January 15, 2003
The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered (GLBT) Arts Consortium and Capital Pride offered a remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Tuesday, January 21, 2003, 7:00 – 8:00 PM, at the Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church. More information about the remembrance is available at 202-546-1549 or at: www.dcglbtarts.org.
Maria Wiseman reported that there has not been much progress over the holidays in completing the newsletter. Additionally, some of the staff have been traveling. It now appears that the next edition will be a “Winter” edition.
John Haugh reported that the association’s funds have not changed in the past month.
Ballots were received from 30 members across the Department. Results indicate a landslide victory for the candidates. In addition to 28 votes for the entire slate of candidates there were two ballots with single votes, one for Jerry Bock for President and one for Jay Douglas for FedGLOBE representative. A few ballots also contained notes thanking the candidates for volunteering to serve in these positions and expressing appreciation for the work performed by the officers. The elected officers are as follows:
|
President |
Jerry Bock |
|
Vice President |
Andy DeVito |
| Secretary | Ike Kelley |
| Treasurer | John Haugh |
| FedGLOBE Representative | Jay Douglas |
Preparation for the Meeting with the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and Workforce Diversity, Mike Trujillo
Interior GLOBE had previously requested a meeting with Deputy Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and Workforce Diversity, Mike Trujillo, to discuss a number of issues of concern to GLOBE. Mr. Trujillo has agreed to meet with GLOBE, and a date has been set for Tuesday, February 04, 2003, at 10:00 AM. It is anticipated that Melodee Stith, Chief of the Office for Equal Opportunity, and Mark Oliver, Chief of the Office of Educational Partnerships, will also attend the meeting. GLOBE representatives will most likely include: Jerry Bock, Andy DeVito, John Haugh, Ike Kelley, Maria Wiseman, and Bob Veltkamp; invitations are being extended to former officers Jay Douglas, Jim Gasser, and Daphne Berwald, as well as the GLBT representative in the Office for Equal Opportunity, Richard Nolan. At present, the topics of discussion are expected to devolve from the following GLOBE questions:
Discussion Topic |
GLOBE Discussion Leader |
|
1. June Pride Celebration – GLOBE appreciates the Department’s continued support for this activity. The 2002 celebration was one of the more successful and was well attended. Will the Office of Educational Partnerships be handling diversity celebrations again this year, and with whom should GLOBE work to begin planning this year’s celebration? |
TBD |
|
2. GLOBE also appreciates the support the Department has provided with respect to non-discrimination against gays and lesbians, particularly the inclusion of gays and lesbians in the non-discrimination policy, non-discrimination statements in vacancy announcements, and the sexual orientation discrimination procedures. What this Administration’s position with respect to employee special interest groups? What is the status of the Diversity Council? What is the status of the Department’s Strategic Plan for Workforce Diversity? |
Ike Kelley |
|
3. Please describe the Department’s proposed reorganization of EEO offices and the potential impact to all employees. How many sexual orientation discrimination complaints have been filed within the past year, and what is their status? |
Andy DeVito |
|
4. GLOBE has had a representative with part-time duties in the Office for Equal Opportunity. Can you tell us how this arrangement is working for OEO? |
Ike Kelley |
|
5. What is this Administration’s position on domestic partner benefits? Will the Department continue to support existing policies that provide domestic partner benefits, such as the Department’s relocation policy and the Employee Assistance Program guidelines? Would the Department be willing to advocate for additional domestic partner benefits on behalf of DOI employees both internally and across the Government? |
Maria Wiseman, John Haugh, and Bob Veltkamp |
|
6. The Department did not sponsor any activity for World AIDS Day in 2002. Would the Department work with GLOBE and other interested employee special interest groups to sponsor activities in 2003? |
Jim Gasser |
Jerry will serve as the opening and closing spokesperson for GLOBE. He will issue an advance memorandum to the participants, identifying the issues GLOBE would like to discuss, so that the Department can be prepared for its meeting with GLOBE. Background materials relative to several of the topics will also be provided along with the memo.
Revised:
01/24/03
Robert_J_Veltkamp@nbc.gov