EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

ES-1

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

As the Year 2000 approaches, the ARS National Secretarial Advisory Council

(NSAC) has taken on a new perspective, broader goals, and fresh opportunities for the

future. The main focus remains--to maintain excellence in program development,

career enhancement, and employee dedication to the mission of ARS. The Council has

undergone a major change in membership this past year, including a change for the

2000 Council name -National Advisory Council for Office Support Professionals

(NACOSP). NSAC projects which extend year to year include: the Home Page,

Newsletter, Updates to the Quick Reference Guide, Quarterly Teleconferences, and

responses to specific requests of the Agency. The NSAC HomePage

(http://www.ars.usda.gov/afm/nsac/) details much of the work of the Council, as well as

listing the bios of all members involved. The Home Page also provides a wealth of

other information useful to ARS employees and other USDA agencies. The following

report includes the activities, past accomplishments, and current and future goals of the

National Council and of ARS Organizational Councils as well. 

The National Secretarial Advisory Council held its annual meeting May 3-7,

1999, in Wyndmoor, PA, at the Eastern Regional Research Center (ERRC) hosted by

the North Atlantic Area (NAA) Representative. At the top of the list of new projects

for the Council is a Year 2000 Conference for ARS Office Support Staff, to be held

Spring 2000, in Hunt Valley, MD. Planning is well underway for the conference,

with old and new members working together to plan for a successful conference. 

Also in the development stage is a video presentation to ARS for April 2000

Secretaries Day. Many members of this year’s Council will appear in the video

introduced by Dr. Floyd Horn, Administrator, ARS and Mr. Wiz Horner, Deputy

Administrator, Administrative & Financial Management (AFM). The presentation

will be a prelude to the Spring Conference. 

This Council continues to move forward with energy and enthusiasm for the

mission of ARS and the role all support staff play in the Agency. All members are

open to new challenges and experiences to enhance their careers and personal

development. We must work collectively in identifying, sharing, and implementing

the very best ideas and approaches available to efficiently meet the challenge brought

on by changes as we look to the next century. 
NATIONAL SECRETARIAL ADVISORY COUNCIL

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Members of the 1998–99 Council were:

CARMELA CARRICK, NPS

JOYCE CRAIG, AFM

PHYLLIS DAVIS, NAA

TAMMY DURFEE, PWA

MARCIA JENKINS, MWA

OLGA LEE, NPA

CATHY LONABERGER, OA

JANNETTE REEVES, NAL

FRANKEE SIMPSON, SAA

KATHY TOWNSON, BA

RUTH TREAT, SPA

TONI WALLS, HRD

SANDRA WARREN, MSA

Former members of the NSAC were:

MARIA ARCHER, NAL

KAY CARR, SAA

JANET FERST, OA

LIBBY FOUSE, PWA

NADINE HIERS, BA

ANGIE MARCHETTI, AFM

ELAINE MCGUIRE, BA

MARY SILVA, NAL

JOYCE SMITH, NAA

MICHELLE SNOWDEN, OA

QUEEN SPRIGGS, OA

ANNE STEELE, SPA

CECELIA STORTZUM, HRD

GENEVIEVE SWARTZBERG, MSA

SUE THORNBURG, NPA
TABLE OF CONTENTS

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

NATIONAL SECRETARIAL ADVISORY COUNCIL 

ANNUAL MEETING ............................................. 1

ACCOMPLISHMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Priority Training Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Home Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Newsletter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Teleconference Calls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Secretaries Day 2000 Video & National Conference .................. 3

 Trademark Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

FY-00 GOALS ....................................................4

SECRETARIAL RECOGNITION PROGRAM ..........................4

REE SECRETARIAL AND CLERICAL COORDINATING COUNCIL ......5

ORGANIZATIONAL SECRETARIAL ADVISORY COUNCILS

ADMINISTRATIVE AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT ................6

Accomplishments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

BELTSVILLE AREA ..............................................7

Accomplishments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

MID SOUTH AREA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Accomplishments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

MIDWEST AREA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Accomplishments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL LIBRARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Accomplishments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

NATIONAL PROGRAM STAFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Accomplishments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

NORTH ATLANTIC AREA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Accomplishments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
NATIONAL SECRETARIAL ADVISORY COUNCIL

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NORTHERN PLAINS AREA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Accomplishments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

PACIFIC WEST AREA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Accomplishments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

SOUTH ATLANTIC AREA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Accomplishments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

SOUTHERN PLAINS AREA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Accomplishments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
1999 ANNUAL REPORT

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NATIONAL SECRETARIAL

ADVISORY COUNCIL

ANNUAL MEETING [May 3-7, 1999]

The ARS National Secretarial Advisory Council (NSAC) held its annual 

meeting May 3-7, 1999, in Wyndmoor, PA, at the Eastern Regional Research Center

(ERRC) hosted by the North Atlantic Area (NAA) Representative, Phyllis Davis. 

Joining us the first morning were the NAA Director Wilda Martinez, ERRC Center

Director John Cherry, Area Administrative Officer John Crew, and Associate Area

Director Frank Greene, all welcoming and challenging the Council to be committed

to our vision.

The Quick Reference Guide was discussed and plans were developed to update

the guide by all Council members. The NSAC Newsletter, Home Page, and Training

& Planning Guide were also addressed. Ongoing during the 3-day meeting, filming

was being managed by Marco Ocadiz, Information Technology Division, for

development of a video presentation for Secretaries Day 2000. The Year 2000

National Conference for ARS Office Support Staff was discussed at length. 

Subcommittees were formed to address each segment of planning, and a theme was

chosen that envisions the future of office support employees. The NSAC met with

ERRC secretaries and clerical staff for roundtable discussions, and toured the Eastern

Regional Research Center. 

This year’s NSAC membership roster required major editing. Council

members introduced their replacements, listed below: 

Area of Representation Outgoing Member Incoming Member

MWA Marcia Jenkins Lori Wilson-Voss

BA Nadine Hiers Kathy Townson

NPS Carmela Carrick Linda Neuenhahn

NAL Maria Archer Jannette Reeves
1999 ANNUAL REPORT

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ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Priority Training Guide

The NSAC believes that standard secretarial training on some issues must be

established for use across the board in ARS. Such a program will enable ARS secretaries

to increase their knowledge and make them more effective. 

In developing this list of training issues, we took the perspective of a new

secretary, i.e. what information is most important to quickly become familiar with routine

functions and what tasks are likely to be encountered next? Where possible, we have

utilized or made reference to existing training materials. We have specifically avoided

systems software training that should be developed and provided by other persons or

groups. The majority of these training issues have been recommended for video

presentations -- this will allow the information to be available at locations whenever

needed. 

A Priority Training Guide was developed and submitted. It is presently

undergoing review by the staff of HRD. 

Home Page

The Home Page is constantly being reinvented and reorganized. Updates and

additional changes to be included for the future are:

Directives to Policies & Procedures

Linking throughout the Page

Color Changes

Bios for Members

Quick Reference Manual

Newsletter

The NSAC Newsletter is published on a nonrecurring basis as information is

disseminated. Suggested articles for upcoming newsletters include:

Computer Tips

Annual Meeting Highlights

News from Organizational Councils

“Headquarters Secretary of the Year Award” winner
1999 ANNUAL REPORT

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Teleconference Calls

Quarterly calls were held to discuss issues and plan methods and processes

towards achieving the goals set. The minutes of each call is sent to all members so

that the Council is constantly kept informed of activities and upcoming deadlines. 

Secretaries Day 2000 Video

Marco Ocadiz was available during the May meeting to film each of the NSAC

members for a Secretaries Day Video/Satellite presentation to be aired next April 2000. 

ARS Administrator, Dr. Floyd Horn and Wiz Horner, AFM, will also address ARS on

the video. The purpose of the video is to not only recognize ARS secretaries and office

support staff, but to give visibility to the upcoming May 2000 Conference. 

Year 2000 National Conference for ARS Office

Support Staff

Plans are well underway for a National Conference to be held in Hunt Valley,

MD, Spring, 2000. In April 1998, the NSAC discussed the need to provide ARS office

support staff an opportunity to: 1) Share information, including how to work together

to support the ARS mission; 2) Learn ARS’ vision for the next century and the role of

the support staff in that vision; 3) Network with peers, and 4) Participate in appropriate

training to ready ourselves in the changing technical environment. Committees were

organized and duties assigned to members to begin the final phase of meeting

preparation. The committee had worked separately on facility and location plans. At

the annual meeting, the committee met with the full council and merged all information

and efforts. It was decided that a Champion for the Conference needed to be found. As

the Conference draws nearer, information will be widely distributed to all ARS. 

Trademark Project

A special project was given to NSAC by ARS Administrator, Floyd Horn. Six

graphics (A Product of Agricultural Research--animals, crops, natural resources,

aquaculture, nutrition, and forestry) have been trademarked by ARS to help identify

products developed from agricultural research which accommodates products developed

from collaborative research. The trademarks should be included in product packaging or

on the products themselves. Each NSAC member will work directly with their Area

Director and Technology Transfer specialist to implement the project.

FY-00 GOALS
1999 ANNUAL REPORT

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• Assist in developing and presenting the video/satellite for Secretaries Day 2000

Presentation.

• Lead, plan, coordinate, and manage the Year 2000 National Conference for ARS

Office Support Staff, “Odyssey 2000: Meeting the Challenge.” 

• Update the NSAC Home Page, Newsletter, and Quick Reference Guide.

• Monitor the Trademark Project and provide Dr. Horn feedback on its

implementation.

• Continue with review and implementation of the Priority Training Guide.

Contact: Ruth Treat, or Lori Wilson-Voss, Co-Chairs, ARS NACOSP

 Internet: Rtreat@pswcrl.ars.usda.gov // LWVoss@iastate.edu

SECRETARIAL RECOGNITION PROGRAM

Winners for 1998/1999 are: 

• 1999 Headquarters Secretary of the Year, Sandra Warren, Executive

Assistant, Mid-South Area Director, Stoneville, MS.

• Midwest Area Secretary of the Year, 1999, Sandra Groneberg, GS-6

Secretary, North Central Soil Conservation Research Laboratory,

Morris, MN

• South Atlantic Area Secretary of the Year, 1998, was Bonnie Bayer,

Center Director’s Office, CMAVE, Gainesville, FL.

• Southern Plains Area Secretary of the Year, 1998, was Eilene

Gibbens, Grazinglands Research Station, El Reno, OK.

• North Atlantic Area, 1999 Office Staff Recognition Program Award,

Phyllis M. Davis, Center Director’s Office, ERRC, Wyndmoor, PA

and Tiffany Fisk, Geneva, NY.

• Mid South Area Secretary of the Year, 1998, was Pat Winston,

Secretary, Administrative Office, Southern Regional Research

Center, New Orleans, LA.

REE SECRETARIAL AND CLERICAL COORDINATING

COUNCIL (SCCC)
1999 ANNUAL REPORT

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The first issue of the REE-SCCC connection was sent in March 1999. It is hoped this

newsletter and future issues will share information and improve communication among

the secretarial and clerical employees throughout the REE mission area. 

Background of Council

In June 1997, the REE Under Secretary established the Council as recommended by

the REE Secretarial and Clerical Program Results Team. The Council consists of two

secretarial/clerical representatives from each of the four REE mission area agencies

(Agricultural Research Service; Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension

Service; Economic Research Service; and the National Agricultural Statistics Service), a

representative from Administrative and Financial Management (AFM), and a

representative from the Under Secretary's Office. 

Early Accomplishments

During the first year, the Council's focus was to share information, explore ways

to improve communication, and address recommendations made by the Program

Results Team. Some accomplishments were:

• Established charter and received Under Secretary's approval.

• Developed and distributed an informational brochure describing the Council.

• Extended support to established REE agency secretarial and clerical councils and

offered guidance to agencies in the process of forming councils.

• Researched the Skill/Will Leadership method (as recommended by the Program

Results Team) and submitted information to the Human Resources Division,

AFM.

• Began an initiative to meet with agency secretarial and clerical councils to share

information and discuss common issues and concerns.

• Met with the head of the Employee Development Section, AFM, HRD, to discuss

career development and training opportunities.

• Published an article in the REE Newsletter announcing the establishment of the

Council.

ORGANIZATIONAL SECRETARIAL

ADVISORY COUNCILS
1999 ANNUAL REPORT

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ADMINISTRATIVE AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

(AFM) 1998-99 Annual Report

Melissa Goodloe – Co-chair

Clarice Fleming – Co-chair

Ann Bykowski 

Joyce Craig – Technical Advisor

Dorothy Marshall

Deadra Perry

Linda Simpson

Accomplishments

• The 1998 Annual Meeting was held on September 10. This meeting focused on

teamwork and getting to know each other. The agenda included a team building

exercise, on-site lunch, “Humor your Stress” video, and a brain storm on

secretarial/clerical training needs.

• The OTTS Team handed out the completed “Survival Kit for AFM

Secretaries”which has proven to be a very useful tool for AFM office support

staff.

• In November, the Council held a brown bag lunch with the AFM Deputy

Administrator, Wiz Horner, to discuss various issues to improve communication

between support staff and management. Very good things came out of this

meeting. Some of the subjects that were discussed were:

• earlyout/buyouts offered to secretaries

• including secretaries in decisions that affect their work assignments

• consider having secretarial positions reclassified and advertised as ladder

positions

• an annual AFM Secretary Award

• The Council held a welcome reception for all new ARS Secretaries in the

Beltsville Office Facility (BOF) which included AFM, NPS, IS, BPMS & OTT. 

The reception was a great opportunity for all ARS Secretaries in the BOF to

meet in person.

• A few of our members attended the Beltsville Area Secretarial Advisory

Council Workshop held on April 20. Clarice Fleming and Deadra Perry

attended the session on Correspondence and Linda Simpson attended the session

on PCMS. Both were very informative because we found that ARS as a whole

is dealing with a lot of the same issues. 
1999 ANNUAL REPORT

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• On April 21, Secretaries Day, the AFMSAC held a viewing of a PBS Satellite

Seminar, “Annual Briefing for Administrative Professionals” featuring Joan

Lunden, former co-host of “Good Morning America.” The Seminar focused on

the changing role of administrative professionals. The seminar provided ideas

on how to deal with change, new office technologies, and the importance of

delegating and mentoring. Most of the local councils were represented.

Goals

• 1999 Annual Secretarial Meeting in September

• Bi-monthly Brown Bag Lunches 

• Working on the NSAC Y2K Conference

• Set up Training Workshops on Administrative Processes

• Improve Communication Among All Administrative Professionals in AFM

• Work Closely with other Local Secretarial Councils

• Restructuring the makeup of the Council

BELTSVILLE AREA

The Beltsville Area Secretarial Advisory Council (BASAC) was established by Dr.

K. D. Murrell, Area Director, in March 1995. Presently, each BA Center/

Institute/Division is represented by one member. As of March 11, 1999 members of

BASAC began to recruit one alternate member from each Center/Institute/Division in

an effort to increase attendance at meetings, give others a chance to be involved, and

bring new ideas to the committee. Meetings are held monthly. Current members of the

council are:

Janet Gates, Natural Resources Institute (NRI) - Co-Chair

Sheila Messineo, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center (BHNRC) - CoChair

Cindy Hanna, Livestock and Poultry Sciences Institute (LPSI)

Janice Hill, Plant Sciences Institute (PSI) - Recorder

Sylvia Stephens, U.S. National Arboretum (USNA)

Carol Appelbaum, Facilities Management and Operations Division (FMOD)

Lora Tanner, Beltsville Area Director's Office

 Kathleen Townson, (FMOD), Technical Advisor

Accomplishments

• Secretarial Workshops. A one-half day BASAC Workshop for all BA

secretarial and clerical support personnel was held on October 21, 1998. This

special training opportunity consisted of a welcome by Dr. Phyllis Johnson,

Area Director, and two sets of concurrent training sessions, where attendees

could participate in the sessions that most interested them. The first two
1999 ANNUAL REPORT

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sessions were: T&A's mediated by Ted Nykiel, Management Analyst, FMOD,

and Personnel mediated by Katherine Crouch, Administrative Clerk, FMOD,

and Pat Tippet, then Area Ethics Advisor. Following a short break the

sessions resumed with discussions on PCMS (Purchase Card Management

System) led by Carol Sisas, Purchasing Agent, USNA, and Travel led by

Dawn Ruffner, then Area Transportation Assistant, FMOD, and Janet Gates,

Executive Assistant, NRI. During the sessions, participants were free to bring

up issues and problems specific to their work settings. Most participants

enjoyed the informal discussions and found them extremely relevant and

helpful in their specific job duties.

• National Secretaries’ Day Observance. Due to the overwhelming success of

the first BASAC Workshop, a second one-half day workshop was held on

April 20, 1999 in observance of National Secretaries' Day. Secretaries were

welcomed by Dr. Ronald Korcak, Beltsville Area Associate Director. The

first duet of sessions included an encore visit by Ted Nykiel, Management

Analyst, FMOD, and Katherine Crouch, Personnel Assistant, FMOD,

discussing T&A’s and a RMIS session mediated by Michelle Garner, Area

Program Analyst, and Chris Woods, Secretary, BHNRC. Following a short

break, the sessions returned with a discussion on PCMS led by Michael

Wyckoff, Head Contracting Section, FMOD, and Leon Dodson, Purchasing

Agent, NRI, and Correspondence led by Lora Tanner, Executive Assistant,

from our Area Director's Office and Janet Gates, Executive Assistant, NRI.

Again, the sessions clarified many issues and a substantial positive response

was received.

• Newsletter. The BASAC Flyer was published in April and October 1998. The

publication is designed to keep secretarial and clerical staff informed of

happenings in the Beltsville Area. Subjects have included highlights of

BASAC's activities and of specific offices in the Beltsville Area, articles of

interest to working women in general, "how-do-I" and "did-you-know"

columns with helpful tips, an up-to-date list of the Impact Line, and

information on training, useful web sites, and employee achievement. Copies

are distributed to all BA secretaries and clerical staff and the Beltsville Area

Leadership Team.

• The Impact Line. The Impact Line consists of field experts from the Beltsville

Area in the areas of travel, RMIS, correspondence, and T&A's. An updated

list of the names and numbers of these experts is made available to all

secretaries through the BASAC flyer and provides an avenue for informal

mentoring between experienced and new secretaries.

• Partnership in Excellence. BASAC continued to pursue improvements in

orientation and training for new secretaries and clerical employees in the

Beltsville Area. Efforts were made in:
1999 ANNUAL REPORT

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C Development of Desk Reference Binder/Procedure Manual. Efforts

are now underway by BASAC to create a desk reference

binder/procedure manual for use by the entire Beltsville Area. A

number of institute/center binders are being reviewed for ideas.

Meetings with the BA Management Team proved that full support

for this project exists.

C Mentoring. BASAC proposed the inclusion of a representative to the

Beltsville Area Mentoring Program (BAMP) Committee and a meeting

was held to discuss the idea with BAMP. Members of the Mentoring

Program were not receptive to this idea, so new avenues for

formal/informal mentoring are being considered at this time.

Goals

• Procedures Manual. Work will continue on creating a comprehensive and upto-date Procedures Manual. There will be a workshop held to present the

manual when it is completed.

• Workshops. Continue to hold BASAC workshops for all secretarial and

clerical employees of the Beltsville Area, in order to maintain an informed

and skilled workforce.

C On-line Training. Hold on-line training for both RMIS and Travel to give new

and current BA secretaries hands-on experience with both systems and how

they operate most effectively. Formal training is needed as most seasoned

employees learned the programs on their own and many new employees do

not know how to operate the systems.

• Continue to coordinate special events with the Civil Rights Office and pursue

collaboration with other BA Organizations. By combining resources with

others, BASAC can achieve more goals than working independently. Also, by

collaborating with other established groups, BASAC may become more

visible, therefore, gaining increased interest and participation. 

MID SOUTH AREA

The Mid South Area Secretarial Advisory Council (MSASC) was established by Dr.

Thomas J. Army, Area Director, in May 1996. The Council was restructured in May

1998. Members of the MSA Secretarial Council for 1998-99 are:
1999 ANNUAL REPORT

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Vivian Collins, Stoneville, Mississippi – Co-Chair

Cynthia Poynor, Oxford, Mississippi – Co-Chair

Linda Althen - Mississippi State, Mississippi

Brenda Aysenne - Houma, Louisiana

Madeline Hall - Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Myra Shaw - Oxford, Mississippi

Pat Winston - New Orleans, Louisiana

Pat Waldroup - Auburn, Alabama

Sandra Warren, Stoneville, Mississippi – Technical Advisor 

Accomplishments

• An organizational meeting was held September 15-17, 1998, in Jackson, MS. 

At this meeting Brenda Aysenne was selected as Recorder; the Charter was

revised and signed; a Plan was defined for conducting council business; and

duties were assigned for hosting the Mid South Area Secretarial Meeting. 

• Held scheduled quarterly conference calls.

• Council members met at Stoneville, MS, in conjunction with RMIS training on

October 22, 1998. Copies of the updated Quick Reference Guide were

distributed to all members for review. 

The following Sub-Committees were established:

Welcome Package, Pat Waldroup

Mentoring Program, Madeline Hall

Training Program, Madeline Hall

MSASC Newsletter, Pat Winston, Chair, with Madeline Hall and Brenda

Aysenne

Quick Reference Guide, Myra Shaw

Home Page, Vivian Collins

New MSA Secretarial Procedures Manual, Co-Chairs, Myra Shaw and Cynthia

Poynor 

All Council members will participate in Sub-Committees.

• Secretaries to Research Leaders were invited by the Area Director and attended

the Mid South Area Leadership Meeting in Jackson, MS, on December 8-11,

1998. The Council held a brief “Getting-to-Know You” reception at the hotel

prior to the meeting. Dr. Army, Area Director, and Dr. King, Associate Area

Director, attended the reception. The MSA Quick Reference Guide was

distributed to all secretaries attending and to Research Leaders who asked for

one (and many did). The Council was introduced during the meeting.

• The first Mid South Area Secretarial Conference and Workshop was held April

19-21, 1999, at the Southern Regional Research Center (SRRC) in New

Orleans, LA. The conference was funded by the Area Director. Dr. Army,

Area Director, Mr. Archie Tucker, Area Administrative Officer, Dr. John
1999 ANNUAL REPORT

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Patrick Jordan, Center Director, SRRC, and Ms. Pat Frick, Beltsville, MD,

joined all secretaries at a reception the evening prior to the meeting. Dr. Army

opened the meeting and welcomed the participants. Our keynote speaker was

our own Sandra Warren, 1998 ARS Secretary of the Year. Jean Dunn and Pat

Frick from Human Resources Division were speakers also, as well as Mr.

Archie Tucker. The Area Office Management Team--Archie Tucker, Pat

Brown, Paula Brodofsky, and Sandra Warren--held a panel discussion on

conducting Area business which was very informative. Agenda items included:

Tour of SRRC

Files Management and Correspondence

Budget & Fiscal Issues

RMIS Workshop

Cheat Sheets and RMIS Labels

Travel Software

Conflict Resolution

Stress Management

Occupational Therapy

Self-Defense

Dress for Success

The last day of the conference participants were entertained by the “stress reliever,”

Mr. Chicken. 

Goals

• Develop “Welcome Package” for new secretaries.

• Continue with Mentoring Program.

• Organize secretarial “share sessions” at multi-locations during the year. 

• Develop MSASC Home Page.

• Develop newsletter.

• Complete and distribute MSA Secretarial Procedures Manual.

MIDWEST AREA

The MWA PASTG met three times in person, and held three conference calls

during the past year. Members and the locations they represent for 1999 are:

Sherri Buxton, Co-Chair, Peoria, IL

Lori Wilson-Voss, Ames, IA, Co-Chair

Sandy Groneberg, St. Paul & Morris, MN & Madison, WI

LonaJean Strickland, Urbana, IL & West Lafayette, IN

Diane Cronk, Ames, IA 

Sue Ohlendorf, NADC, Ames, IA

Shirley Runge, NCAUR, Peoria, IL
1999 ANNUAL REPORT

12

Jean Sparks, Columbia, MO

Sedina Lowe, Columbus, Coshocton, & Wooster, OH & East Lansing, MI

Marcia Jenkins, Technical Advisor, Peoria, IL

New membership for 1999-2000 will be as follows:

Sherri Buxton, Co-Chair, Peoria, IL

Sandy Groneberg, St. Paul & Morris, MN & Madison, WI, Co-Chair

LonaJean Strickland, Urbana, IL & West Lafayette, IN

Diane Cronk, Ames, IA, Location

Shirley Runge, NCAUR, Peoria, IL

Jean Sparks, Columbia, MO

Sedina Lowe, Columbus, Coshocton, & Wooster, OH & East Lansing, MI

Lori Wilson-Voss, Ames, IA, Technical Advisor, Peoria, IL

Accomplishments

• Continue to update the MWA Standard Operating Procedures Manual which

was developed and disseminated to all clerical employees. This manual serves

as a desk reference for secretarial positions in the MWA. Updates are done

during the PASTG meetings to keep the manual current. This manual was

disseminated to all Headquarters, NSAC members, and the Area Directors'

Secretaries in the Agency. It is the first of its kind and has been used by two

Areas for SOPs now being developed, thus showing the large impact this

document has had. 

• 1999 marked the third year of the MWA Secretary of the Year program. Eight

highly qualified secretaries were submitted for consideration. A panel

unanimously selected Sandra A. Groneberg, Morris, MN. An awards ceremony

will be held in her honor later this year. 

• The PASTG continues to utilize the mentoring program. Last year at the

suggestion of the directors, it was determined that all new MWA secretaries

would be given a mentor for a minimum of one year. This program is having

continual success with three mentees and mentors currently working together. 

• At the direction of the Area Directors, the PASTG conducted a survey of the

MWA Secretaries to determine the nature of the jobs we do and if the location

of our units has any determining factors on our jobs. This information was

provided to the Area Directors for their use. 

• We continue to disseminate newsletters to all the secretaries in MWA. 

• We continue to receive Issues Sheets from MWA personnel. This issues sheet

was designed as a forum to relay to the Area Directors any concerns or issues

that secretarial and support staff have. 
1999 ANNUAL REPORT

13

• The PASTG took a lead in assistance to the East Lansing, MI, location when all

secretaries and clerks left for other positions. For a three-month period of time,

the membership of this committee completed all of the E. Lansing location

travel requirements, 115s, CRIS actions, 425s, and 421s. 

• Discussions are ongoing with regard to development of a Midwest Area PASTG

Home Page. This project will be further addressed at our October meeting in St.

Paul, MN. 

Goals

• Development of the Midwest Area PASTG Home Page.

• Explore the possibility of creating a chat room on the Internet for clerical

employees to post questions or concerns and have others assist them in resolving

problems. 

• Continue to visit the MWA Research sites and interact with location secretaries.

• Establish a training library available for all MWA employees. This training

library will consist of books and videos, both commercially produced and

specifically designed by Area Personnel to aid in the training and career

enhancement of the clerical staff. 

NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL LIBRARY

The National Agricultural Library (NAL) Secretarial Advisory Council (NALSAC)

continues to work toward its goal of ensuring that NAL has highly skilled professionals

working in partnership with management to meet its secretarial and administrative needs.

Council members for 1998:

 Ann Palmes, Technical Services Division -- Chair

 Phyllis Bickerton, Information Systems Division --Recorder 

 Nelsie Jameson -- Public Services Division 

 Jannette Shuford-Reeves -- Office of Director

 Maria Archer -- Technical Advisor 

Accomplishments

 

• Updated the NAL Secretarial Handbook with pertinent information.

• Prepared a travel worksheet to assist the traveler in submitting requests for travel

which will be helpful to the Travel Coordinators. It was reviewed by the
1999 ANNUAL REPORT

14

Management Team and passed on to Tiajuana Sizemore, our new Administrative

Support for Travel, for final review.

• Recertification training in CPR was given.

• Worked with the Professional Leadership Development Group to bring a stress

management seminar to NAL.

Goals

• Continue to update the NAL Secretarial Handbook to include correspondence

preparation guidance.

• Finalize travel worksheet and distribute to all NAL travelers and travel coordinators.

• Continue convening quarterly luncheon/information sharing meetings.

• Finalize recommendations on telephone coverage issues and voice-mail usage.

NATIONAL PROGRAM STAFF/OFFICE OF THE

ADMINISTRATOR

Accomplishments

• Interview Skills Workshop - the NPS support staff restructuring resulted in the

opening of several new positions. To prepare the support staff for the interview

process, OSAC organized an “interview skills workshop” which included overviews

from Human Resources, the SMART Center the Beltsville mentoring program, and

Cathy Lonaberger, Dr. Horn’s secretary.

• Workstation Review Committee - In preparation for the NPS move to the Beltsville

Office Facility (BOF), OSAC members reviewed potential workstation

configurations, compared these workstations to existing work space, and presented

their findings to Dr. Murrell. The Workstation Committee report resulted in a more

efficient design.

Goals

C To work more efficiently and professionally under the new support staff restructure.

C NPS needs to revitalize the Council because two members and the Chair rotated off

the Council; an election was not held due to move-related issues (NPS moved in

February 1999) and NPS reorganization issues, along with the fact that the

restructure resulted in NPS having only a few secretaries. 
1999 ANNUAL REPORT

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NORTH ATLANTIC AREA

The 1998-1999 Secretarial Advisory Council for NAA is composed of the

secretaries to the Area and Associate Area Directors, the Administrative Officer, the

Center Directors at Plum Island Animal Disease Center and the Eastern Regional Research

Center as permanent members and four rotating members selected from field locations.

Current members are:

Diane Koch, Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania -- Chair

Joyce Smith, Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania

Prunella Brashich, Plum Island, New York

Phyllis Davis, Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania -- Technical Advisor

Denise Madden, Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania

Nancy Brady, Newark, Delaware -- Rotating Member

Patricia Coyle, Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania -- Rotating Member

Martha Rose, Kearneysville, West Virginia -- Rotating Member

Linda Hopp, Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania -- Rotating Member

Accomplishments

• Mentoring, shadowing and orientation was conducted twice this past year and

continues to be an important part of the NAA Secretarial Advisory Council's

activities. Orientation has been expanded to include not only secretaries, but

other office support staff at our various locations. The orientation includes a

session with the Area and Associate Area Directors' secretaries to acquaint new

secretaries with the NAA Secretarial Handbook and other available resource

materials. This includes an in-depth review of formal and informal

correspondence, foreign correspondence and RPES case writeups along with

general information and Ethics Orientation for New Employees. Sessions are also

scheduled with the Area Administrative Officer and each of the sections of the

Area Administrative Office which gives the participants an overview of the

different operations within the Area, i.e., Travel, ARW, Contracts, etc. Training

in RMIS is provided with hands-on experience followed by a day of

"Shadowing" a secretary in the daily operations of an office. Also added this year

is a session on Technology Transfer to provide background on this important

area of ARS Research, which was considered extremely useful.

• New secretaries in the North Atlantic Area receive a call from either the Area

Director's or Associate Area Director's secretary welcoming them to ARS. This

call is made as soon as the Area Office is advised of their reporting dates and

serves to advise new secretaries that we have a Secretarial Advisory Council and

that a Member of the Council will be contacting them to assist them in getting

acquainted with their jobs. The appointed Member is advised of new secretaries’

arrival by the Area Director's office and contacts the secretaries to offer

assistance in getting started.
1999 ANNUAL REPORT

16

• A "New Employee Welcoming Packet" containing a letter from the Area

Director, a listing of the NAA Secretarial Advisory Council Members, a brief

explanation of the North Atlantic Area along with a list of contact people to

enable new secretaries and clerical employees to feel more comfortable in the

early days on the job has been implemented. In addition, the information in the

packet will be reviewed at orientation.

• The NAA Leadership Meeting was held November 16-19, 1998, and was hosted

by the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore, in Princess Anne, MD. The NAA

SAC was involved in putting together the program for the secretaries in

attendance at this meeting. Three very useful and informative sessions were

scheduled addressing such issues as Career Enhancement/Development, "Where

Can I Find the Information I Need" and a session devoted to Internet searching.

The entire NAA secretarial community was addressed by the Area Director, Mrs.

Wilda Martinez, and by the Secretary to the Administrator, Cathy Lonaberger,

who gave us the perspective of their positions.

• The NAA SAC had an informal Face-to-Face meeting at the Leadership

Conference in November 1998. The new Council was announced and introduced

to those in attendance at the session on Secretarial issues. Due to the limited time

available, beyond the agenda, no formal meeting was held.

• In July 1998, the senior members of the Council met at Plum Island, NY, to

discuss the future direction of the NAA SAC. One of the most important items

discussed was the membership of the Council and the changes needed to better

represent the Area. It was decided at that meeting, that there would be three

rotating members and the Technical Advisor to the NSAC. Alternating terms

have been set (two terms of three years and two terms of two years) allowing for

a smooth and effective transition without disruption to the Council. Revision of

the NAA SAC charter was another major task accomplished as a result of this

meeting. Some very thought provoking discussions took place with the end result

of a charter we feel more accurately describes our Council.

• The NAA SAC has drafted, for the Area Director's approval, a newsletter which

will initially be put out in print, but future editions could be put on the NAA

Home Page. The newsletter is considered to be a good source of communicating

new ideas and changes quickly to the secretarial community. With the ability to

communicate electronically with all locations within NAA, the newsletter will

now be considered a vital aspect for improved communication.

• The NAA SAC has made and distributed packets calling for nominations for the

"Office Staff Recognition Program" (called Secretary of the Year in other Areas.)

The packet contains the announcement of the award, the criteria and nominating

procedures, along with colored flyers to be posted at each and every NAA

location. Nominations are due to the Area Administrative Officer by June 1.
1999 ANNUAL REPORT

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• A brochure describing the North Atlantic Area Secretarial Advisory Council has

been prepared. This brochure details the mission and goals of the NAA SAC,

along with its guidelines and membership, and will be given to the Area Director

for approval. After approval, this brochure will be distributed to all secretarial

and clerical employees and their supervisors. It will also be included in the "New

Employee Welcoming Packet."

• Minutes from conference calls/meetings held by the National Secretarial

Advisory council are distributed to all secretarial and clerical employees.

• Minutes from the North Atlantic Area Secretarial Advisory Council (NAA SAC)

are shared with all NAA secretaries, clerks, research leaders, and the National

Secretarial Advisory Council.

Goals

• Continue to improve and expand the mentoring, shadowing and orientation for

new secretarial and clerical employees.

• Consider a name change for the NAA SAC to better reflect secretarial

responsibilities. The word "secretarial" sometimes implies that typing, answering

the phones, filing, etc. are the extent of our positions. However, that is not the

case. The positions in the secretarial field in ARS are more involved in the

program and administrative management tasks than ever before. We will

consider several options based on trends we have seen in the private sector for

addressing the "support" position titling.

• Set up a subcommittee to put together a Home Page for the North Atlantic Area

Secretarial Advisory Council. Initially this Home Page will be part of the NAA

Home Page with the expectation that a separate site will be set up in the not too

distant future. The Home Page will contain the mission, goals, guidelines,

membership, Council Members bios, electronic communications, and valuable

links to answer everyday questions.

• Meet and plan for the upcoming May NSAC Meeting being held in Philadelphia.

NAA SAC will have a face-to-face meeting as well as a joint meeting with

NSAC. Prepare an agenda for the Face-to-Face Meeting and for the meeting with

NSAC.

• Investigate availability of training opportunities via satellite downlink. There are

many organizations that have presentations available which could greatly

enhance the role of the secretary.

• An updated listing of Resource Personnel will be distributed to all

secretarial/clerical employees in NAA.

• A subcommittee is working on a major revision of the NAA Secretarial

Handbook. It is expected that this will be distributed some time in June.

• As a result of the NAA Leadership Meeting, Mrs. Wilda Martinez, Area Director,

NAA, has tasked the NAA SAC to come up with a generic position description

which more accurately reflects the secretarial involvement in both the program

and administrative functions of their location. Position descriptions on file now
1999 ANNUAL REPORT

18

reflect the "secretarial duties" of the position and not the support provided to a

Research Unit, etc. A small committee will be set up to address this issue.

NORTHERN PLAINS AREA

The Northern Plains Area Secretarial Council (NPASAC) consists of the following

members:

Kathleen Aragon, Laramie, Wyoming

Louise Dalton, Fort Collins, Colorado - Chair

Sandy Mathewson, Manhattan, Kansas

Sharon Peterson, Grand Forks, North Dakota - Recorder

Jan Preston, Lincoln, Nebraska

Olga Lee, Fort Collins, Colorado - Technical Advisor

At the end of this year, there will be changes in the membership according to the charter.

Accomplishments

• Continually provided mentoring, orientation, and basic in-house training for all

newly hired secretaries and refreshers for those already on board. The new

secretaries who received orientation training were very positive with their comments

on the value of such training not only to become familiar with the people they will

be in contact with, but also to gain an overview of the workings of an Area Office.

More of the same is being done through the Colorado-Wyoming Secretaries

Meetings at the Ft. Collins location. Other locations in the NPA have been

encouraged to form similar type groups in order to disseminate information and share

work related issues that would benefit all. Through this group, it proved possible to

request changes in procedures to make everyone’s jobs a little easier. Members of

the group developed a guidebook called “RMIS for Dummies” that was distributed

at the NPA Leadership Meeting in January, 1999 and has proved to be very useful,

since it was developed by the users themselves.

• Through our Technical Advisor and NSAC member, Olga Lee, we continue to

provide support to the NSAC and also receive support from them.

• Promote programs in support of professionalism in the secretarial field. Five

secretaries from the Ft. Collins location recently attended an Administrative

Assistants Conference. At the next CO-WY Secretaries Meeting, information gained

from this seminar will be critiqued for the others and either recommended or not

recommended. Other training sessions have been recommended, i.e., the Franklin

Time Management Training, which several of the secretaries have attended, are now

using the planner, and depend on the system.
1999 ANNUAL REPORT

19

• The NPASAC met November 3-4, 1998 in Ft. Collins, CO, mainly to work on the

draft of the NPA Quick Reference Guide. A good bit of planning had already taken

place by e-mail and conference calls and this was a working meeting to finalize the

handbook. The goal of the Council was to have the handbook geared to NPA’s

needs and completed and ready for distribution during the NPA Leadership Meeting

scheduled for January 1999. One more conference call was planned to go over each

chapter before sending the book to the printer. All this was completed in time for the

Leadership Meeting. The guide was a big success and is now being used as a

reliable reference. Council members received an award for their contributions to the

development of the Guide.

• Periodically, we have been asking for feedback on the value of the Council’s efforts

and all responses have been positive. Requests have been made to us that now that

a guidebook has been developed, to please keep it up to date so that it does not lose

it’s value. All in all, the feedback indicates that secretaries do have it a little better

for our efforts and now have a more open line of communication with peers through

networking, the use of the resource assistants list we developed during the past year,

and the two guidebooks developed and distributed at the NPA Leadership Meeting.

Goals

C Continue to provide mentoring, orientation, and basic in-house training for all newly

hired secretaries in addition to refresher sessions for those already on board.

Refresher sessions will be organized and presented on specific subjects that come up

once a year, i.e., ARMPS, or on the RMIS system which is ongoing.

C Continue to provide assistance to the National Secretarial Advisory Council.

C Promote programs in support of professionalism in the secretarial field.

C Identify and provide outside training courses of particular value to secretaries and

continue to encourage networking with peers.

C Review the newly developed NPA Quick Reference Guide and issue additions and

revisions on a periodic basis.

C Continue to set realistic goals agreed on by the members and rely on feedback for

furthering the goals.

C Identify a replacement for Olga Lee as the NSAC Technical Advisor.

C Identify replacements for two NPASAC members rotating off the council.

 

PACIFIC WEST AREA

The PWA Secretarial/Program Support Advisory Council continues to work toward

their goal of ensuring that PWA has highly skilled professional secretarial/program support

staff working as part of the location leadership team to meet the program/administrative

goals of the Agency. The PWA Council conducted its 1999 annual meeting at the Pacific

West Area, ARS, Area Office in Albany, California January 19–22, 1999. Previous Council
1999 ANNUAL REPORT

20

meetings have been held at the following ARS locations: Pullman, Washington; Phoenix,

Arizona; Corvallis, Oregon; and Albany, California.

Council members and their positions for 1998-99 are:

Barbie Ballengee, Shafter, CA - Co-Chair

Marla Lawrence, Phoenix, AZ - Co-Chair

Julia Berrey, Wapato, WA - Recorder

Judy Litster, Fresno, CA - Information Coordinator

Veronica Cullum, Albany, CA - Area Office Representative

Judith Flynn, Corvallis, OR - Handbook/Update Coordinator

Tammy Durfee, Pullman, WA - Technical Advisor

Dr. Arthur Schipper, Associate Director

 Area Office Advisor/Coordinator

USDA-ARS-PWA, Albany, CA

Accomplishments

• Finalized/Distributed PWA Secretarial Handbook

• Developed/Implemented Electronic Newsletter

• Developed PWA Secretarial Handbook Update Subcommittee

Goals

• Improve/Expand PWA Directory

• Create PWA Secretarial Council Web site

• Continue to motivate interest in the Mentoring Program & the “PWA New Secretary

Training Program”.

• Develop & establish subcommittee for “Changing Roles of Secretaries” Survey.

• Continue to update PWA Secretarial Handbook

SOUTH ATLANTIC AREA

The South Atlantic Area-Secretarial Advisory Council (SAA-SAC) strives to

maintain an urgent Agency goal – To ensure that highly skilled, professional/secretarial

support is provided for the Area. To that end, an Orientation/Mentoring Program is in place

to provide professionals working in partnership with management to meet its secretarial and

administrative needs.

Council members for 1998-99:

Susan Mewborn, Athens, GA – Chair
1999 ANNUAL REPORT

21

Rhonda Harper, Athens, GA - Recorder

Migdalia Malave, Mayaguez, PR - Scrapbook

Sabrina Whitley-Ferrell, Raleigh, NC - Co-Chair

Dean Toler, Raleigh, NC

Peggy Zelonka, Gainesville, FL - Information and Training

Debra Duckworth - Athens, GA (member at large)

Frankee Simpson, Athens, GA – Technical Advisor

Accomplishments

• Replaced one Council vacancy and added two new members - Dean Toler replaced

Pat Fields; Debra Duckworth became the Member at large - a position that we

wanted to fill from the beginning of the SAC; Dalma Dickens and Ellen Whitesides

will be replacing Susan Mewborn and Peggy Zelonka as they rotate off the Council

effective March, 1999. The SAA-SAC now consists of 7 members and a technical

advisor.

• SAA Secretary of the Year Award for 1998: Bonnie Bayer, Center Director’s

Office, CMAVE, Gainesville, FL.

• Held annual face-to-face meeting in Raleigh, North Carolina, August 9-12, 1998 -

where we made plans for upcoming year and held a day of training on the

Internet/Intranet at North Carolina State University’s Computer Center. 

• In December, 1998, sent an article on SAA-SAC to Sandra Warren of National

Secretarial Council for future NSAC’s Newsletter.

• Added a reminder calendar to webpage for events and recurring due dates.

• Updated SAA-SAC members on our webpage to include current pictures and

biographies.

• Started development of the SAA portion of a guide to accompany the “Quickguide”

provided by the NSAC and with the use of the Midwest’s SAC Standard Operating

Procedure Manual as a guide. (This is a great SOP to use as an example, and we

appreciate that their Council has allowed us to use it).

• Added a SAA-SAC Representative to the AFM Quality Council - Dalma Dickens

agreed to serve and was appointed by AO/Council and she is now a member of the

SAA-SAC which fulfills this goal.

• Updated/revised Charter at Annual August 1998 Meeting. Each year the SAA

Council holds a meeting at a Council Member’s location for Council visibility, and

to meet and interact with other support staff at these locations. Training is planned

and provided whenever possible to cut expenses and enhance job performance.

Positive feedback from throughout the Area make Council members aware that this

practice is effective.
1999 ANNUAL REPORT

22

Goals

• Annual face-to-face meeting of the Council: To be held at the Mayaguez, P.R.

location will consist of welcoming new members; going over the history, duties of

positions/posts; review contact list; making any changes to Webpage (hot link to

SOP); gathering pictures and bios/bios updates of SAC for Webpage; preparation of

Accomplishments and Goals for the final draft of the NSAC Annual Report to the

Administrator’s Council; and signing of the Charter. Our main thrust will be to

complete work on the Standard Operating Procedures Manual for SAA which we

started work on in early 1999. 

• This year we will devote most of our time to finalizing the SAA Standard Operating

Procedure Manual which will encompass: Agency Abbreviations (Complete),

Reminder Calendar - (Sabrina Whitley-Ferrell), Correspondence, Files, retention and

disposition (Complete), Financial, Foreign Research Associate Program - (Peggy

Zelonka), Mentoring - (new section for our SOP) (Rhonda Harper), Orientation -

(Rhonda Harper), Personnel - (Debra Duckworth), Property (Complete as is),

Research Position Evaluation System (add updated Directives and instructions from

RPES Committee) - (Susan Mewborn), RMIS - Resource Management Information

System - (Dean Toler), and Travel (Susan Mewborn). We will also plan strategy for

distribution of the SOP. 

• Create forms and procedures for the Mentoring Program. Check status of it. 

• Give Progress Report on the Program. Make any improvements or changes.

• Develop a Training Survey for the South Atlantic Area.

• Established a Groupwise/E-mail mailbox for SAA Secretaries and Supervisors to

make it easier to share Council information (to be handled through the Area

Computer Staff)

Council Members for 1999-2000:

Sabrina Whitley-Ferrell - Raleigh, NC - Chair

Rhonda Harper - Athens, GA -Co-Chair

D. Dean Toler - Raleigh, NC - Recorder

Migdalia Malave - Mayaguez, PR - Scrapbook

 (99Annual Meeting Hostess) 

Dalma Dickens - Tifton, GA

Debra Duckworth - Athens, GA

Ellen Whitesides - Florence, SC

Margaret Martin - Gainesville, FL (replacing M. Malave, May, 2000)

Frankee Simpson - Athens, GA - Technical Adviser

SOUTHERN PLAINS AREA

Members of the 1998-99 SPA Secretarial/Program Support Council are:

Sherry Dewald, Woodward, Oklahoma - Chair

Pat Agold, Kerrville, Texas - Training Coordinator
1999 ANNUAL REPORT

23

Lola Albright, Booneville, Arkansas

Rayma Cox, Bushland, Texas - Recorder

Rhea Fryar, Lubbock, Texas - Co-Chair

Karen Wilcox, College Station, Texas - Information Coordinator

Ruth Treat, Stillwater, Oklahoma - Technical Advisor

Accomplishments

• Developed a home page for our Council based on input from the Council members.

Incorporated links to other helpful sites as well information on each member.

• Continued to produce and distribute an informational newsletter. Several secretaries

were highlighted, as was a secretarial staff meeting held at the Weslaco, TX, center.

Articles by guest writers included a perspective on the benefits of serving on a

CARE team, by Tammy Durfee, Pullman, WA; and tips for documenting duties

performed outside your assigned duties, by Cecelia Stortzum, HRD.

• Developed a directory for the Southern Plains Area personnel, containing current

titles, addresses, phone/fax, and e-mail addresses. This directory will be periodically

updated and made available to the locations.

• Council Chair served on the planning committee for developing the program for the

1999 SPA Leadership Conference. The Council was responsible for planning and

facilitating the breakout session for secretaries, and arranged for a portion of the time

to be used by the Program Analyst for a discussion of RMIS issues.

• Continued to improve communications among the secretaries/program support

employees through site visits, sharing of templates of commonly used forms,

networking at various SPA activities, and promoting the SPA Shadowing Program

developed in 1998.

• Discussed the development of an SPA-specific Secretarial Manual, either as a

revision of existing materials or a completely new manual, with the consensus that

work on such a document should be initiated during 1999 after new Council

members were on board. Outgoing members will be encouraged to participate in this

project.

• Identified and recommended replacement members for half of the SPA council to the

Area Director. The 1999-2000 Council will include:

• Rhea Fryar, Big Spring, TX, as Chair, Rayma Cox, Bushland, TX, as Recorder,

Karen Wilcox, College Station, TX, as Information Coordinator, Olivia Pedraza,

Weslaco, TX, as Member, Justine Flowers, Little Rock, AR, as Training

Coordinator, and Phyllis Hoffman, Temple, TX, as Co-Chair, and Ruth Treat,

Stillwater, OK, as the Technical Advisor.
1999 ANNUAL REPORT

24

Goals

• Develop an Orientation Package to be provided to new secretaries and O/A clerks,

to include organizational information, list of SPA Council members for contacts, the

Quick Reference Guide, information on the SPA Shadowing Program, the SPA

directory of personnel, and other pertinent information.

• Develop a SPA-specific Secretarial Handbook.

• Continue to maintain communications through the newsletter, which will be

distributed and posted to the Home Page, and through more personal one-on-one

interactions such as site visits and forums for sharing of information.

• Update and maintain the SPA directory of personnel addresses, phones, and e-mail.

• Continue to administer and promote the SPA Shadowing Program implemented in

1998.

• Maintain the SPA Council Home Page, review and update links, and periodically

refresh material presented to maintain recency and timeliness.

• Actively promote the SPA Awards Recognition Program by developing and

distributing flyers and encouraging nomination of deserving employees by

supervisors and co-workers.
NATIONAL SECRETARIAL

ADVISORY COUNCIL

AND

ORGANIZATIONAL SECRETARIAL

ADVISORY COUNCILS

ANNUAL REPORT — 1999

Prepared By

NATIONAL SECRETARIAL ADVISORY 

COUNCIL

AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

October 1999
The United States Department of Agriculture

(USDA) prohibits discrimination in its programs

on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex,

religion, age, disability, political beliefs, and

marital or familial status. (Not all prohibited

bases apply to all programs.) Persons with

disabilities who require alternative means for

communication to program information (Braille,

large print, audio tape, etc.) should contact the

USDA Office of Communications at (202) 720-

5581 (voice) or (202) 720-7808 (TDD).

To file a complaint, write the Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC, 20250, or call (202) 720-7327

(voice) or (202) 720-1127 (TDD). USDA is an

equal employment opportunity employer.