EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Overview:

The Council met in July at College Station, Texas, as well as in November in

St. Louis, MO. At our July meeting the Council decided that their goal was

to reinvent our organization and make ourselves more visible to the public. 

The council identified numerous goals to facilitate this. The first priority was

to get our website back up and running, assure that the links were working,

and that all the material was updated and current. Our second priority was

to reinstitute a quarterly newsletter that would provide the office

professional with useful hints and helpful tools to do their job effectively. 

Our third priority was to develop a brochure that describes the history and

achievements of the council for distribution. Our last priority was to develop

a display booth to market ourselves.

Our St. Louis meeting became a working meeting in which the members of

the council met and worked on the above priorities so that they could be

launched.

The Website is now up and running and was launched in February. The

Council developed the newsletter and distributed 3 this year. The brochure

was developed and has been given out at the national RL meeting and the

AO meeting as well as being distributed at the area levels for distribution to

their office professionals. Our booth was purchased and designed and has

been on display at both the national RL meeting and AO meeting. Our goal

is to send this booth to all area and headquarter functions to continue the

visibility of the council.

Respectfully submitted,

Barbie Ballengee, Co-chair

Sherri Buxton, Co-chair
NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR OFFICE PROFESSIONALS

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Members of the 2003

National Advisory Council were:

Barbie Ballengee, PWA, Co-Chair

Sherri Buxton, MWA, Co-Chair

Sheila Messineo, BA, Recorder

Clarice Carter, HRD, Technical Advisor

Cathy Lonaberger, OA, Technical Advisor

Sabrina Whitley-Ferrell, SPA, Webmaster

Jan Cline,HQ

Louise Dalton, NPA

Debra Duckworth, SAA

Madeline Hall, MSA

Terry Henrichs, NAL

Stephanie Lively, NAA

Olivia Pedraza, SPA

Iris Rosa, HQ
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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Former members of the

NSAC/NACOSP/NACOP are:

KATHY ARAGON, NPA

MARIA ARCHER, NAL

BRENDA AYSENNE, MSA

PRUNELLA BRANISH, NAA

KAY CARR, SAA

CARMELA CARRICK, HQ

JOYCE CRAIG, HQ

PHYLLIS DAVIS, NAA

TAMMY DURFEE BLAIR, PWA

BRENDA ELSTON, HQ

JANET FERST,HQ

LIBBY FOUSE, PWA

RHEA FRYAR-CALVERT, SPA

NADINE HEIRS, BA

BONNIE INGRAM, MWA

MARCIA JENKINS, MWA

OLGA LEE, NPA

ANGIE MARCHETTI, HQ

ELAINE MCGUIRE, BA

LINDA NEUENHAHN, HQ

JANNETTE SHUFORD-REEVES, NAL

BETTY SIGLER, NPA

MARY SILVA, NAL

FRANKEE SIMPSON, SAA

JOYCE SMITH, NAA

MICHELLE SNOWDEN, HQ 

KRISTEN SOTER, BA

QUEEN SPRIGGS, HQ

ANNE STEELE, SPA

CECELIA STORTZUM, TECHNICAL ADVISOR

GENEVIEVE SWARTZBERG, MSA

KATHY TOWNSON, BA

SUE THORNBURG, NPA

RUTH TREAT, SPA

LORI WILSON-VOSS, MWA

TONI WALLS, TECHNICAL ADVISOR

SANDRA WARREN, MSA
NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR OFFICE PROFESSIONALS

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR OFFICE PROFESSIONALS

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

ACCOMPLISHMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2

FY-04 GOALS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4

SECRETARIAL RECOGNITION PROGRAM . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

ORGANIZATIONAL SECRETARIAL ADVISORY COUNCILS

BELTSVILLE AREA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

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

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

HEADQUARTERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Accomplishments ............................7

Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

MID SOUTH AREA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Accomplishments ............................9

Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-10

MIDWEST AREA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Accomplishments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11

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

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

Accomplishments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-14

NORTH ATLANTIC AREA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

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

Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

NORTHERN PLAINS AREA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

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

Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-16

PACIFIC WEST AREA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Accomplishments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-17

Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

SOUTH ATLANTIC AREA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Accomplishments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-19

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

SOUTHERN PLAINS AREA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-20

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

Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20-21
2003 ANNUAL REPORT

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NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR

OFFICE SUPPORT PROFESSIONALS

ANNUAL MEETING

Date: July 21-25, 2003

Location: College Station, Texas

Host: Southern Plains Area

FY-03 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• 2003 ARS Conference for Office Professionals

Planned and held second conference April 2003, “Quest to

be the Best: Striving for Professional Excellence,” New

Orleans, LA.

• Secretarial Initiative

Assisted the Human Resources Division (HRD) in

establishing and finalizing a standard position description

for a Program Support Assistant, GS-303-7.

• Template for NACOP Annual Report

Template was designed and implemented this year for

standardization of the annual report.

• Funding for NACOP

A request for an operating budget of $5,000 a year was

submitted by the co-chairs to Mr. Bradley, NACOP

Sponsor, which was approved October 2003. This is the

first time NACOP has ever had an operating budget.

• Face to Face Meeting

A second meeting was proposed and approved which took

place in St. Louis, MO, November 2003. The second

meeting proved to be very successful in accomplishing our

goals that were set in July 2003 at our annual meeting.

• NACOP Code

The Council created and adopted the following code of

conduct/operation at their annual meeting in College

Station, TX, July 2003, to govern their day to day
NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR OFFICE PROFESSIONALS

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interactions and to carry out their responsibility to

represent ARS office professionals:

i Be honest.

i Agree to disagree - respectfully.

i Behave and respond professionally.

i Every opinion counts.

i What starts with the Council stays with the Council.

i Involve yourself as an equal.

i Be positive, not negative. Be constructive, not

destructive.

i Commit to the mission of NACOP.

i Council operations are built on trust.

i Encourage and praise others and pass it on!

• NACOP Exhibit/Booth Display

The Council purchased an exhibit board. A display was

designed and created by the council. This booth will be

displayed at different locations and conferences to market

the council.

• Web Page

The Council established a Web page committee and

Webmaster this year to re-vamp and update the current

outdated Web page. The new Web page was launched in

November 2003.

• NACOP Brochure

Brochure was reviewed, updated and distributed in

November 2003.

• Newsletter

Developed and published newsletter on a quarterly basis. 

Distributed electronically to all Council representatives to

distribute in their Area.

• Orientation Package

Council developed an orientation package for new

members assigned to the Council. This was developed to

give the incoming member information on what the

Council has been working on prior to them coming on

board.

• NACOP Time Line

A time line of past and present representatives was

developed to track the history of the Council.
2003 ANNUAL REPORT

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• Charter

Council members reviewed and discussed the charter

section by section with minor to substantial chanages.

• Managing E-Mail

Researched and addressed questions on managing E-Mail. 

Council met with the Branch Chief from the Cyber Security

Branch and the Records Officer from the

Telecommunications & Management Services. 

Information was gathered and published in the NACOP

Newsletter.

• Quick Reference/Training & Planning Guides

Both guides have been updated and converted to Web site

guides and tools.

• NACOP 10th Anniversary

Put together proposal to have a one-day event to

recognize the NACOP 10th Anniversary in coordination

with our annual meeting to be held in Albany, CA, June

2004. Off-site meeting package and funding request was

prepared and approved. NACOP 10th Anniversary pin was

designed by the members to commemorate this event. 

FY-04 GOALS

1) Expand the Newsletter

• Format for newsletter

• Word from Co-Chairs

• Health tips

• New Employees

• Software tips

• Training

• New procedures/Updates/Did you know

• Disclaimer

• NACOP Announcements

• Competition to name the newsletter (sent to all area support

staff)

• Highlight local Councils.

• Diversity

• Lots of graphics

2) Visibility

• Display brochure at local areas (every opportunity)
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• Circulate newsletter

• Exhibit at area/management meetings

• NACOP magnet and distribute to members of local

councils/display booth

• Report to Administrators Council

• Technical Advisors need to attend all local council meetings

and teleconferences and be proactive

• Develop 3-minute history speech regarding NACOP

• Keep website update

3) Renew Mentoring Efforts

• BA - MWA will mentor

• MSA – MWA will mentor

• NAA – PWA will mentor

• NAL – MWA will mentor

• Mentor at Local Level

< Help set up guidelines to set up mentoring program

or to help make it stronger

< Assist Employee Development in finding suitable

positions to shadow and detail at

< Local Technical Advisors to motivate local councils to

become proactive

4) Scholarship Training Program

• Develop core scholarship criteria and send to Areas and

encourage them to implement in their area

5) Records Management

• Update File Management Handbook

• Assist Records Management Officer, Steve Pollard, in

obtaining funds to update the Handbook

6) Ask the Expert

• Establish Categories

• Get Volunteers/Experts

• Set up on Webpage

• Announce it in newsletter
2003 ANNUAL REPORT

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SECRETARIAL RECOGNITION PROGRAM

Winners for 2003 are: 

ARS Secretary of the Year 2003:

Name: Diane K. Koch

Area: North Atlantic Area

Beltsville (BA) Secretary of the Year:

Name: Theresa Yerby

Location: Systematic Botany and Mycology Lab/Plant Sciences

Institute

Midsouth Area (MSA) Secretary of the Year:

Name: Brenda Aysenne

Location: Houma, Louisiana

Midwest Area (MWA) Secretary of the Year:

Name: Heather Lewandowski

Location: Plant Genetics Research Unit, Columbia, MO

North Atlantic Area (NAA) Secretary of the Year - Co-winners:

Name: Joanne Sullivan

Location: Eastern Regional Research Center

Name: Linda Hopp

Location: Area Administrative Office

Pacific West Area (PWA) Secretary of the Year:

Name: Diana Medley

Location: Tucson, Arizona

South Atlantic Area (SAA) Secretary of the Year:

Name: Valerie Malcolm

Location: Gainesville, Florida

Southern Plains Area (SPA) Secretary of the Year:

Name: Justine Flowers

Location: Lower Delta Human Nutrition Initiative, Little

Rock, AR
NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR OFFICE PROFESSIONALS

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ORGANIZATIONAL SECRETARIAL

ADVISORY COUNCILS

BELTSVILLE AREA (BA)

Members of the 2003 Council included:

Mary Dailey - Senior Co-Chair

Jennifer Klemens - Junior Co-Chair

Donna Geiman - Recorder

Sheila Messineo - NACOP/Technical Advisor

Carol Appelbaum

Kate Baker

Annette Cook

Stephanie Lahocki

Kathleen McCue

Linda Nix

Zina Owens

Accomplishments

• Year 2003 was a new growth period for Beltsville Area

Council. The council reestablished itself. Some old and

new members committed themselves to an even stronger

year for 2004. We started planning the first of two semiyear team building sessions it was accomplished. 

• Twenty-two representatives from the Beltsville Area

attended the conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. 

Everyone had a grand experience at the conference

workshop in New Orleans, Louisiana, April 21-25, 2003. 

The workshop enhanced personal and professional

growth. The sessions were informative and allowed

opportunities to share ideas and personal experiences.

• Exhibits were presented at the conference and the

Beltsville Area was awarded 3rd place. This was our first

attempt at solid teamwork during the reorganization of our

council. 
2003 ANNUAL REPORT

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Goals

• Updating of our Charter so that it better reflects the needs

of our members and more closely resembles that of the

National Council. 

• The implementation of a new website is in progress.

• The council is also looking into some kind of universal 

guidelines on phone coverage for the area which was 

requested by Dr. Phyllis Johnson. 

HEADQUARTERS ADVISORY COUNCIL

FOR OFFICE PROFESSIONALS

(AFM/NPS/OA)

Members of the 2003 Council included:

Lynn Booker - Co-Chair

Kathleen Townson - Co-Chair

Charlene Brown - Recorder

Jan Cline - NACOP/Technical Advisor-NPS

Iris Rosa - NACOP/Technical Advisor-AFM

Accomplishments

• Sponsored the selection process for attendees to attend The National

Advisory Council for Office Support Professionals (NACOSP) National

Conference entitled “Quest to be the Best Striving for Professional

Excellence”, held in New Orleans, Louisiana, April 21-25, 2003.

• Developed display board for the NACOP Conference.

• Displayed HACOSP accomplishments on the Administrative and

Financial Management bulletin board in Building 003 of the George

Washington Carver Center in Beltsville, Maryland.

• Developed tri-fold brochure for information on HACOSP.

• Held 7 “Brown Bag Luncheon” training sessions during 2003. 
NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR OFFICE PROFESSIONALS

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• “Spring Fling/Hair Show – Hairstyles for the Professional,”

presented by Charlene Brown

• “Travel – You’ve had the Training, Now Bring on the

Questions,” presented by Linda Mahoney and Michelle Williams

• PCMS – “What Questions Do You Have?”, presented by Linda

Wilson and Renay Weissman

• “Motivation – Do You Need A Picker Upper?”, presented by

Wendy Johnson

• “Get SMARTer- We Dare You!”, presented by Anita Kopman

• “Identity Theft! How to Protect Yourself”, (presented twice)

presented by Michael D. Humes (Pre-Legal Services)

• In November 2003, HACOSP Presented/Sponsored the Seminar: What

Would Your Nest Egg Look Like by: Dr. Darrell Cole, Associate Area

Director, Mid-West Area. 

Goals

• Update the ARS Correspondence Manual.

• Continue to update the HACOSP Web Page.

• Continue to Update e-mail list to ensure members are notified of

information from HACOSP and NACOP.

• Continue Brown Bag Luncheon Training Sessions.

• To have more members become a part of HACOSP.

• HACOSP will continue its objectives as stated in our mission.

 

MIDSOUTH AREA (MSA)

Members of the 2003 Council included:

Jannel Becker - Chair

Telecia Burton - Co-Chair

Julie Cuevas - Recorder

Linda Fulton

Brenda Aysenne 

Jennifer Roberson

Madeline Hall- NACOP/Technical Advisor
2003 ANNUAL REPORT

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Accomplishments

• In the process of restructuring the Mid South Area Council for Office

Support Professionals in order to achieve the Council’s mission and to

better serve all the support personnel in the Mid South Area. We had

one member retire and another will rotate off the Council.

• Dr. Deborah L. Brennan, Associate Area Director, Mid South Area, has

agreed to be the Council’s Sponsor.

• Have been successful in recruiting five new members to the Council

bringing the 2004 membership to ten.

• We welcomed eleven new OSPs to the Mid South Area and provided

each of them with our “Welcome Kits”.

• Our Mentoring Program for new employees has been successful and

has provided support by assigning mentors who monitor and provide

assistance.

• Council members served as confidential “sounding board” for Mid

South Area OSPs.

Goals

• Plan and host a meeting for all MSA administrative support personnel

in the spring of 2004.

• Update the MSACOSP Home Page.

• Continue with the Mentoring Program.

• Revise MSACOSP Charter.

• Restructure the Council format.

• Continue holding monthly teleconferences.

• Start publishing and distributing the MSACOSP Newsletter on a

quarterly basis.

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

year.
NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR OFFICE PROFESSIONALS

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• The Welcome Packet” will be revised at the Spring meeting.

• Recommit ourselves to Goals.

MIDWEST AREA (MWA)

Members of the 2003 Council included:

Sherri Buxton - Co-Chair

Heather Lewandowski - Co-Chair

Melissa Stiefel - Recorder/Information Coordinator

Jaci Weese

Vicki Jones

Brittney Mernick

Ginger Walker

Debbie Bitner

Sandy Groneberg - Ex-Officio, Web Master

Lori Wilson-Voss - Ex-Officio, SOP Editor

Sherri Buxton - NACOP/Technical Advisor

Accomplishments

• The PASTG has taken a leadership role in creating a Standard

Operating Procedures (SOP) manual, a compendium of approved

Agency procedures with examples, to assist the Midwest Area

secretarial and administrative support staff. The manual is an excellent

training tool for recently hired and seasoned support staff, as well as

an invaluable resource for new, revised and current procedures. Other

ARS areas regularly use the MWA SOP as a reference tool and have

also used it to assist them in developing their own manuals.

• The MWA Mentoring program: The PASTG composed a guide for

mentors and appointed experienced mentors for new secretaries in the

Area. All new MWA secretaries are assigned a mentor for a minimum

of one year although the relationships usually continue beyond that

time creating lasting support networks among MWA secretaries. All

new support staff are brought into Peoria for training, organized and

led by the PASTG. Key Area personnel also meet with the group to

provide additional specialized training. Fourteen mentees were trained

this year.
2003 ANNUAL REPORT

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• Temporary Assistance Program: The PASTG temporary support

program was organized to provide support to units with secretarial

vacancies. This program ensures that management unit offices

operate smoothly when a permanent support position is vacated. The

PASTG recruits volunteers from the secretarial team in the Area to

serve in administrative assistance roles in the interim. This service has

been recognized within the Area as essential to maintaining

administrative workflow and research progress. One MWA location

was assisted in addition to a PASTG member assisting a Unit

secretary from Corvallis, OR.

• We continue to disseminate quarterly newsletters to all the secretaries

in MWA. 

• The training scholarship program is continuing to be utilized to a great

extent within the Midwest Area. This program provides funding for

training from the Area Office allowing employees to benefit from

training that may not be possible due to financial constraints within

their units. Ten individuals benefited from this program this year with

the Area Office contributing $8600.00 in support of their training. The

scholarship application and information is available on the PASTG

homepage. 

Goals

• Continue to update the Midwest Area PASTG Home Page. and SOP

Manual.

• Continue quarterly newsletter.

• Continue training scholarship program.

• Continue Temporary Assistance Program.

• Plan and organize the 3rd PASTG Secretarial Meeting being held in

October, 2004.

NORTH ATLANTIC AREA (NAA)

Members of the 2003 Council included:
NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR OFFICE PROFESSIONALS

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Diane Koch - Chair

Prunella Brashich

Phyllis Davis

Linda Hopp

Denise Madden

Joyce Smith

Stephanie Lively - NACOP/Technical Advisor

Accomplishments

• Orientation/shadowing/mentoring continues for new office support

staff, including a visit to the Area office in Wyndmoor, PA. 

Correspondence, RPES case write-ups, ARIS training, etc., are all

included in the week-long visit, as well as shadowing a secretary at

the Eastern Regional Research Center, in which the NAA offices

preside. Reference materials are provided for later perusal.

• Shared all minutes from NAA Secretarial Advisory Committee (SAC)

meetings and conference calls.

• Created and developed a streamlined electronic performance appraisal

process for the Group 1 cycle resulting in a more accurate and efficient

evaluation method utilized by Area management staff. An NAA COP

member participated in a task force to identify requirements for

conversion of MS Word and Adobe Acrobat.

• NAA COP revised and updated criteria and eligibility for the Office Staff

Recognition Award.

Goals

• Update Secretarial Handbook and create electronic checklist for

administrative processes to better serve the needs of field locations’

support staff.

• [Still] under consideration is a 2-day meeting for all NAA secretaries to

be held at the GWCC.

NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL LIBRARY

(NAL)

Members of the 2003 Council included:
2003 ANNUAL REPORT

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Maria Archer - Chair

Cruz Angelo- Recorder

Helen Maroulakis

Jannette Shuford-Reeves,

Terry Henrichs - NACOP/Technical Advisor

Accomplishments

• Continue to update the NALSSAC Handbook, to include information on

procedures, enhanced safety and improved security implementations.

C Continue development of the NALSSAC website linked to the NAL and

ARS websites to encourage better communication between councils.

C Continue our tradition of convening quarterly ‘working’ luncheons to

share information with the NAL support staff. The NAL Director, Peter

Young, attended the November luncheon to convey his continued

support of the Council’s mission.

• Five office support professionals were selected to attend the National

Advisory Council for Office Support Professionals Year 2003

Conference held in April in New Orleans, LA.

Goals

• Complete website design and implementation.

• Complete implementation of the electronic handbook on the NAL

intranet.

• Re-activate the shadowing/mentoring program for new office support

professionals at NAL to review in-depth activities at NAL, such as

budget procedures, programs and services, etc.

• The National Agricultural Library (NAL) Support Staff Advisory Council

(NALSSAC) 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.

NORTHERN PLAINS AREA (NPA)
NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR OFFICE PROFESSIONALS

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Members of the 2003 Council included:

Linda Kelly - Chair

Polly McMichael

Diona Austill

Marsha Grunewald

Cheri Marshall - Recorder and Website Chair

Olga Lee - Ex-Officio Member 

Accomplishments

• A representative from the Council served on the NPA

Leadership Planning Committee and assisted with

coordination of the secretarial session. One of the

speakers during this session gave a presentation on files

management and retention. 

• The November 2002 version of the NPASAC Quick

Reference Guide was distributed at the NPA Leadership

Conference in January 2003. 

• NPASAC participated in the National Conference, “2003

Quest to be the Best: Striving for Professional Excellence,”

in New Orleans, Louisiana, April 21-25, 2003. Louise

Dalton served on the Hospitality Committee. For our table

top display, Polly McMichael shipped 200 bags of

sunflower seeds for the product sample bags; Diona

Austill updated the NPASAC poster; Marsha Grunewald

sent a New Secretary Packet; and a copy of our newly

revised Quick Reference Guide was exhibited. 

• The NPASAC met in December 2003. Two council

members, Linda Kelly and Cheri Marshall, rotated off the

Council. The two vacancies were filled with Sue Hurd,

Manhattan, Kansas, and Cody Jensen, Grand Forks, North

Dakota. Marsha Grunewald assumed duties as Chair and

Sue Hurd was selected as recorder. 

• The NPASAC charter was revised and signed by council

members. Webmaster responsibilities were added to the

December 2003 charter.
2003 ANNUAL REPORT

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• The NPASAC website was maintained and updated and

several links were added by Cheri Marshall. Diona Austill

will assume this responsibility. 

• NPASAC goals and action items were reviewed and

revised.

• Marsha Grunewald continued to update/revise the New

Secretary Packet and distributed it to new NPA

secretaries. Cody Jensen will assume this responsibility. 

On behalf of our Council, Cody will telephone new

secretaries to welcome them prior to sending them a New

Secretary Packet.

• The Resource Assistant List was updated. This listing of

secretaries, who voluntarily serve as mentors to other

secretaries in specialized areas, is included in the New

Secretary Packet and is available to everyone on our

Webpage. 

• Microsoft Word Version 2002 XP Step by Step Handbook

was obtained by the Council and distributed to secretaries

in December 2003.

Goals

• Design a logo for NPASAC and incorporate it into our

correspondence. Logo contest with a spot award will be

open to all NPA secretaries.

• Increase awareness of NPASAC activities by making

personal contact with all new NPA secretaries.

• Assist with follow up of Adobe/Word Training for NPA

secretaries.

• Maintain/update secretarial resources (i.e., the Quick

Reference Guide and webpage) provided by the NPASAC

and send a New Secretary Packet to each new NPA

secretary. 

• Address requirements and requests from NACOP.

• Provide NACOP with information for their quarterly

newsletter.
NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR OFFICE PROFESSIONALS

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• Diona Austill will periodically submit items on NPASAC

activities and helpful tips related to Word/Adobe to the

Area Office for inclusion in Northern Highlights (NPA

weekly briefing). 

• New secretary orientation will be conducted in April 2004.

• Provide Council input into the Secretarial Session of the

2005 NPA Leadership Conference.

PACIFIC WEST AREA (PWA)

Members of the 2003 Council included:

Jeannette Seward, Pullman, WA - Senior Co-chair

Judy Overstreet, Parlier, CA – Junior Co-chair

Mary Edwards, Dubois, ID - Information Coordinator

Patricia Frank, Pendleton, OR - Recorder

Marla Lawrence, Phoenix, AZ – Handbook Coordinator

Veronica Cullum, Albany, CA – Area Office Representative

Barbie Ballengee, Shafter, CA - NACOP/Technical Advisor

Dr. Michael Shannon, PWA Associate Director

Area Office Advisor/Coordinator

The PWA Office Support Advisory Council continues to work toward their

goal of ensuring that PWA has highly skilled professional office support staff

working as part of the location leadership team to meet the

program/administrative goals of the Agency. The PWA Council conducted its

annual meeting in Parlier, California in March 2003. PWA annual council

meetings are held at ARS locations to network and gather important

information from the office support personnel at the locations.

Accomplishments

• Received approval for Office Support Scholarship program sponsored

by the Area Office. Scholarship recipients will receive up to $1,000

each to off-set the cost of training to assist in professional

development.

• Created and staffed a display booth highlighting the accomplishments

of the PWA Office Support Advisory Council and research being

conducted in the PWA for the National Conference in New Orleans,
2003 ANNUAL REPORT

17

Louisiana. Our booth received 2nd place for it’s design and

presentation of our research. 

• Updated and distributed PWA Office Support Advisory

Council info packets to Research Leaders and other new

hires.

• Distributed the PWA Office Support Advisory Council

newsletter October 2003. Accomplishments of individual

PWA office support personnel were highlighted in addition

to the 2002 PWA Secretary of the Year.

• Requested assistance from the Pacific West Area’s IT staff

to redevelop PWA-OSAC website. Continuing to update

the website and add the PWA Office Support Handbook.

• Continuing to update and distribute Pacific West Area

Directory.

Goals

• Sponsor a training session via net conferencing.

• Host NACOP annual meeting at Area office in Albany, CA.

• Post PWA OSAC display in Area office lobby during

ARMPS to increase visibility and continue to market

ourselves.

• Implement scholarship program.

• Update & distribute PWA OSAC information packets to

Research Leaders during ARMPS and to new hires.

• Distribute PWA OSAC newsletter biannually.

• Update and distribute PWA directory.

• Redesign and maintain PWA OSAC website.
NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR OFFICE PROFESSIONALS

18

SOUTH ATLANTIC AREA (SAA)

Members of the 2003 Council included:

Valerie Malcolm, Gainesville, FL – Chair

Shelia Jackson, Athens, GA – Co-Chair

Bonnie Ebel, Gainesville, FL – Historian

Sue Keusch, Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Information/Training

Coordinator/Webpage

Penny Wilms, Ft. Pierce, FL - Recorder

Vacant – Member

Vacant – Alternate

Donna Young, Canal Point, FL - 3 year member

Debra Duckworth, Athens, GA – NACOP/Technical Advisor

The South Atlantic Area Advisory Council for Office Support Professionals

(SAA-ACOSP) strives to maintain an urgent Agency goal – to ensure that

highly skilled, office support professionals are provided for the Area. An

Orientation/Training Program is in place to provide professionals working in

partnership with management to meet office support professionals and

administrative needs.

Accomplishments

• Reimplemented the Mentoring/Orientation Program and added to

Webpage:

• Feedback Sheet

• Checklist

• Composed and distributed semi-annually “It’s Your Turn” letter to the

SAA Office Professionals and Administrative Officers and Technicians. 

• Filled vacancies with three new members: Donna Young , Penny

Wilms and Cindy Davies. The SAA-ACOSP council consists of eight 

members and the Technical Advisor. We have two vacancies at

present.

• Presented the “2002 Office Professional of the Year Award” - Debra

Duckworth, Athens, Georgia

• Updated the SAA-ACOSP pamphlet for distribution to the South

Atlantic area employees.

• Drafted “Welcome letter” for all new office support professionals.
2003 ANNUAL REPORT

19

• Participated in the National Conference for ARS Office Support

Professionals, “Striving to be the Best.” The council assembled a

booth of research information and products from the South Atlantic

Area. Our booth won first prize for presentation of our research and

product results. 

• The conference provided invaluable training for all office support

professionals, and afforded office professionals the chance to network

and develop contacts for future use.

Goals

• Redesign “It’s Your Turn” - Sue

• Update Webpage - Shelia

• Distribute list of names, phone numbers and addresses of SAA

ACOSP members to all locations in the South Atlantic Area.

• Ask for volunteers in “It’s Your Turn” to assist new office support

professionals with training and information from the field level,

pertinent to their jobs. 

• Fill the vacant “Alternate Member” and “Member” positions. Ask for

volunteers and nominations for new members on the council in “It’s

Your Turn.” 

• Propose to Area Director to institute a training & informational

meeting for all office support professionals in the next fiscal year.

• Update the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP).

SOUTHERN PLAINS AREA (SPA)

Members of the 2003 Council included:

Jacque Stone – Chair

Karen Wilcox – Co-Chair

Sandy Sims-Recorder

Davee Crowell-Training Coordinator

Noelia Martinez-Information Coordinator

Carole Perryman – Member/Webmaster
NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR OFFICE PROFESSIONALS

20

Wanda Paradowski –Permanent Member

Olivia Pedraza-NACOP Technical Advisor

Accomplishments 

• SPA ACOP Scholarship Program was promoted and made

available.

• SPA ACOP Shadowing Program was promoted.

• Entire Council made effort in networking with other office

support professionals throughout SPA.

• Corrections were made to the SPA ACOP Handbook.

• Council Members held teleconferences quarterly and as

needed.

• All SPA Council information was updated to coincide with

the new Council name “ACOP”.

• Revised SPA ACOP Charter and obtained signatures.

• Set up display booth at the SPA Leadership Conference in

Las Cruces, NM.

• Annual meeting held in Oklahoma City in June 2003. Two

new members were welcomed, Noelia Martinez and Karen

Wilcox.

• Council set up display booth at the National Conference for

Office Support Professionals.

Goals

• Promote SPA ACOP!

• Create new ways to promote SPA ACOP.

• Place handbook back online for availability.

• Make handbook changes as needed.
2003 ANNUAL REPORT

21

• Publish SPA ACOP Newsletter quarterly. Have a wider

dissemination of the Newsletter – post it on the bulletin

boards at the research units, give copies to RL, CD, LAO,

and co-workers. Search for and gather new, informative

and useful information for each newsletter that will

interest all readers.

• Promote Scholarship Program.

• Promote Shadowing Program.

• Network monthly with office professionals throughout

SPA.

• Update/modify webpage as needed. Complete links.

• Council will hold teleconferences monthly or as needed.
NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL

FOR OFFICE

PROFESSIONALS

AND

ORGANIZATIONAL SECRETARIAL

ADVISORY COUNCILS

ANNUAL REPORT — 2003

Prepared By

NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR 

OFFICE PROFESSIONALS

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