#13

First of all, thank you for allowing me to serve as the SFRMA president for my last term. It is both an honor and privilege to be elected the San Francisco Regional Management Association President.

SFRMA held its annual meeting on November 7-8, 2008 in Tempe, AZ. We want to thank Pete Spencer, San Francisco Regional Commissioner; Patty Robidart, Deputy Regional Commissioner; Art Meza, Southwest Area Director; Rudy Macias, TSC Manager; Greg Heineman, NCSSMA President and Rachel Emmons, Greystone Representative, for their presentations at the annual meeting. This year's meeting was a special event - it was the first time that Teleservice hosted the meeting. Again, many thanks go out to Victoria Trujillo and Janie Smith who both held the TSC AVP position this year and planned the meeting. Congratulations to all of the awardees and scholarship winner! The annual meeting was productive and fun!

There are several new Area Vice Presidents (AVPs): Paul Chan- TSC AVP, LA TSC; Jackie Chapin- Inland AVP, Fontana CA; Peggy Francis- Bay AVP, Redwood City CA; Hung Sa Kloeung- Northern AVP, Eureka CA; Shirley McDaniel- Southwest AVP, Phoenix AZ. We also elected Lourdes Esquer, Secretary, and Becky Archer, Executive Vice President.

This year, SFRMA will start a mentorship program. We will be sending out a separate email message to request information. We will ask for those who wish to participate as a mentoree (who request a mentor to assist with management decisions, request guidance for future promotional opportunities, etc.) and also request mentors (upper management who would like to share their experiences and "mentor/coach"). In addition, we encourage you to continue with your higher education.

We hope that you will join us on November 13-14,2009, at the Doubletree Sonoma Wine Country Hotel for the next annual meeting. We will have GETA training and the SFRMA reception on Friday, November 13, 2009 and the annual meeting on Saturday, November 14, 2009.

"save the day"!

Please help us in reaching out to the entire management staff to get them involved in SFRMA

WELCOME TO SFRMA!
SFRMA would like to welcome the following new members who
have joined us since January 2008

The San Francisco Regional Management Association is a professional organization that strives to further the goals of SSA from a management perspective by having an open dialogue with regional and national leaders. Many current agency leaders are former members of our association. We are not a union. SFRMA serves as a voice for field, TSC and ODAR management with the primary purpose of improving service to the public. Members can share input on many issues through their Area Vice Presidents. In addition, SFRMA is a member of the National Council of Social Security Management Associations. NCSSMA and SFRMA have been instrumental in advocating for higher budgets for SSA; increasing the rate of overtime pay for managers and supervisors; influencing policy changes; streamlining procedures within the agency; and gaining improvements in automation and other systems enhancements that are needed for greater efficiency.

I. SFRMA COMMUNICATIONS CITATION.
Pat McGarvey (SFRO CA) for her support of SFRMA’s website and assisting in our annual meeting registration.

II. SFRMA CERTIFICATE OF OUTSTANDING SERVICE.
Carolyn Thomas (DM, Victorville) for her years of dedication to SFRMA serving as an officer, on committees and overseeing our annual elections. She is both an active participant and booster for SFRMA

III. SFRMA PRESIDENT'S CITATION.
Hung Sa Kloeung (DM, Eureka) and Richard Jackson (ADM San Bernardino) for their extensive support and assistance throughout the year.

IV. SFRMA INNOVATIVE OS/MSS CITATION.
Meli Incardona of National City and Shawn McKee of South Sacramento for their creative and dedicated approach to their very demanding jobs.

V. OUTSTANDING LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD.
Marv Mueller (DM, Santa Rosa) for his many years of dedicated service to SFRMA as President, Vice President, Past President and continued contributions on workgroups and committees. We can congratulate Marv in person when we arrive in his service area for Annual Meeting 2009.

Nominations can be submitted all year for these awards.
Send them via email to Penelope Baumann,
our awards committee chair.

Thank you SFRMA and the San Francisco Regional Office for providing the dynamic and engaging training on “Effective Leadership: Eliminate 3 Toxic Elements That Get in the Way” presented by Sonia Aranza. Ms. Aranza afforded us the opportunity to explore and reflect on the type of leader that we are, the type of leader we want to be, and what type of legacy we will leave behind. Her presentation truly raised our awareness about ‘toxic’ behaviors, which at times are unconscious and small, and the tremendous impact our behavior has on our staff’s morale and productivity. Those who were fortunate enough to attend Ms. Aranza’s training on November 7, 2008 in Tempe, AZ will always pause to remember that you alone, as the leader, create the environment of the office in which you work. All in attendance will now carry the skills with us to be a STAR. Thank you for providing Ms. Aranza’s insightful and persuasive training as the introduction to attending my first SFRMA Annual Meeting since I joined SFRMA in 2005!

A message from our AVPs

My name is Shirley McDaniel. I am honored to represent the Southwest Area management members of SFRMA by serving as the Southwest Area vice president.

I have worked for Social Security in Region 9 since 1976 and in the Southwest Area since 1978. I am currently an operations supervisor in the Casa Grande Arizona field office. I have held every possible position (even the extinct data review technician) in a level two field office including a detail as manager. I believe my background in the field gives me the advantage of understanding the operations and the impact changes would have on the field office.

My heart is in the field and my desire as your Southwest Area VP is to promote an awareness of the field needs. There is a tremendous need for a sufficient number of highly trained personnel both in the field and in the field support components of the Social Security Administration. Additionally, we need to upgrade our computer system (looks as if this will be happening) and continue the advancement of e-services if we are to provide the high level of service the public has come to expect from all of Social Security. I believe that SFRMA is the place where I can serve and learn, thank you for this opportunity.

Look for a meeting announcement soon for after work get togethers at El Torito in Orange and San Diego. I’m looking forward to talking with you about your successes and concerns in this new era of “Stimulus,” I mean, “Recovery.” As features such as iClaims and VoIP roll out, your input is critical so that issues are surfaced and problems are addressed. I am so impressed every time the council goes to meet with Pete and the other executives at how receptive they are to our viewpoint. This is your opportunity to bring up topics that you may be reluctant to voice through channels. Our input to them is only as good as your input to us. If you are out in the islands or otherwise unable to attend one of the evening meetings, please call or email me anytime to express a concern, make a suggestion, or just vent frustration. I look forward to seeing you and/or hearing from you. Hang in there! Together we make a difference.

On February 18 2009, LA Metro and the LA Tele Service Center hosted a joint SFRMA Meeting at the Beckham Grill Restaurant in Pasadena. We had 14 members in attendance and welcomed 3 members who were first time participants of SFRMA's Area Meeting. Paul Chan new AVP for LATSC expressed he enjoyed the meeting which was a new experience for him.

Thank you all for allowing me to by your Area Vice President for SFRMA. I am still fairly new to SSA compared to most members of management. I began with SSA in 2004 as a Presidential Management Fellow and have been working as a supervisor in the Fontana office since 2006. I am excited to be a part of SFRMA – I believe we as an agency have a tremendous responsibility and that it is our ability to work together and communicate that gets the job done.

Hello my name is Peggy Francis. I have been a member of SFRMA since my promotion to the MSS position in 2002. There was never any hesitation on my part to join this active vital organization. I have attended Annual meetings as a member and now I have the distinct pleasure of representing the Bay Area as the Vice President.

I began working for the agency at the Teleservice Center as a clerical. I was promoted to Data Review Technician position in Hayward where I stayed a number of years. When the opportunity for promotion came my way I went to the Campbell office as a Title 2 Claims Representative. Ultimately I returned to the Hayward office and stayed there until moving to Clearlake Texas. This is a suburb of Houston near the Johnson Space Center. I worked in the Pasadena Texas office. After many years in Texas I returned to California as a Claims Representative in San Mateo. I was promoted to the Management Support Specialist position and then to the Operations Supervisor in Redwood City.

Every office has its own unique set of issues depending on the demographic breakdown of their area. I thank you for the opportunity to represent every group and every demographic. We are unique and that is what makes our group so powerful and dynamic. Together we will all make a difference in how each group is represented.

Welcome new SFRMA members! Existing members, thank you all for your input and participation in SFRMA. Plan to attend an after work get together and meeting in Fresno next month. Please come prepared to discuss any concerns or suggestions you may have regarding work issues, staffing, new automation tools, or anything else. This year has been very busy but I hope you will continue to provide suggestions, ideas, and participate. I look forward to hearing from you.

It was nice seeing some of you at last year’s annual meeting. Members who attended each received a book called “2600 Phrases for Effective Performance Reviews.” I have three that I will raffle off at the next meeting in Fresno. I have found this booklet very useful during the mid-term PACS evaluation.

Please join me in the next area meeting and I hope you can attend the upcoming annual meeting this year.

Thank you for the honor of serving as your Area Vice President for the Northern Area. I am very grateful for your welcome to Northern, as well as your input on various issues and concerns on how we can better serve the public. Please know that I and other SFRMA Executive Committee members have shared your thoughts and ideas with our Regional Office staff. I urge you to continue to send me your ideas and thoughts. You can call me directly or reach me via email.

My name is Paul Chan. I would like to thank all of you for your support in the SFRMA election this past November. I am extremely honored to accept the position of SFRMA TSC Area Vice President.

I’m currently a TSC supervisor in the Los Angeles Tele-service Center since 2008. After completing college, I began my career with SSA in 2003 as a bilingual Service Representative at the El Monte District Office. I was promoted to a Claims Representative in the same office in 2005 before becoming a supervisor. I was involved in many initiatives outside of my normal job duties such as being a facilitator for the Chinese Bilingual Training Class for the region. I believe my background and experiences will be beneficial in promoting SFRMA, representing the management staff and keeping them informed of any news and updates. I will take every opportunity to learn and to do my best.

Thank you for your continuing support and being a member in SFRMA. If there are any ways that we can improve any aspects of the agency, including policies, programs or workflows, I welcome you to speak up and contact me anytime with your issues, concerns, and questions. I look forward to meet all of you. Remember, together we make a difference!

SAN FRANCISCO REGIONAL MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION
California, Arizona, Nevada & Hawaii

Elizabeth Pelayo	Richmond TSC
Angela Albright-burley	Tucson
Elida Sarmiento	N. Phoenix Card Center
Dee Ann Smith	Fresno
Shanise R. Earl Johnson	Fresno
Serey Tan	Stockton
Alberto Reyes	Frank Hagel Federal Bldg.
Iris Johnson	Flagstaff
Carl Pereira	Flagstaff
Misael Lezcano	San Bernardino
Tanya Gatewood	Ontario
Susana Diaz	ADO-Tri Counties
Jose G. Velasco	Santa Maria
Brenda Valdivia	Ventura
Vesna V. Moreland	Norwalk
Joyce S. Takiue	Hilo
Anne V. Hang	Wilshire Center
Debra L. Rosenburg	Eureka
David K. Chan	South Sacramento
Griselda Valdivia	Huntington Park
Christine Natividad	El Monte
Nathan Barfield	LA TSC
Sara Tatikian	Hollywood
William L. Topf	Santa Rosa
Tracey Hamel	Phoenix
Ignacio Silva	Watts
Robert Nunez	Tucson
Wendy Robles-Cortes	CHR
Patricia Raymond	S. Tucson
Alma Contreras	Compton
Cesar Cortez	University Village
Rosario Ramirez	North Sacramento
Maricela Ortiz-Perez	Fontana
Maria Schlosser	Redding
Minh-Phuong Nguyen	Santa Ana
Laura Diaz-Rodriguez	Anaheim
Henry Bulda	Garden Grove
Lorena Medina	Watts
Maribel Perez	Globe
Victoria Trujillo	Phoenix
Loraine Smith	Fremont
William Shie	CREO
Greg Dietzel	Phoenix TSC
Ana R. Garza	Cal Central
Yeur Thao	Fresno
Jan E. Stewart	Delano
Luis F. Salas	Lancaster
Janette A. Purdy	Walnut Creek
Rachel E. Rogers	Las Vegas
Lisa Hughes	Riverside
Alma Quail	Riverside
Kafala D. Bell	Hollywood
Jennifer A. Plewa	Phoenix
Laura Ruiz	Salinas TSC
Glenn A. Haas	Roseville
Dua Thor	Sacramento
John H. Taylor	Eureka
Ramiro Sifuentes	Kapolei
Lilia Villanueva	Santa Ana
Paul Vu	Anaheim
Darlene Garland	Mission Viejo
Yee Lance Lee	Sacramento
Kari Sanderfer	Reno
Paul Chan	LA TSC
Latohya L. Hunt	Ukiah
Amelita Dean	Chico
Debra France	Tucson
Malia A. Taylor	Kapolei
Prabhdyal S. Mundian	Hayward
Pafuti A. Tupua	American Somoa
Sandy Chavez	Lakewood B59
Mang Her	Cal Central ADO
Elizabeth Esguerra	Daly City
Jeanette Silva	Sacramento Card Center