1

arch 1, 2000 has come and gone.

But in its wake it left behind a revised governmentwide policy on

the use by federal employees of government

charge cards to pay for their official travel expenses.

Effective March 1, federal employees are

required to use a government-issued travel

charge card to pay for expenses related to official government travel.

Mary Andrasco, team leader for fiscal policy in the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, noted that this revised policy is a result of

provisions of the Travel and Transportation

Reform Act of 1998.

“But there are some exceptions to the requirement,” she pointed out. In fact, she

noted that the original intent was that, governmentwide, virtually all federal employees

would have to be issued a travel charge card,

and then they would have to use that card

for virtually all expenses incurred during official government travel.

“Frankly,” she observed, “USDA felt that

the mandatory issuance of travel charge

cards to all employees was impractical, and

would impose unreasonable burdens on our

employees and agencies.”

Accordingly, USDA specialists worked with

staffers in the General Services Administration who were drafting the implementing

regulations. “We wanted to help GSA ensure

that the final regs proved more useful and

implementable,” Andrasco advised.

Pat Wensel, acting director of OCFO's Fiscal Policy Division, noted that GSA took into

account the comments from USDA and from

other sources and modified their original implementing regulations. “Then, here at USDA,

we fine-tuned those implementing regulations even more, to suit our work environment,” she explained.

ast year millions of dollars were

spent on emergency equipment.

Unfortunately, some communities

missed out on this money. Fill out your census

form. This is your future. Don't leave it blank.”

That's the voice-over message which accompanies a TV commercial that has been

airing nationwide lately. It depicts firefighters

attempting to battle an inferno—but suddenly their fire hoses begin to crack and buckle,

and the flow of water through the hoses reduces to a trickle—while the fire continues

unchecked.

The paid advertisement is sponsored by

“Census 2000.” That and similar ads also airing nationwide all convey the same message:

it's in your own interest, as well as in the interest of your local community, to fill out your

'Year 2000 U.S. Census Form' to help ensure

that your local community receives its fair

share of federal resources.

“It’s especially important since that 'fair

share' is determined, in large part, by the population of that very community,” emphasized

Marge Brining, a personnel management

specialist in the Office of Human Resources

Management. “So you should want that number to be as accurate as possible.”

Brining is coordinator of USDA's FamilyFriendly Work/Life Program, the purpose of

which is to improve the work environment for

USDA employees across the country. The January-February 2000 issue of the USDA News

carried a story on that program.

She and several of the Department's family-friendly work/life coordinators at the agency

level have recently been 'spreading the word'

about the importance of filling out that Year

2000 U.S. Census form. 

“I saw this as a family-friendly work/life activity,” she explained, “because filling out the

We're Helping Spread

The Word To Fill Out

‘Census 2000’ Forms

Didn't Complete? Don't Complain

by Ron Hall, Office of Communications

VOLUME 59 NO.2 –MARCH 2000

M

“L

continued on pg. 2... continued on pg. 3...

Some New Guidance

On The Use of

Travel Charge Cards

And Coming Soon: A Late Fee

by Ron Hall, Office of Communications

"It's important that our 'Full-Cycle Lending' approach assures our customers that, if they received a Rural

Development housing loan, then we'll be with them before, during, and after their home purchase," affirms Randy

Shiflett (left), an RD home ownership specialist in Rutland, Vt. He and RD rural housing specialist Anita Rios

Moore are discussing RD's 'Full-Cycle Lending' initiative on behalf of RD loan borrowers in the Granite State.

Note the story on page 5.—PHOTO BY KRIS PEARSON
2

The net result: USDA has exempted certain categories of employees from the requirement of having to have a travel charge

card. According to OCFO staff accountant

Lester Pitts, USDA's exemptions include employees who do not expect to travel more

than twice a year, intermittent and/or seasonal employees, and employees who have had

their travel charge cards canceled for cause.

In turn, Pitts noted that there are certain

official travel expenses which don’t need to

be charged on the travel charge card. They

include out-of-pocket expenses such as for

parking, taxicabs, tips, and laundry or dry

cleaning; telephone calls; and expenses covered by the ‘meals and incidental expenses’

portion of the federal per diem allowance.

“Let’s be practical,” he advised. “For some official travel expenses, it’s just more convenient

for the employee to pay cash or use a check.”

Pitts added that such official travel-related

expenses as airline or train tickets, motel

costs, and rental car expenses must be paid

for using the travel charge card. 

Andrasco pointed out that there is an additional provision of the 1998 Act which

could benefit employees. “Many employees

in government objected to mandatory use of

a travel charge card because they said that

their department or agency didn’t reimburse

them promptly for those official travel expenses,” she said. “Accordingly, the Act now

requires agencies to pay employees a late

fee, if a valid claim for travel reimbursement

has not been paid within 30 days of when

the approving official received that claim.”

Dale Theurer, OCFO team leader for

cash and debt management, noted that

OCFO’s Fiscal Policy Division staff is working

with specialists at the National Finance Center in New Orleans to finalize the procedures

for implementing this ‘late fee’ provision. “I

anticipate that it will be in place by this sumWhile most of

the nation

enjoys nearly

unprecedented prosperity, many of our

farmers and ranchers

find themselves in a

daily struggle for survival. Low prices, recession abroad, and natural disasters have all combined to devastate American agriculture over the last few

years. This is a time when we need to pursue every new opportunity available to

farmers, especially export opportunities,

Against this backdrop, Congress is

preparing to decide whether to grant

China Permanent Normal Trade Relations

(PNTR), a designation that would allow the

United States to enjoy the benefits of

China’s prospective membership in the

World Trade Organization (WTO).

China is home to one out of every five

people on earth. Its economy is growing at

a 7 percent annual clip. But a relatively

closed Chinese market means that our

farmers are not able to tap into the full

strength of that consumer power. 

During the last fiscal year, in fact, every

man, woman, and child in China consumed less than a single dollar’s worth of

American agricultural goods. That is compared to $22 a person in the European

Union and $92 a person in Japan. The entire U.S.-China trade relationship is wildly

out of balance, with China selling us five

times more in total goods and services

than we sell them.

In joining the WTO, however, the

Chinese would agree to abide by the accepted rules of international trade. They

would eliminate government export subsidies, which give their farmers an unfair advantage in the global marketplace. They

would cut tariffs dramatically; in many

cases, their tariffs would be lower than

those assessed by our traditional trading

partners.

All told, by 2005, China’s membership

in the WTO could mean an additional $2

billion a year in U.S. farm exports. 

The first question many Americans ask

when our trade negotiators bring home a

new agreement is: “What did we give up?”

In the case of the China-WTO deal, the answer in this case is: “Absolutely nothing.” 

Unlike NAFTA, for example, where we

had to give in order to get, all the concessions here are on the Chinese side. All the

benefits are on ours. We have nothing to

lose by passing PNTR or by bringing China

into the WTO. 

Perhaps more importantly, we have

everything to lose by rejecting it. A no vote

on PNTR is a vote for a kind of unilateral

economic disarmament. American farmers

and workers would lose the opportunity for

increased sales and potential new jobs,

while our competitors in the European

Union, Canada, Australia, Japan, Latin

America, and elsewhere fill those orders. 

Increased trade with China does not

mean acceptance of its governing regime

and political philosophy. But by bringing

them into the global economic community

and exposing them to our values, we can

influence them. If we help China become

a more open economy, eventually they will

become a more open society.

There is more at stake here than dollars

and cents. We cannot call ourselves the

world’s only superpower if we disengage

from the world’s most populous nation just

as it is preparing to institute wholesale political, economic, and social reforms. Also,

China is a nuclear power that holds the

key to peace and stability in Asia. It is absolute folly to isolate ourselves from such

an emerging global power. For our national

security as well as our economic security,

we must engage China. 

The decision about PNTR may be the

biggest test yet of our nation’s commitment both to the global economy and to

global security in the 21st century. It is imperative that we pass the test by passing

PNTR. ❖

Travel Charge Cards...continued from pg. 1 mer,” he said.

Actually, the use of travel charge cards to

pay for official government travel is not something new. In fact, Andrasco said, they have

been in use within USDA since 1983. The

April-May 1996 issue of the USDA News carried a story on delinquent payments of balances on official travel charge cards.

“But the difference with these revised regulations,” she explained, “is that the use of the

travel charge card is now mandatory, except

for the exemptions we’ve mentioned.”

“Travel charge cards assist our employees

so they don’t have to carry excess cash, or use

their own personal credit cards, while they’re

on official government business,” Andrasco

advised.

“These revised rules provide specific guidance so that our employees no longer have

to guess about whether they should have a

travel charge card—and, if they do, what expenses they have to charge on it.” ❖
3

25 work/life field representatives around the

country,” she said. “I asked them to post the

posters in highly-trafficked spots at airports

and seaports—so that not only our employees

but also travelers would get the message.” 

OHRM personnel assistant Constance

Smith noted that the Year 2000 U.S. Census

forms began being distributed to households

around the country in mid-March, and are to

be completed and returned by April 1, which

the Census Bureau refers to as “Census Day.”

But this is not the first time that USDA employees have been involved in Census 2000

activities. Brining served as USDA's contact to

the Census Bureau in 1998 when it began its

effort to recruit federal employees to help out

in the 2000 census.

“Back then, the Census Bureau saw a potential hiring problem for Census 2000,” she

recounted. 

“So it devised a plan to hire federal employees for paid assignments—as census takers, or

'enumerators,' as well as crew leaders, office

clerks, recruiting assistants, and office operations supervisors—which would be short-term

and temporary, and in which most work would

be conducted in the evenings and on weekends, during 1998, 1999, and 2000.”

The October 1998 issue of the USDA

News carried a story about USDA's involvement in that effort.

Brining reported that she subsequently received a number of inquiries from employees,

especially from those at field locations, who

expressed an interest in participating.

“And, in fact,” she affirmed, “Census Bureau

officials recently advised me that over 1,800

USDA employees ultimately applied to be involved in various aspects of Census 2000.”

She noted that this included 323 USDA employees working with the Census Bureau's region out of Dallas, 317 out of Seattle, 278 out of

Denver, 245 out of Atlanta, 183 out of Kansas

City, 134 out of Chicago, 123 out of Philadelphia, 70 out of Charlotte, 57 out of Detroit, 45

out of Boston, 44 out of Los Angeles, and 25

out of New York City.

“Here's how I see the bottom line,” Brining

concluded. “If you don't fill out that Census

2000 form, then don't complain if your local

community isn't allocated its accurate share

of federal bucks!”

“Wow,” she then quipped. “Did that come

across as too harsh?” ❖

census forms helps get a community its fair

share of federal dollars.”

“That's important because, of course, our

93,000-plus USDA employees live in those

communities around the country—especially

in rural America.”

“So,” she affirmed, “if we can help our employees help their neighborhoods, especially

rural neighborhoods, then we're all better off—

and that's good for employee morale.”

Accordingly, Brining and the coordinators

helped to distribute various posters to USDA

field offices around the country. A typical

poster, titled “Census 2000: Don't Be Missed!”

was one of many created by the U.S. Census

Bureau, which is responsible for administering

the census. “The census posters provide guidance on how to fill out the census forms and

where to send them,” explained Wendy Veney,

the work/life coordinator for the Forest Service.

Denise Coleman, the work/life coordinator for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection

Service, said she faced a unique challenge trying to reach APHIS employees at various international airports and seaports in this country.

“So I mailed out the various posters to APHIS's

‘Census 2000’ Forms...continued from pg. 1

Here’s How We Can Help You

To Set Up Shop At HQ In DC

So, you’re a USDA field employee, AND

you’re on travel status, AND you’ve just arrived at USDA headquarters in Washington,

DC, as part of a five-day workshop your

agency is coordinating, AND you brought

with you some job-related assignments that

you need to work on while you’re there, SO

you’re looking for an empty office where you

can borrow a computer, a printer, a fax machine, a copier, a telephone, and an e-mail

hookup to send some of your completed

work back to your home office—BUT you

can’t find any empty offices, AND you don’t

want to disturb any of your agency colleagues

at HQ who are immersed in their own assignments—SO you just give up and bag the

whole idea of getting that extra work done

while away from your home base. 

BUMMER!

AND—these days—unnecessary.

That’s because the Department recently

opened a fully-equipped, alternate work site

for use by both HQ and field employees of

participating agencies while away from their

official duty stations or primary offices. It’s

called the Telework Center, and it’s located in

the Department’s George Washington Carver facility in Beltsville, Md.

According to Esther Edwards, acting manager of the Center with the Office of Operations, it consists of two rooms. 

One room has 14 individual workstations

with computers and three workstations available for employees to plug in laptop computers they may have brought with them.

“The second room,” she explained, “is set

up for use by short term task groups and/or

special project groups of 90 days or less.”

This ‘Task Room’ offers a private office,

one secretarial station, 10 individual workstations with computers, two workstations for

employees with laptops, and a combination

fax machine, copier, and printer.

In addition, she noted, two of the workstations within the Center are set up with features to accommodate employees with disabilities. That includes “JAWS,” or “Jet Access

With Speech,” which is a software package

that reads on-screen text and turns it into

speech for visually impaired users; a keyboard

with Braille imprint labels on the keys; “Zoom

Text” software that offers enlarged print on

the computer screen; and workstations that

are hydraulically height-adjustable to accommodate wheelchairs.

“My staff developed a single-sheet reference guide to help Esther ensure that the

equipment in those two workstations is used

properly and to its maximum advantage,” 

said Ophelia Falls. She is director of USDA’s

TARGET Center, which helps USDA offices

obtain equipment that can provide ‘reasonable accommodation’ in the USDA workplace for employees with disabilities.

“USDA’s Telework Center has the capacity

to accommodate up to 33 people,” Edwards

noted.

She added that the Carver facility is currently accessible to USDA’s HQ in Washington, DC by a combination of subway and

shuttle bus, and parking is also available.

Edwards said that arrangements for using

the Center can be made by calling (301) 504-

3783 or e-mail at gwctelework@usda.gov

“We’re currently not charging our employees to use USDA’s Telework Center,” she

affirmed. ❖

Administrative
Employees 

make these things... 

4

Fighting Animal Disease In Turkey

On August 17, 1999, a devastating earthquake,

measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale, struck

northwestern Turkey, killing more than 17,000

people. That was followed by a second, equally powerful earthquake in November, in the

same general area, that took more than 500

lives.

The destruction took an immeasurable toll

on the citizens of Turkey. But more than just

people were affected by the deadly quakes.

Animals and livestock suffered as well.

As Turkey begins to rebuild, the Animal

and Plant Health Inspection Service has

offered to help that country combat foot-andmouth disease, a highly communicable viral

disease affecting cattle and swine.

Although foot-and-mouth disease was already present in Turkey, efforts to eradicate the

disease were put on hold while the nation

worked to bury its dead, house its homeless,

and rebuild in the wake of the quakes.

“Already existing animal diseases tend to be

exacerbated by natural disasters because attention and resources are redirected to more

immediate survival needs,” said Dan Sheesley,

associate deputy administrator for APHIS’s International Services staff.

APHIS officials have been to Turkey twice

since the August earthquake. The first visit was

a fact-finding mission to see where APHIS

could best offer its services. The agency’s

three-member team spent several days touring the devastation less than two weeks after

the first earthquake hit.

“We toured urban and rural areas and

destruction was everywhere,” recounted Chris

Groocock, a veterinarian with APHIS’s International Services staff stationed in Vienna, Austria

and a member of that team. “The full impact of

the quake was still unfolding at that time.”

By the time of a second visit in December

by another team from APHIS, Turkish officials

had completed a more comprehensive damage assessment—including what disease-prevention infrastructure had been damaged or

destroyed because of the quakes—and asked

for assistance to combat outbreaks of footand-mouth disease.

Accordingly, APHIS team members visited

Turkey’s Foot-And-Mouth Disease Institute,

located in Ankara, and offered more longrange, post-earthquake suggestions, such as

how Turkey could improve the quality of its

vaccine and boost the Institute’s quality control program.

“The goal is to help Turkey make improvements in its eradication program that will provide long-term benefits in its fight against

foot-and-mouth disease,” emphasized Juan

Lubroth. He is head of reagents and vaccine

services at APHIS’s Foreign Animal Disease

Diagnostic Laboratory at Plum Island, N.Y., and

was a member of the December team, along

with Bob Miller, chief staff veterinarian for

mammalian virology and antibody products

with APHIS’s Center for Veterinary BiologicsLicensing and Policy Development in Ames,

Iowa.

Lubroth advised that before the earthquake in August, Turkey had an increasing

problem with foot-and-mouth disease near

Gebeze in northwestern Turkey, in the general

region of the earthquakes. “Efforts to suppress

that outbreak are considered critical to

Turkey’s Agricultural Ministry—and may

threaten Europe,” he advised.

Lubroth said that Turkey needs about

$100,000 to $150,000 to purchase the necessary equipment to make improvements in the

Institute’s foot-and-mouth disease laboratory

and receive training in the latest quality assurance and quality control techniques. “Turkish

scientists working on foot-and-mouth disease

eradication could come to the U.S. to be

trained at APHIS facilities,” he added, “and

we’d be happy to train them here.”

Sheesley noted that specialists from

APHIS’s International Services staff continue

to work with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to provide funding for the equipment and the training. In

addition, APHIS is looking into several other

funding sources.

“Turkish officials are very appreciative of

our efforts,” Sheesley affirmed. “We’re hoping it

all comes together.”

—HALLIE PICKHARDT

While Using A Pint-Sized Grip... 

WHEW! It was definitely a busy January on the

Winema National Forest in south-central

Oregon, because—for the sixth year in a row—

Forest Service employees on the Chemult

Ranger District were heavily involved in

pulling off the annual Chemult Sled Dog

Races.

But the best race of all might have been the

“PeeWee race.”

The larger races—involving the ‘big people’—

included over 700 spectators watching 71

teams of sled dogs and drivers racing through

the snowy woods of the Chemult Ranger District during January 29-30. According to Judith

Parker, FS’s recreation program manager on

the Chemult Ranger District who has helped

to coordinate all six Sled Dog Races, the location is a great place for a sled dog race.

“It’s located high in the Cascade Mountains

where the snow piles deep each winter,” she

explained. “And it’s 62 miles from the nearest

city, so the dogs can run without meeting a lot

of skiers and snowmobilers.”

Natural Resources

and Environment

FS’s Mary Erickson (left) gives an affectionate headpat to one of the four-legged participants in the

upcoming ‘PeeWee dog sled race.’ Later...

...a pint-sized participant in the ‘PeeWee race’ gets

to experience 300 feet worth of riding on a real dog

sled—pulled by a real race dog.

—PHOTOS BY FRANK ERICKSON, STEPHEN FISHER

Marketing and

Regulatory

Programs
5

Making the race happen involved FS

personnel—who administered the required

special use permit and who served as

volunteers during the races—as well as three

sled dog clubs, four snowmobile clubs,

Klamath County’s search and rescue team, a

non-profit race association, and a local bank.

Jim Wolfe, an FS sale administrator on the

Chemult Ranger District, served as ‘Trails Boss’

and ensured the miles of trail used in all the

events were safe, cleared, and compacted.

Mary Erickson, deputy forest supervisor on

the Winema National Forest, based in Klamath

Falls, Ore., said that most of the events were

sprint races. “Teams of four, six, or eight dogs—

generally always huskies—raced four, six, or

eight miles,” she noted. “There were also 20-

and 30-mile races for bigger teams of dogs.”

At the command “go,” the dogs leaped forward to the shouts of Hike! Hike!” “Unlike the

cartoons,” quipped Parker, “nobody here ever

says ‘Mush’!”

But the best race might have been the

least serious one. Parker explained that youngsters at the races got a chance to take a short

sled dog ride with a dog. This was called the

“PeeWee race.”

“It was for kids 12 and under, and it involved

a 300-foot dash on a real racing sled, pulled by

a single dog,” she said.

Parker explained that each participating

youngster rode on the runners of the sled.

“Some of them could barely reach the top bar

of the sled,” she laughed. “Yet they’d hang on

to that bar with a pint-sized death grip, as the

dog pulled the sled slowly down the track.”

Parker emphasized that they appreciated

the effort by the mushers to donate the 30-

plus dogs for the PeeWee race—which were

generally older and mellower, not younger and

friskier.

Erickson, who collected the names of the

‘PeeWee participants’ and kept track that 50

youngsters—the cutoff number—had a

chance to do a run, said that the PeeWee race

was the one time in the whole two-day event

where the spectators could get directly

involved. “People came up to me and asked

incredulously ‘You mean that the mushers will

loan us a dog for this event, and I don’t have

to put a race harness on our family pet to let

my kid participate’?!”

“And then,” she quipped, “I asked my husband, ‘should we train our dog Molly to pull a

dog sled, for next year’s PeeWee race’?”

“We may be developing future adult racers,”

she speculated, “from one of these brief—but

very special—experiences with the kids.”

—RON HALL

“Full-Cycle Lending” In Vermont

When clients seek information about a Rural

Development housing loan in Vermont, they

get more than just an application to fill out.

Instead, RD home ownership specialists in

that state offer their clients a special service

known as “Full-Cycle Lending.” According to

Bob McDonald, the Montpelier-based director

of rural housing programs in Vermont, “RD has

entered into a partnership with five private sector, non-profit HomeOwnership Centers in Vermont to offer this service—which highlights the

importance of working with customers before,

during, and after a home purchase in order to

support the long-term stability of the borrower.”

The partnership between RD and the five

HomeOwnership Centers started in Rutland, Vt.,

in 1995. Michael Dolce, at the time an RD county supervisor for Rutland County, Vt., and now an

RD community and business outreach specialist

in Rutland, recalled that “many customers who

did not qualify for a housing finance program

with one of the non-profit groups did qualify for

an RD loan—and vice versa.”

Accordingly, he and David Dangler, executive director of the non-profit Rutland West

Neighborhood Housing Services, initiated a

cooperative cross-referral between RD and

that non-profit group. In turn, that group consolidated its services into a HomeOwnership

Center, and began to offer workshops to

potential homebuyers, adopting the “FullCycle Lending” concept.

“I then took the next step,” Dolce recounted, “and made presentations on the RD

housing programs at the HomeOwnership

Center workshops.”

“I saw ‘Full-Cycle Lending’ as a way to help

our customer become a successful homebuyer

and to help ensure the success of our RD loans,”

said Roberta Harold, RD state director for Vermont, based in Montpelier. “I requested that

Rutland West Neighborhood Housing Services

give a training session on ‘Full-Cycle Lending’ to

all of the RD housing staff in Vermont.”

The final impetus to the formation of RD’s

present partnership with the HomeOwnership

Centers was the reduction of RD staff and funds

in the state. “It became very apparent that the

best way to serve the customer with limited staff

was to share staffing resources,” stated Harold.

“Our RD home ownership specialists now

work one to three days a week at the

HomeOwnership Centers,” McDonald said.

Rural Development

“They counsel clients, discuss different funding options, and make referrals to private sector and

non-profit lending agencies—and are also permanent presenters at the homebuyer workshops

given monthly by the HomeOwnership Centers.”

“Our five HomeOwnership Centers in Vermont are as strong and productive as they are

because of the Rural Development staff,” emphasized Dangler. “I believe that Vermont is

the only state where RD employees are physically located in a HomeOwnership Center.”

That’s all well and good—but just what exactly happens in these counseling sessions

which include RD specialists?

“A client learns about the process of buying

a home, finding the right home, negotiating a

deal on the home, and working with realtors

and attorneys,” said Randy Shiflett, an RD

home ownership specialist based in Rutland.

Following a homebuyer orientation session,

the client attends a one-on-one counseling session at the HomeOwnership Center, where

he/she meets with an RD home ownership

specialist or a HomeOwnership Center counselor to discuss his/her loan application.

“If the client is eligible for a housing loan,”

explained Shiflett, “all funding resources are

discussed to decide which is the best for the

borrower. Educating clients about funding

sources other than those from RD assures that

RD’s limited funding allocation is used only for

clients who cannot get financing elsewhere.”

“We help the client find the best loan for his

or her situation,” he added. “No longer do clients

have to make a decision that will affect the rest of

their lives without help and guidance.”

“The service RD now offers its clients is

more encompassing than what it offered in the

past,” McDonald observed. “We now strive for

our customers to get homeownership education and counseling before they make a financial offer on a home.”

“Even when we have to deny an application,

the client is counseled on what to do to become

a successful applicant,” McDonald added. “Because of this, we’ve seen a significant drop in

the number of appeals of adverse decisions.”

As part of the “Full-Cycle Lending” approach, contact with the borrower does not stop

with the closing of the loan. “Our staff, working

with the HomeOwnership Centers, is always

available to help homeowners with budgeting

concerns, homeownership responsibilities, and

other matters that ensure they’ll be able to stay

in their home,” said McDonald.

“This last step in ‘full-cycle lending’ is as important to RD as it is to the client. A successful

borrower means that our security is protected.”

—CAROLYN LAWRENCE
J

oe Leo was named as

USDA’s Chief Information Officer. He succeeded

Anne Reed, who was the

Department’s first CIO.

Reed began in that position as acting CIO in August 1996. One year later in August 1997 she

was officially named USDA’s CIO, and held

that position until leaving USDA in February

2000, following 18 years of federal service.

She is now based in Herndon, Va., as vice

president of the Government Global Industry Group at Electronic Data Systems, an information technology firm.

From 1984 until his official appointment in

January 2000, Leo served as deputy administrator for management in the Food and Nutrition Service, where he was responsible for

information technology, human resources,

procurement, and administrative services.

During that time, from March 1998 until October 1998 he also led the planning team for

administrative convergence for the countybased agencies in USDA. He then served as

acting executive director of the implementation of USDA’s [then] Support Services Bureau from March 1999 until October 1999.

Leo also served as chair of USDA’s Advanced Planning Document Committee,

which provides executive oversight on all

Roundup

S ROUNDUP EDITOR’S ROUNDUP

OUNDUP EDITOR’S ROUND PU DE R S’ ROTI OU DN

OTI DE PU

R’S ROUNDUP EDITOR’S ROUNDUP EDIT O R S’

PUDNUOR

DE OTI ’ R R S UO NDUP DE TI OR S’ ROUNDUP EDI TOR’S ROUNDUP

S ROUNDUP EDITOR’S ROUNDUP

OUNDUP EDITOR’S ROUND PU DE R S’ ROTI OU DN

OTI DE PU

R’S ROUNDUP EDITOR’S ROUNDUP EDIT O R S’

PUDNUOR

DE OTI ’ R R S UO NDUP DE TI OR S’ ROUNDUP EDI TOR’S ROUNDUP

Roun

Editor’s

USDA people 

in the news

6

Dorothy Caldwell wasappointed as deputy

administrator for special

nutrition programs in the

Food and Nutrition Service.

She succeeded Ed Cooney,

who held that position

J

im Hunt was selected as

Chief Administrative Law

Judge with USDA’s Office of

Administrative Law Judges.

He succeeded Victor

Palmer, who served in that

position from 1987 until he

retired in January 1999 with 31 years of service

at USDA, and who is now the director of attorney and paralegal recruitment with Palmer

Legal Staffing, based in Washington, DC. Administrative Law Judge Edwin Bernstein

served as acting chief ALJ from January to

April 1999, and Administrative Law Judge

Dorothea Baker served as acting chief ALJ

from May to October 1999.

From 1989 until his recent selection Hunt

served as an administrative law judge with

USDA. He was an administrative law judge

with the Social Security Administration’s Office of Hearings and Appeals, first in Philadelphia and then in Washington, DC, from 1980-

89. From 1972-80 he worked as an attorney in

private practice with the firm of Barton, Lambeth and Hunt, based in Washington, DC,

where he concentrated on employment law.

Hunt served as director of corporate labor

relations with the Atlantic Research/Susquehanna Corporation, based in Alexandria, Va.,

from 1967-72, after having worked as counsel

and manager of the Labor Relations Department at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce,

based in Washington, DC, from 1964-67. From

1958-64 he was an attorney advisor to the

chair of the National Labor Relations Board,

based in Washington, DC. He served on active

duty as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army

from 1953-55.

Hunt authored “The Law of the Workplace:

Rights of Employers and Employees” in 1986,

and then authored an updated second edition in 1992. He also authored “Employer’s

Guide to Labor Relations” in 1974. Both books

were published by the Bureau of National Affairs in the private sector.

A native of Morgantown, W.Va., Hunt holds

a B.A. degree in history and political science

and a law degree, both from the University of

West Virginia. ❖

major state-initiated computer system acquisitions for the administration of FNS’s food assistance programs, from 1985-2000.

From 1971-84 Leo held various positions at

the U.S. Department of Transportation, all

based in Washington, DC. They included

serving as administrative officer to the contracting officer of DOT’s Federal Highway Administration from 1971-76, working as the senior highway analyst in the Office of the

Secretary at DOT from 1977-78, serving as

chief of the Aviation and Research Division in

the Office of the Secretary at DOT from

1979-82, and serving as deputy associate administrator for administration and general

manager for automated systems with DOT’s

[then] Urban Mass Transportation Administration from 1982-84.

A native of Clifton, N.J., Leo holds a B.A. degree in political science from Western Illinois

University and an M.A. degree in science policy from Purdue University in Lafayette, Ind. ❖

“I’ve tested this and it works just fine,” concludes Terry Cagle (left), an NRCS realty/contract specialist.

She and Esther Edwards, acting manager of USDA’s Telework Center in Beltsville, Md., are making sure

that a software package to help visually impaired employees is functioning correctly at one of the

workstations in the Center. Note the story on page 3.—PHOTO BY EDWARD HICKS
7

The USDA News is published by the Office of Communications,

the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This employee news publication, which is prepared by, for, and about this Department’s

employees, is distributed to USDA’s 92,800 federal employees—

full-time, part-time, and temporary—by order of the Secretary

of Agriculture. Mailing address is Rm. 430-A Whitten Bldg.; OC,

USDA; 1400 Independence Ave., SW; Washington, D.C. 20250-

1350.

To update your mailing address or change the quantity of USDA

News copies received in your USDA office, please contact your

agency’s mailing/distribution specialist.

Ron Hall Editor

Heather Cooney Art Director

Cedric Drake Printing and Distribution Coordinator

Charles Hobbs Home Page Coordinator

Gayle Turner Home Page Assistant

The USDA News is also available on USDA’s Home Page within

the Internet. Use the World Wide Web to access that Home

Page version. Simply type the Home Page address—or Universal Resource Locator (URL)—of the USDA News, which is

http://www.usda.gov/news/pubs/newslett/cover.htm

In addition, USDA employees may access the Department’s IntrAnet for information that is internal to USDA and for its employees only. Employees will need to use a USDA computer,

plus a USDA server that permits IntrAnet access. The IntrAnet’s

URL is

http://www.hqnet.usda.gov/intranet/intranet.htm

USDA prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities

on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age,

disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or

family status (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs).

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for

communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202)

720-2600 (voice and TTY).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Ave SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (202)

720-5964 (voice and TTY). USDA is an equal opportunity

provider and employer. 

The USDA News is printed on paper containing a minimum of

50 percent waste paper. The USDA News is recyclable.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This “Letters” section is an opportunity for USDA employees to communicate with Sec. Dan Glickman, through questions or comments, on matters that

would be appropriate and of general interest to USDA employees across the country.

He invites employees to use this particular forum in the USDA News to communicate

with him, by using the following mailing address: “Letters,” Sec. Dan Glickman, USDA,

STOP #0190, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250. 

Letters

from September 1997 until November 1999,

and who now serves as the special assistant

for nutrition to Secretary Dan Glickman.

From September 1997 until her recent appointment Caldwell served as the special assistant for nutrition and nutrition education to

Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services Shirley Watkins. From 1988-

1997 she was director of child nutrition for the

Arkansas Department of Education, based in

Little Rock. She served as director of food and

nutrition for the Lee County, Ark., School District, based in Marianna, Ark., from 1968-88.

Since she had worked in those two field-level

positions, she becomes the first person ever

to serve as deputy administrator for special

nutrition programs who has administered FNS

programs at both the state and local levels.

During her tenure in Arkansas Caldwell

was the lead author for the chapter on school

nutrition in a book on coordinated school

health, titled “Health Is Academic,” ultimately

published in February 1999 by Teacher’s College Press. She was also the author of a chapter on nutrition integrity in a book titled “Managing Child Nutrition Programs: Leadership

for Excellence,” ultimately published in June

1999 by Aspen Publishers. She taught home

economics at a public high school in Marianna, Ark., from 1956-58. 

From 1993-94 Caldwell served as president of

the American School Food Service Association,

based in Washington, DC. She served as president of the School Food Service Foundation, also

based in Washington, DC, from 1994-95.

A native of Cotton Plant, Ark., Caldwell

holds a B.S. degree in home economics from

the University of Arkansas and an M.S. degree

in food systems administration from the University of Tennessee. She is a registered and licensed dietitian. ❖

I

t was a contest that combined the outdoor skills of

Robinson Crusoe with the

wild ‘n crazy flair of Bart

Simpson. But Bart Pals

came away the winner—

and lived to tell about it.

Pals, a district conservationist with the

Natural Resources Conservation Service

based in Effingham, Ill., garnered the title of

Illinois Sportsman of the Year late last year.

“And no, I didn’t have to live in the wilderness,

pick my teeth with a hunting knife, or kill a

wild animal and then skin and eat it for survival,” he quipped.

But he did have to compete in several outdoor events, plus succeed on a written test.

Oh, and then there was the weird stuff.

According to Paige Buck, a public affairs

specialist with the NRCS state office in Champaign, Ill., Pals won three individual events. They

included rifle shooting—in which he hit paper

targets of animals at various distances with a

.22-caliber rifle—rod casting—in which he had

to cast his lure into hoops at various distances

in a lake—and wildlife identification—a written

test in which he was required to identify casts

of animal footprints in the woods and slides of

animals and birds in motion.

He also competed in shooting shotgun

slugs at paper targets of deer, skeet shooting,

flyfish casting, identification of slides of types

of fish and other aquatic species, archery—

using three-dimensional foam targets of

wildlife—and a written test covering trapping

and conservation law.

And how did the 26 contestants prepare

for this ‘outdoor decathlon’ of sorts, which was

sponsored by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources?

“For the skills events, you can prepare just

by practicing them or doing them,” Pals advised. “But on the written and identification

tests, you either know it or you don’t.”

At least that’s the normal game plan for

the events that are fairly predictable from year

to year. But then there’s the notorious ‘Final

Event’ that’s ‘anybody’s guess.’ This year it involved the use of fluffy “flu-flu” archery techniques.

“We were each issued an archery bow and

five gaudy ‘flu-flu’ arrows with oversized feathers,” he recounted. “Our job was to hit styrofoam plates from 20 yards away—as the plates

were being tossed into a fierce wind.”

And how did Pals do in that particular

event? “Let’s just say it’s a good thing I scored

high in most of the other contests,” he

laughed.

Pals noted that in previous years’ contests,

the ‘Final Event’ included backing a trailerhitched boat between an obstacle course of

pylons; constructing a fishing lure out of feathers, hooks, beads, thread, and glue—and then

catch a fish with it; having to boil water within

a certain amount of time, after being issued a

bucket of water and three matches—but it

was ‘round up your own kindling’; and using a

hunting knife to carve a slingshot out of a

forked tree branch—and then hit a paper target with it.

“And hey, I was right up there—at least on

some of those Final Events,” he recalled. 

So, what did Pals do with the $1,500 firstplace prize?

“Big shock,” he quipped. “I bought some

more hunting and fishing equipment.” ❖
HELP US FIND

Tameka Gunter

Missing: 12-09-98 From: New York, NY

D.O.B. 5-28-83 Sex: Female

Hair: Black Eyes: Black

Height: 5 ft. 3 in. Weight: 110 lbs. 

If you have information, please call

1-800-843-5678

NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING AND EXPLOITED CHILDREN

U.S. Department of Agriculture

1400 Independence Ave, SW

Washington, DC 20250

OFFICIAL BUSINESS

PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE, $300

Nick Gutierrez (left), deputy director of APHIS’s Europe/Africa Region,

based in Brussels, Belgium, shares observations with Chris Groocock, an

APHIS veterinarian based in Vienna, Austria, as they stand in front of a

building in Golcuk, Turkey that was destroyed by an earthquake which

struck there last August. They were part of a fact-finding mission to see

where APHIS could best offer its services. A second severe quake hit

that region in November. As Turkey begins to rebuild, APHIS has offered

to help it combat foot-and-mouth-disease—especially since Turkey’s disease-prevention infrastructure had suffered quake damage. Note the

story on page 4.—PHOTO BY DALE NOELTY

USDA-Sponsored

Calendar Highlights

◆ April 9-15

National 4-H Conference

Chevy Chase, Md.

(202) 720-2297 or 1-800-877-8339 (TTY) 

◆May 1-7

Public Service Recognition Week

USDA headquarters and field offices

(202) 690-4750 or 1-800-877-8339 (TTY)

◆ Month of May

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

USDA headquarters and field offices

(202) 720-1674 or (202) 720-8372 (TTY)