FY2007 PIA CRAC Committee Annual Report

To say that FY2007 was a busy and dynamic year for the CRAC Committee would be a great understatement, there were many changes in the committee that directly impacted the CRAC business activities. For starters, Robin Kelly’s acceptance of a new job at Washington D.C., left a void that needed to be filled. Other members that accepted positions in different parts of the country were Milton Martinez (Hispanic SEPM) and Katina Hanson (Federal Woman’s SEPM). These positions were quickly filled, however a big learning curve came with the acceptance of these positions. Keith Harada’s appointment as the new CRAC advisor rounds up the latest of the CRAC committee appointments/changes. Adding to the mix, Mr. Sam Taylor’s term (Veteran’s SEPM), has reached its term limits and an announcement will soon be issued for a Veteran’s SEPM vacancy. Such was the dynamics that the committee faced for FY2007. These are the facts that the committee faced and dealt with.

The first action item was performed by the DEOO. That action was the selection and appointment of Kurencio B. Ngowakl (Program Specialist, PI-West) as the CRAC Chairperson. With the critical components of a committee (chairperson, advisor and members) in place, the committee rolled up its sleeves and went to work. On March 08, 2007, the committee had its teleconference and the overwhelming theme of the discussion was budget request/reporting and Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) reports. This was also a time to get acquainted with the CRAC by-laws, understanding the CRAC process, reviewing the demands and responsibilities of each committee member and an opportunity to get to know one another. One of the first things the committee realized was the need to meet more than the once every quarter meeting requirement. Discussions with regards to the Affirmative Employment Program (AEP) report by May 2007 came up. A fuller understanding of how the AEP reports under-representation of EEO groups came to the fore. This report compares EEO groups in the NRCS workforce that are below the National Civilian Labor Force in the following areas: 1. Professional. 2. Administrative. 3. Technical. 4. Clerical and 5. Other. The report identifies demographic groups that need additional attention. Another important topic of discussion was the DN-714. The DN-714 is a key document in helping to ascertain the AEP report as an effective EOO program managerial tool in assisting the DEOO with making sound decisions with regards to the Equal Opportunity Program issues. The DN-714 documents changes in the PATCO (Professional, Administrative, Technical, Clerical, and other) workforce. The DN-714 can also be used to develop the FEORP (Federal Equal Opportunity Recruitment Program) plan. Sometimes the DN-714 is referred to as the PATCO Report. The report shows at a glance, the snapshot view of what the relevant civilian labor force (CLF) looks like nationwide (by race, sex, and national origin) for each of the categories (Professional, Administrative, Technical, Clerical, and Other), and how this compares to NRCS employees.

On July 23-24, 2007, the much anticipated CRAC face-to-face meeting convened at the Pacific Islands State Office, Prince Kuhio Federal Building 300 Ala Moana Boulevard, Room 4-118 Honolulu, Hawaii. The DN-714 overview was one of the topics on the agenda item. Athena Pratt presented an example of how to calculate the under-representation Index (UI). There was a short discussion on how the interested party needs to look at the distribution of each target group by GS level and by PATCO. Another agenda item was a proposed planner as a committee project that came up and the idea was put to Jolene Lau, Public Affairs Specialist. Jolene responded back with alternatives and cost of different layouts. It was left to the committee to weigh the options and to get back with Jolene. After weighing all the options, the committee decided to forego the planner endeavor. One of the main focuses of this meeting was the Development of the SEPM business plan. Cheryl Morton took the lead by ensuring that all discussions by the committee remained focused on brainstorming ideas as it relates to committee responsibilities. As a result, a FY2008 DRAFT business plan with prioritized assignments, action items, and the due dates were specified and put into a draft. The following are some of the hi-lights of the business plan (DRAFT):

 Mentoring program- this is an important program for new and current employees alike and should be followed through.
 DN/714- the committee and key members of the leadership team needs DN-714 training. The DN-714 is a key document in properly filling out and ascertaining the AEP report as an effective EOO program management tool in assisting the DEOO in making sound decisions with respects to the Equal Opportunity Program issues in the Pacific Islands.
 Awards Program- this is a managerial tool that should be used as a reinforcement tool for good employees who do outstanding work. Lack of utilizing this tool may be a source of concern. Do the supervisors know, understand and are they aware of the availability of the awards program as an employee incentive tool? Or, is under utilization of the awards program a true indication that, the current PI workforce is performing at the “meets expectation” level?

On September 19, 2007, a teleconference was held and the immediate needs of the three (3) vacant SEPMs were discussed. There is a vacancy in the following special emphasis group: 1. Federal Woman's Program (vacated by Katina Hanson) 2. Hispanic Emphasis Program (vacated by Milton Martinez). Sam D.R. Taylor, Veterans Emphasis Program Manager, has served terms and according to the PI by-laws should be replaced (PI CRAC By-Laws, ARTICLE IV, Membership). A bulletin will be drafted and posted for volunteers to apply for these vacancies. An outreach effort by everyone in the CRAC committee was strongly recommended. This does mean that each SEPM has to be on site at an outreach event, but what it does mean is that materials should be provided by SEPMs (pertinent to one’s special emphasis group) to be distributed at a career/job fair (as an example). The committee discussed who will be attending the National Civil Rights Committee training opportunity that will be held in Las Vegas; NV, on December 10-14, 2007. Michael nominated Kurencio B. Ngowakl as the nominee to attend this training opportunity and Cheryl seconded the nomination. There was a unanimous concurrence from the committee for Kurencio to attend. The committee proactively selected Athena and Cheryl to serve as backup replacements, per supervisor permission, in the event that Kurencio cannot make the CRAC training in Las Vegas, NV. These were some of the hi-lites and activities of the CRAC committee for FY2007. The biggest accomplishment is the drafting of the FY2008 Business Plan for proposal to and approval by the DEOO.

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