuation Division of AVSO’s Albuquerque

office, is seen here with her husband Sean and their son Jake

hiking a trail in Placitas, New Mexico.