Placement: Department of Human Resources

What I worked on: The two complaints I hear most about City government is that it is outdated and behind the times, and that workers have to “pay their dues” and work years before they will be in leadership positions. What is great about my experience as a Fellow is that my main projects directly focused on proactively addressing these issues. I was the Project Assistant/Co-Leader for Phase II of Civil Service Reform, a reform effort targeting at eliminating or updating archaic citywide rules and regulations as well as introducing improved efficiencies to personnel policies and procedures. In that role, I met with numerous stakeholders throughout the City for input, including the Mayor’s Chief of Staff. The purpose of Civil Service Reform is to take a fresh look at the City’s policies and procedures and identify those areas where changes can and should be made.

I also was the Project Assistant on a 3-person team that developed the City’s first annual Workforce and Succession Planning citywide conference, an event emphasizing the need for the City to invest in its aging workforce to ensure knowledge is not lost and that the City is prepared for a new generation of workers. The focus of the Workforce Succession Planning conference and report is to highlight the major changes that will be facing local governments everywhere – figuring out a way transition into a new culture of government as more and more Boomers begin to reach retirement age. This includes focusing on developing local government’s next leaders and recruiting a new generation of workers. With that team I also researched and helped write a Workforce and Succession Planning Report, a report analyzing the City’s workforce and identifying departments with high risks of those eligible to retire.

Hometown: Ukiah, CA

School: Brown University

Field(s) of Study: Public Policy, Hispanic Studies

Selected Honors: Northern California Scholarship Foundation, 4 year scholarship recipient

Selected Activities and Community Involvement: Operation Happy Birthday (Tutoring for children in group homes), Youth In Action (Tutor)

Why San Francisco is important to me: Growing up, San Francisco was such an exciting city for me. As a kid, my family and I visited San Francisco often and there was just an energy I always felt from the people, the communities, and the endless events throughout the city. That energy is something that I appreciate even more now that I am living and working in the city. I am continually inspired by the commitment, passion, and level of engagement of the people who live and work in San Francisco.

Something Unique About Me: Since I was young, I have always loved to sing. While in college I sang with the Brown University Chorus and was a member of an all-female a cappella group on campus. Some of my favorite singing moments were when I was on tour in Argentina with the Brown University Chorus and we had the opportunity to sing in these beautiful, historic cathedrals with some of the local chorus groups in the area.

What I’m doing now: I am a Project Manager with San Francisco’s General Services Administration. Before switching over to GSA, I worked as an Employee Relations Representative with the Human Resources Department for the City & County of San Francisco. Some of the job duties required of this position include: assisting in labor negotiations, grievance processing, dispute resolution and other employee relations activities. Throughout summer and fall of 2009 I coordinated DHR’s Phase II of Civil Service Reform efforts and assist with the first citywide Workforce and Succession Planning conference/2nd annual WSP Report, and then transitioned to the Employee Relations Division to assist with the City’s 2010 labor negotiations.