The Secretary’s Diversity & Inclusion Excellence Awards Program
The Secretary’s Annual Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Awards Program was
established in 1988 to recognize EEO achievements associated with legally-protected
classes established by EEO laws. In fiscal year (FY) 2009, the program was redesigned
as “The Secretary’s Diversity and Inclusion Excellence Awards Program.”
The criteria for selection in furthering the goals of diversity and inclusion are based on individuals’ and teams’ demonstrated
efforts in growing a diverse, high-performing workforce that reflects all segments of our society and values all aspects of our
human diversity; cultivating an inclusive work environment and creating an engaged organization that leverages diversity and empowers
all contributors; and facilitating outstanding, responsive public service.
Congratulations to the winners!
Seventh Annual Awards
The nomination period for the Seventh Annual Secretary's Diversity and Inclusion Excellence Awards Program is now open. Please review the documents below:
Sixth Annual Awards
- Kara Merendo, EEO Manager, Workforce Management and Consulting, EEO/Affirmative Employment Office,
VHA (EEO/D&I Practitioner):
Kara Merendo orchestrated Veterans Health Administration (VHA) activities on a national level to ensure
that the Administration achieved consistent, effective, and efficient diversity and inclusion and equal employment
opportunity (EEO) program management across the Nation’s largest integrated health care system. She played a key
role in the development and execution of various Department and Administration diversity, inclusion, and EEO
strategic planning activities, including the update and distribution of the Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2016
through 2021 by the VHA Special Emphasis Program Advisory Committee (SEPAC). She developed and communicated
strategies and best practices to SEPAC members, Special Emphasis Program Managers (SEPMs), EEO Managers, and
leadership to increase outreach to members of communities with less than expected workforce participation.
Additionally, she fostered partnerships with affinity organizations, professional associations, and educational
institutions focused on those groups. She assisted in implementing diversity-focused internship and fellowship
programs and also managed the EEO Technical Career Field Program. Her work supported VHA placements of individuals
with targeted disabilities into positions with promotion potential and thereby contributed to VHA exceeding
established hiring and on-board goals for individuals with targeted disabilities. She ensured that VHA EEO and
diversity and inclusion staff, including EEO Managers, SEPMs, and Selective Placement Coordinators, were properly
trained and aware of their various roles and responsibilities. She supported SEPs, employee affinity groups, and
resource groups, and expanded these groups to represent new, emerging aspects of diversity such as Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT). Finally, she worked to ensure that the needs of VA’s diverse customers were met
by finalizing the Limited English Proficiency Frequently Asked Questions booklet.
- Mary Allen Austria Lausman, Administrative Officer, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service,
Gainesville VA Medical Center, VHA (Manager/Supervisor):
Mary Allen Austria Lausman is chair of the North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System Diversity Council and
an active member of the Veterans Integrated Service Network 8 (VISN8) Diversity and Inclusion Sub-committee. She is
dedicated to VAy’s succession planning efforts by ensuring the success of future VA administrative and clinical
leaders. Ms. Lausman provided valuable coaching, mentoring, and résumé review to work-study administrative interns
and assistants from undergraduate programs at local universities and colleges. Her work as a member of the All
Employee Survey Team for the North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System led to the development of an
evaluation model adopted by leadership and human resources staff to determine how services were functioning, as well
as ways to improve in areas such as productivity, engagement, and psychological safety. Ms. Lausman is a champion
for individuals with disabilities and works to ensure that they have the opportunity to be effective and successful
members of the VA workforce. Recognizing a gap in leadership training opportunities as a potential barrier, Ms.
Lausman also developed and managed the Emerging Leaders Training Program. Additionally, she developed standardized
training for new SEPM chairs and co-chairs that helped to translate each SEPM’s passion and commitment into strong
special emphasis programing results. As Acting LGBT SEPM, Ms. Lausman worked to ensure that the North Florida/South
Georgia Veterans Health System became a Health Equity Index Leader. She also worked with the LGBT sub-committee to
ensure that the first large LGBT event at the North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System was a success
following the Orlando nightclub tragedy on October 12, 2016.
- Monica Jones, Patient Services Assistant, Jackson VA Medical Center, VHA (Nonsupervisory Employee):
Monica Jones is an advocate and mentor for students and employees, as well as for individuals with
disabilities. As the Individuals with Disabilities Program Manager, Ms. Jones was instrumental in numerous
collaborations with human resources staff such as leading an effort to establish and maintain a file of applicants
of individuals with disabilities, including Disabled Veterans; attending career fairs such as those at Historically
Black Colleges and Universities to promote employment of individuals with disabilities; and training managers,
supervisors, and employees on Schedule A appointments, the Federal hiring process, and the Workforce Recruitment
Program (WRP). She also served as a recruiter for WRP, interviewing and counseling college students and recent
graduates for employment in both the Federal and private sector. Ms. Jones was extremely involved with the School
At Work (SAW) program to place entry-level employees from various backgrounds on the healthcare career path. Ms. Jones
mentored SAW alumni, other employees, as well as students in both personal and career development. She helped to
coordinate training on performance-based interviewing among entry-level SAW employees, employees with disabilities,
and Veterans, all of which helped to raise awareness about the significance of implementing standardized interviewing
processes and questions. Ms. Jones served as an active committee member on the Diversity Advisory Council. She also
identified and worked to address instances of less than expected representation and barriers to employment, retention,
and advancement.
- VA Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network VISN 6 Transgender Treatment Team, VHA (Team):
Members of the VA Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network VISN 6 Transgender Treatment Team dedicated themselves to employee
education, Veteran care, and community outreach at the W.G. (Bill) Hefner/Salisbury VA Medical Center. Team members
provided education and cultural sensitivity training to clinical trainees who continue to provide quality services
to LGBT Veterans as full-time employees upon graduation. Certified to deliver MIL-X training on military culture,
team members expanded the now-mandatory training to include relevant information on military LGBT history and
culture. Team members also collaborated with the facility’s Peer Support Specialist Coordinator to help a transgender
Veteran enroll as a Certified Peer Specialist, implemented the LGBT Veteran Care Coordinator position and the LGBT
Special Emphasis Program, networked with Chaplain Service to increase the availability of spiritual resources for
LGBT Veterans, and worked with the Minority Veterans Program and the Individuals with Disabilities Program to
recognize and respond to the needs of LGBT staff and Veterans who identified as members of one or more of these
other groups. Team members coordinated with the Homeless Veteran program, Suicide Prevention, Military Sexual Trauma,
and Women’s Veterans Program to identify, promote, and train specialists in transgender health care within each
program. Members of the Transgender Treatment Team include Dr. John Hall, Dr. Stephanie Muff, Dr. Nancy Furst, Dr.
Lisa Israel, Dr. Audrey Atkinson, Dr. Kristie Earnheart, Dr. Kara Felton, Dr. Lorraine Gauthier, Ms. Tiffany Hall,
Dr. Elizabeth Howarth, Dr. Simone Hunter, Ms. Casie Miltz, Dr. Amy Smith, Dr. Keisha Smith, and Ms. Rebecca Anne
Stickel.
Fifth Annual Awards
- Audrey Oatis-Newsome, Director, Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Employment
Program, Veterans Health Administration, Washington, DC (Manager/Supervisor):
Ms. Oatis-Newsome is being recognized for initiating and maintaining several
innovative equal employment opportunity and diversity and inclusion initiatives throughout
the Veterans Health Administration. The Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Employment
Office Peer Review, Equal Employment Opportunity Institute, and Equal Employment Opportunity
Technical Career Field Program are just a few. Under her leadership, VHA also developed and
implemented its own Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan that integrated the goals and
objectives of the Department-wide Diversity and Inclusion Plan. Ms. Oatis-Newsome’s vision
and guidance allows both VHA and the Department of Veterans Affairs to be a model for
diversity and inclusion excellence. Under her direction, for the first time, VHA met the
Secretary’s two percent onboard goal for individuals with targeted disabilities as well
as the three percent hiring goal for individuals with targeted disabilities. Ms. Oatis-Newsome
continues to ensure equal employment opportunity, diversity, and inclusion concepts and
principles remain in the forefront of Administration business.
- Maria Heliana Ramirez, LGBT Staff and Allies Special Emphasis Program Manager,
VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park Division (Nonsupervisory Employee):
Ms. Ramirez has not only taken the lead at Palo Alto in building a diverse workforce
inclusive of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) employees but she is also an
influential figure in VA Central Office as a member of VA’s National LGBT workgroup.
Ms. Ramirez markets VA as an employer of choice to the LGBT community, conducting outreach
at LGBT employment fairs and other community events. She works to ensure that her facility
is inclusive and that the staff is culturally competent, publishing materials to inform
employees about training events and establishing a web page to provide LGBT policies and
other LGBT employment-related resources. Ms. Ramirez also creatively manages the LGBT
program to conserve VA resources. Ms. Ramirez’s work led to the recognition of the
VA Palo Alto Health Care System by the Human Rights Campaign in the annual Healthcare
Equality Index. She provides outstanding public service by communicating both the needs
and the strengths of the LGBT community as Veterans and as employees in VA, in the military,
and on college campuses around the Nation.
- Southern Arizona VA Health Care System Gathering of Healers Program Planning Team,
Veterans Health Administration (Team): The Gathering of Healers Program Planning Team
brings employees together in a trusting and respectful atmosphere conducive to team building
and collaboration. Participants, representing a cross-section of employees from the medical
center’s senior leadership to front line staff, are selected to attend an annual
three-and-a-half day training camp. Employees gain insight into both Native American and
Veteran culture through Talking Circles and other meditations and ceremonies facilitated by
American Indians who are experts in their health care fields. The program focuses on concepts
such as listening and open dialogue that can be utilized in the care of our Nation’s Veterans
as well as within individual work units among employees. These experiences help develop cultural
competency so that employees are better prepared to serve their community and can target outreach
to members of populations who historically do not avail themselves of VA services. Members, in
alphabetical order by last name, include: Mark Besich, George Campbell, Sharon Hammond, Karen Hebda,
Bruce Kafer, Curtis Kekahbah, Rex Kinsey, Katherine Kretschmer, Cindy Mapelli, and Phyllis Spears.
Fourth Annual Awards
- Perdita Johnson-Abercrombie, Equal Employment Opportunity Manager, National
Cemetery Administration (NCA), VA Central Office, Washington, DC (Manager/Supervisor):
Ms. Johnson-Abercrombie is being recognized for orchestrating strategies that
were instrumental in NCA’s improvement in hiring individuals with disabilities,
resulting in NCA appointing more than double the Secretary’s goal of 3% for
the hiring of employees with targeted disabilities. Ms. Johnson-Abercrombie launched
an awareness program focused on reasonable accommodations (RA) and implemented a
RA training program that resulted in 100% of NCA’s managers and supervisors
receiving RA training by the end of fiscal year 2013. NCA continues to employ the
SES Diversity Accomplishment forums developed by Ms. Johnson-Abercrombie. These
forums are used in conjunction with SES performance plans as a method of demonstrating,
through metrics, both areas of accomplishment and areas needing improvement during
SES rating periods. Ms. Johnson-Abercrombie also marketed NCA’s Cemetery Director
Internship Program as a strategy to increase leadership diversity, implemented strategies
to resolve workplace disputes, championed the MyCareer@VA program, and partnered
with external offices to deliver training focused on barrier analysis and improving
respect and civility in the workplace.
- Leslie R. M. Hausmann, PhD, Research Health Scientist in the Center for
Health Equity Research and Promotion at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Veterans
Health Administration, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Nonsupervisory Employee):
Dr. Hausmann is being recognized for her efforts to increase the representation
of less than expected groups in the health sciences by mentoring diverse students
in clinical research activities. She is also being recognized for promoting civility,
respect, engagement, and inclusion in the workplace; improving cultural competency
through training opportunities; advancing understanding regarding racial and ethnic
differences in patient health care experiences within and between VA facilities;
improving the quality and equity of blood pressure control among Veterans with hypertension;
advancing the science of health equity research; and providing service to the national
health equity research community.
- VISN 8 Diversity & Inclusion Sub-Committee, Veterans Health Administration,
in St. Petersburg, Florida (Team): This team is being recognized for their
work in championing a diverse workforce by ensuring that Veterans, Disabled Veterans,
and individuals with disabilities learn about VA employment opportunities. This
team is also being recognized for their work in ensuring that VA is an inclusive
workplace by coordinating VISN-wide training opportunities in the areas of cultural
competency and prevention of micro-inequities. Team members include (in alphabetical
order): Patricia Donaldson, Shelly Flanagin, Patricia Hawk (Co-Chair), Gealdina
Irvine, Edwin Johnson, Mary Allen Austria Lausman, Shella Miller (Co-Chair), Sheila
O'Hara, and Tonya Wieck.
Third Annual Awards
- Dr. Rory A. Cooper, VA Senior Research Career Scientist and Director, Human
Engineering Research Laboratories, VA Center of Excellence in Wheelchairs
and Associated Rehabilitation Engineering at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System
(Manager/Supervisor): Dr. Cooper is being recognized for his commitment
to mentoring students with disabilities (emphasizing Veterans and their children),
to improving VA and the University of Pittsburgh to better support Veterans with
Disabilities, and to the people with disabilities and Veteran communities. Dr. Cooper
developed a transition program for Veterans—Experiential Learning for Veterans
in Assistive Technology and Engineering (ELeVATE)—which pairs Veterans with
disabilities with professional mentors to excite them about engineering, technical,
and healthcare careers. For Veterans who are more interested in a vocational track,
he created FATe, Fabrication of Assistive Technology. Dr. Cooper also believes in
cultivating a diverse workforce by filling the educational and training pipeline,
having established creative formal and informal curricula and training initiatives
for students across the educational pipeline as young as middle school. Dr. Cooper
was instrumental in creating the Armed Forces Amputee Care Program as well as the
U.S. Army and VA Rehabilitation Research and Development Service “State of
the Science” Symposium Series. He co-edited the U.S. Army textbook “Care
of the Combat Amputee” for the Surgeon General of the U.S. Army and edited
the “Warrior Transition Leader Medical Rehabilitation Handbook” for
the U.S. Army. Dr. Cooper has been awarded the Distinguished Public Service Award
(the Army’s highest award) from the Secretary of the U.S. Army, and received
several other awards from the Army and Marine Corps for his contributions. In 2011,
Dr. Cooper was inducted into the Pennsylvania Military and Veterans “Hall
of Fame”, and awarded the Pennsylvania Meritorious Service Medal by the Governor.
Dr. Cooper increases the quality of life of persons and Veterans with disabilities,
is a leading researcher who mentors by example, and a person who helps others become
successful by providing them with courage to follow their dreams.
- Dr. Laura Johnson, Clinical Psychologist, Director of Diversity Services,
and Transgender Veteran Liaison, Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital,
Bedford, Massachusetts (Nonsupervisory Employee): Dr. Johnson is being
recognized her work in providing for culturally competent public service. Though
primarily her work is with the psychology service, she was given the title Director
of Diversity Services and has begun to work outside of the service in support of
the mission of diversity and inclusion. Dr. Johnson created and facilitated a therapy
group for Transgender Veterans. She continues to supervise trainee facilitators
of this therapy group, allowing the hospital to provide a rarely available training
experience and to usher more culturally competent clinicians into the field of psychology.
Dr. Johnson was named the facility's Transgender Veteran Liaison, and in this role
is directly responsible for meeting with transgender Veterans to discuss their healthcare
needs and VA resources. She also ensured broader cultural competence training for
hospital staff. She coordinated a day of training open to all mental health staff
(psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, nurses, and peer providers) called
“Do Ask, Do Tell: Working with LGBT Veterans.” Dr. Johnson worked with
community stakeholders to form collaborations beneficial to Veterans and, as part
of the Multicultural Advisory Committee, she created a list of diverse professional
organizations to provide to human resources, the Chief of Staff, and the service
chiefs with the goal of ensuring a diverse candidate pool for the hospital’s
workforce. Dr. Johnson is a dedicated staff member who consistently strives to provide
better access to high-quality VA care.
- The Equal Employment Opportunity Committee at the Harry S. Truman Memorial
Veterans’ Hospital in Columbia, Missouri (Team). The team members are (in
alphabetical order): Machelle Dykstra, Leigh Anne Fleck, Vicki J. Freelon, L. Stephen
Gaither, James E. Grady, Sara Hake, Veronica Ramnarine, Darlayna Scott, Annette
Velasco, Michael E. Whittier, and Paula D. Williams: This team is being
recognized for their work in championing a diverse and inclusive workplace through
collaborative opportunities, leadership development, succession planning, and diversity
awareness activities. Truman VA's Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Program is
the 2012 recipient of the Columbia Values Diversity organization/group award. In
2009, the Committee collaborated with human resources to host a disability employment
networking event. As a result of this initial outreach event, Truman VA established
ongoing relationships with several community resources that have resulted in successful
hiring practices. In addition, Truman VA's EEO Committee provides ongoing training
opportunities for supervisors and staff on hiring people with disabilities, using
schedule A hiring authorities and reasonable accommodations. Truman VA's EEO Committee
strives to achieve an inclusive organization that functions as a responsible community
partner by pursuing opportunities to work with local schools, community-based organizations,
and professional associations to expand outreach to diverse communities, broaden
opportunities, enhance access, and promote cultural awareness. Truman VA's EEO Committee
regularly participates in other local recruitment and career fairs and connects
with a diverse range of cultures, generations, and backgrounds within the community
to increase awareness of VA career opportunities and health care services. Committee
members also participate in facility and VISN LEAD programs, Leadership Columbia,
the Technical Career Field program, and have completed VHA coaching/mentoring training
in order to develop themselves as leaders and role models, and to champion these
programs to others. The EEO Committee’s ongoing commitment to building a diverse,
high-performing workforce; cultivating a flexible, collaborative and inclusive work
environment; and facilitating outstanding, culturally competent public service exemplifies
VA’s goals to promote diversity and inclusion in the Federal workforce.
Second Annual Awards
- Terry Gerigk Wolf (Manager/Supervisor): Mrs. Wolf is being recognized
for her outstanding leadership and commitment to fostering a
diverse workforce and an inclusive work environment at VAPHS.
Under Mrs. Wolf’s leadership, VAPHS is active in succession planning and has
enacted numerous programs to ensure that employees can bolster their professional
skills. Mrs. Wolf also supports flexible scheduling to help employees enhance productivity
while accommodating their educational and personal goals. In addition to being a
tireless advocate for educating employees, Mrs. Wolf is also greatly concerned with
communicating with all VAPHS stakeholders. Her management style champions communication,
which she sees as vital to ensuring that all employees feel included and engaged
in the conversations at VA Pittsburgh. She uses a number of innovative communication
methods to promote a culture of open communication and inclusion among her 3,704
employees. These include a “Director’s Page” on VA Pittsburgh’s
Intranet site—which includes a compliments page, blog, message board, and
an archive of every all-employee email message sent from the Director’s signature.
Mrs. Wolf is a VA leader whose actions serve as a model for diversity and inclusion
excellence as she continues to make invaluable contributions to furthering the Department’s
goals in these areas and to ensuring equal opportunity.
- Novella Brown Scott (Nonsupervisory Employee): When it comes to
the diversity and inclusion arena,
Ms. Scott has embraced the concept of shared leadership in
her role as a Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist within the CAVHCS, Mental Health-Residential
Rehabilitation Treatment Program (MH-RRTP). She shines as a beacon of hope to encourage
Disabled Veterans that they can be positive contributors in the workplace and has
dedicated herself to conveying this message to them as well as to CAVHCS staff,
stakeholders, communities, and even potential employers. Ms. Scott was instrumental
in the development of various programs and initiatives to aid homeless and unemployed
Veterans and Disabled Veterans, such as a “Ready to Work” training and
skills program for unemployed Disabled Veterans. She also helped to develop the
first MH-RRTP Women’s Focus Group and the first MH-RRTP Annual Prom in an
effort to recognize the service of women Veterans and promote positive awareness
of homeless Veterans seeking employment by ensuring participation of positive community
leaders. Ms. Scott worked to remove the stigma and barriers associated with the
equal opportunity employment of homeless Veterans and coordinated various trainings
to understand disabilities, decrease stigma, and emphasize the desire for community
employment by people with disabilities. Ms. Scott is a hidden treasure within the
walls of CAVHCS and is the manifestation of the organization’s leadership
drive to meet the vision of the Department of Veterans Affairs to create and sustain
a high-performing workforce by leveraging diversity and empowering employees to
achieve superior results in service to our Nation’s Veterans.
- VISN 16 Diversity Advisory Committee, South Central VA Health Care Network,
Ridgeland, MS (Team):
The VISN 16 Diversity Advisory Committee is being recognized for their outstanding
efforts to promote diversity and inclusion throughout the entire South Central VA
Health Care Network. The Committee took creative action knowing that a diverse workforce
and an inclusive work environment are essential to a high-performing organization.
They developed, signed, and executed a Diversity Contract aimed at creating and
sustaining a high-performing workforce by leveraging diversity and empowering all
employees to achieve superior results in service to our Nation’s Veterans
and leadership accountability in these areas. The Committee also created a Diversity
Web page to facilitate communication: the VISN Director can post monthly messages
and all employees can submit ideas for improvements and share thoughts about how
to create the best workplace cultures. Their proactive commitment also led them
to establish the goal of critically evaluating their VISN data and to identify opportunities
for continuous improvement in the areas of representation, recruitment, and retention.
The VISN 16 Diversity Advisory Committee serves as a model of excellence for their
creative and innovative approaches to VA’s diversity and inclusion goals.
First Annual Awards
Caption: Georgia Coffey (far left) and Ralph Torres (far right) with the 2010 Diversity
and Inclusion and Alternative Dispute Resolution Excellence Award recipients.
- Adam Walmus (Manage/Supervisor): Mr. Walmus is currently the new
director of the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, Texas. He was recognized
as the former director of the VA Medical Center in Muskogee, Oklahoma, for his focus
on cultural diversity awareness that helped to ensure that a wide-range of perspectives
was incorporated when addressing issues and concerns related to the delivery of
high-quality care to America’s Veterans. In addition, Mr. Walmus made participation
in the Student Career Experience Program (SCEP) a high priority, increasing the
number of students involved in the facility’s program from just five in fiscal
year (FY) 2006 to 25 in FY 2009, the highest number of SCEP interns among all VA
medical centers!
- Jeanette Goff (Nonsupervisory Employee): Ms. Goff, Medical Support
Assistant at the VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System in Reno, Nevada, was recognized
for her creative ideas on educating and training an employee with visual impairment
to perform the work of a medical support assistant. In addition to working directly
with the low-vision employee, Ms. Goff worked with call center team members to identify
unspoken assumptions, differing values, and initial resistance related to working
with persons with a visual disability. As a direct result of her efforts, the low-vision
employee can now perform competently and professionally the functions of this job,
and the call center team members know what people can do is much more important
than what they can’t do.
- Office of Health Information Management, Medical Record Technicians unit
at the Charles George VA Medical Center in Asheville, North Carolina (Ryl Giacchetta
accepted on behalf of the Team): Ms. Giacchetta accepted the team award
on behalf of the Office of Health Information Management, Medical Record Technicians
unit at the Charles George VA Medical Center in Asheville, North Carolina. The unit
was responsible for translating medical care services provided to Veterans into
billable codes recognized by third-party health insurers. Over the past three years,
members of the coding unit have overcome individual differences in order to become
a unified team, working together efficiently and effectively to focus on their shared
goals. In addition to deliberate efforts to build camaraderie, the coding unit has
benefited from increased training and expanded communications, both internal and
external. The performance of the coding unit has also improved as a result of increased
flexibility in how, when, and where work gets done. Their accuracy rate has climbed
from 75 percent to 90 percent, and other facilities are now asking them for assistance
with their coding concerns.