**NPA Diversity Task Force**

**Minute -- July 24, 2007 Teleconference**

1.  **Check-in and Welcome: Kevin**

> [Members/Locations participating]{.underline}:
>
> Kevin Dahl, Sidney
>
> Eduardo Casas, Clay Center
>
> JoAnne Gresens, Manhattan
>
> Bill Kemp, Fargo
>
> Lori Dimmer, Fargo
>
> Shannon Osborne, Brookings
>
> Diona Austill, Miles City
>
> Holly Johnson, Mandan
>
> Beth Redlin, Sidney
>
> Emily O'Hearn
>
> Theresa Pitts-Singer, Logan
>
> [Members/Locations unable to participate]{.underline}:
>
> Dana Blumenthal, FC/Cheyenne
>
> Francisco Calderon, Akron
>
> Sue Sorum, Grand Forks
>
> Gautam Sarath, Lincoln
>
> [Area Office Advisory Members participating]{.underline}:
>
> Heather Gossel
>
> Garnet Francesca
>
> Larry Chandler
>
> Barbara King
>
> Jan Jones

2.  **Introduction of new Chair-Elect, New Members, Departing Members:**

> [Diona Austill -- New Chair-Elect]{.underline}. Kevin will continue as
> Chair through June 2008, at which point Diona will take over. Diona
> will work closely with Kevin, Barbara and Larry for the next year.
> Diona is the Program Support Assistant for the Fort Keogh Livestock &
> Range Research Laboratory in Miles City, MT.
>
> [Emily O'Hearn -- New Member, replaced Missy Stuart]{.underline}
>
> Emily is a Biological Science Lab Technician with the Arthropod-Borne
> Animal Diseases Research Unit in Laramie, WY. Emily has been employed
> with ARS for 3 ½ years and is a part-time graduate student.
>
> [Shannon Osborne -- New member, replaced Janet Fergen]{.underline}
>
> Shannon is a Research Agronomist with the Integrated Cropping Systems
> Research Unit in Brookings, South Dakota. Shannon has been employed
> with ARS for 7 years, and has a husband (Larry) and two sons, who are
> 2 (Adam) and 6 (Sam).

3.  **Survey Responses: Barbara**

> The employee survey generated 435 responses. The response rate was
> about 54% and there were 9 nonfederal employees that responded. About
> 50% said they heard about their job by word of mouth, and 74% felt it
> was important to be involved in this type of exercise. The mentoring
> questions indicated that of those who had a mentor (formal or
> informal) that 94% found the mentoring useful, while about 76% of
> those who did not have any kind of mentor felt that they would have
> benefited from having had a mentor. Barbara will be working on this
> and results will be compiled into a report that will be shared with
> the Task Force and with the entire Area. Depending on when the report
> is completed, the next issue of "Voices" could be one method of
> delivering the report or at least an Executive Summary to the Area
> employees, or the report could be distributed via email or placed on
> the website. Dr. Blackburn's column in the next issue of "Voices"
> briefly touches on some of the survey results and states that the
> results will be compiled into a report that will be shared with the
> entire Area. Everyone agreed that it is important that the results be
> shared with the Area employees in a timely manner. The Task Force
> should be able to identify some topics from the survey results for
> future activities.
>
> **4. July Voices Update: Theresa and Beth**
>
> The next issue is nearly ready for review by the Task Force before
> distributing to the entire Area. The final draft will be ready for
> review by the end of July or the first week in August. Beth developed
> a "teaser" list for the next issue of Voices. All employees will
> receive an email with a link to the entire issue, and the "teaser"
> list will include the page number for each story. The link will take
> readers to the entire issue; readers will have to either scroll to the
> page number or click on the story listed in the table of contents on
> the first page. Having a direct link from the teaser page to a
> specific article would require making each page a separate web page,
> rather than having one complete PDF file. This issue includes a Recipe
> Corner featuring an ethnic/regional recipe submitted by Alvin Harding
> (Lincoln), Best Place to Work, Workplace Changes, a follow-up to the
> generations article, "Where in the NPA?" and there is much more. The
> recipe corner and "where in the NPA" will be included in all future
> issues, provided there are submissions. Be sure and look at these!

5.  **Dec/Jan/February issue of Voices**

> The tentative dates for publication of Voices were set for December
> and July. However, those months are not especially good for either
> production (writing, layout) or readership, since many employees take
> leave during December and early January, and July is often busy with
> field work. The participants agreed that the more optimum months for
> publication would be February and September. The next issue then will
> be targeted for February, 2008. In addition to continuing the "where
> in the NPA" and "recipe corner," it was also suggested that a standing
> column be included that would feature descriptions of
> diversity-related events held since the last issue of "Voices."
> Examples could include film series, speakers, international pot lucks,
> etc. The Northeast and Northwest groups will take the lead in
> developing story lines for the next issue, and the two groups should
> designate a coordinator; Barbara will organize a teleconference with
> these two groups.

6.  **Possible Projects for East and West Groups**

> During the teleconference we talked about the roles for each of the
> working groups for the next six months or so. The East and West groups
> were asked to consider one or both of the following: 1) revisit the
> brochure idea; 2) develop a follow-up survey for selecting
> officials/supervisors. The East and West groups should designate a
> coordinator for the project(s) they will pursue, and Barbara will
> organize a teleconference with both groups.
>
> Beth discussed the brochure that was first drafted with the previous
> task force as a tool for recruitment (career fairs and other outreach
> activities, as well as information for job applicants). The
> brochure/wrapper/folder could be printed up en masse and each location
> would then develop its own insert -- copy locally so the information
> could easily and quickly be updated. Location inserts could include
> information on the research, contacts (who to contact for temporary
> jobs, research, LAO, task force representative, etc.), community
> information, mission statements, etc. The design of the
> brochure/wrapper/folder was to carry over to the website, where it
> would be billed "Online Career Fair" with links to job openings in the
> area, tips for filling out KSA's etc., diversity resources, etc. along
> with write-ups promoting each location and its community. At the area
> level, the idea was that pdf files would be developed including
> information on all the labs that we could use for area-wide
> recruitment efforts, using the same outside folder. At the local
> level, they could just insert their info and not everyone else's if
> their event was more targeted. Copies of the draft brochure/folder
> have been saved on the Sharepoint site.
>
> [Possibility of having a face to face meeting]{.underline}: Several
> members noted it would be good to have another face to face meeting,
> perhaps this fall after the new fiscal year begins. Dr. Chandler will
> look into the feasibility of scheduling a meeting this fall.

7.  **Roundtable**

> Sidney and Mandan both held their annual field days this summer, and
> Akron celebrated their 100^th^ Birthday Celebration.

**8. Next Teleconference: Tuesday, October 23, 1:00 MT**

Minutes submitted by Garnet Francesca.