How to be a Changemaker Within Your Agency

Panelists:

Russell Maltiempo, Project Manager (FDIC)

Emily Doughtry, Special Assistant (EPA)

Lorena Molina-Irizarry, Hispanic Employment Program Manager (HEPM)

Laura Kunkel, Special Assistant at HUD

Steve Ressler, Founder of Govloop (Moderator)

The panelists and their groups:

Russell – Emerging Leaders Group at FDIC

Emily – EPA’s Emerging Leadership Network (ELN)

Lorena – NextGen Census

Laura – Under 5

“Bring NextGen to you Agency” was a special panel of four individuals who brought NextGen to their organization and provided the audience with information on how they could do the same.

The majority of this session was a Q&A between the audience and the panelists. These are a few of the questions asks during the session and a summation of the panelist’s responses.

Q: Is the risk worth it?

A yes from all four panelists.

The rewards from bringing such a group to one’s agency are plentiful. Not only do you gain recognition and grow as a resource, but you form an affinity group of people that care to give feedback about their agency, bridge the divides that may be present within, bring change to the programs and fuel their agency’s forward. The work is always worth it if you take the risk.

Q: What do you do before you go to management?

You may be ready to take the risk, but be smart about it.

• Do your research before going to management.
• It’s all about the WIIFM – What’s in it for me? This is what management is going to what to know, so have set solutions to their problems, define your mission and set out to better the agency. Having these concrete ideas set in place will aid your conversation with management.
• Understand who you’re approaching – what does headquarters what to do, what do you want to do. It’s important to find like minds and collaborate to ultimately make the agency’s mission easier. Thinking about them rather than yourself.
• Additionally, spread your mission, your goals, and aims within. Internal dispersal of ideas will foster support and aid in reaching your mission, especially because those in the field have as many ideas, energy, and perspective to provide as do those in headquarters.

Q: How to go about creating the chapter and surpassing challenges?

Once you’ve decided that you’re doing this don’t lose sight of the ultimate goal.

• It’s all about the network of motivated and change seeking individuals that want to foster and better their agencies.
  • The greater their passion, the greater your responsibility becomes to fuel their passions and empower them.
    • Have staggered leadership roles. Weed out the motivated individuals in the bunch, have them write newsletters, introduce events, use their ideas, etc…
    • Despite any challenges people do work that they care about. Have a good and true purpose, stay passionate and others will follow.

If you would like more information from these individuals on how to bring NextGen to your agency, contact the respective individual/agency:

[email protected]

[email protected]

NextGen Emerging Leadership Forum

[email protected]

Visit www.nextengovt.com to get additional information on bringing NextGen to your agency.