Agency IT team keeps WSDA tech humming

Kathy Davis
Communications

The WSDA Service Desk team from left, Khanda Lor,
Susie Fry, Nathan Stevens, Kim Bellows, Jeff Painter,
Becca Paice, Robin Meiser, and Roger Flourney.

We use and rely on technology every day. Ideally it all works seamlessly without us having to think about how or why. Who makes that happen at WSDA? The folks in our Information Technology (IT) group.

As our chief technology officer, Yoshi Ouye leads the agency’s IT operations. The 22 staffers who make up the full group are organized into four teams. Keep reading to learn who they are and what they do.

Service Desk

The Service Desk is “the face of IT for the agency,” said Yoshi. As their name implies, this team provides direct service to internal agency customers. They are the first point-of-contact to resolve tech concerns. 

While each technician is assigned to a specific division, they are now centralized into one team (see list below) reporting to Susie Fry. 

Agencywide, employees request help or report concerns by contacting the Service Desk through the automated ticketing system, operating on software called RemedyForce. 

According to Susie, the team has now adopted a tiered service structure. Khanda Lor was recently hired as the new “tier 1” technician. As such, he will monitor service requests and resolve the simpler ones such as password resets, freeing up the others to focus on higher level technical support. 

The team:

• Susie Fry – supervisor
• Jeff Painter – Plant Protection
• Robin Meiser – Pesticide Management
• Roger Flourney – Animal Services
• Nathan Stevens – Directors Office, Administrative Services
• Kim Bellows – Food Safety and Consumer Services
• Becca Paice – Commodity Inspection, West
• Khanda Lor – Tier 1 technician
• Kim Gohl – Commodity Inspection, East (Yakima)
• Thomas Owns - Commodity Inspection, East (Yakima)

Network/Security

This two-person team consists of Sheri Hartman and Dwight Moody. They tend to the network – think of it as the tech super highway that keeps us all connected through the ubiquitous internet by which we get to the web, databases and programs like Outlook for our email.

This team is also responsible for assuring that our network system is protected from ever-present cyber threats. As these hacking risks become more frequent and sophisticated, these are safeguards average users may not think about, but can be very grateful for.  

Among the many things (sometimes hard to describe in layman’s terms) they do:

• Manage user and administrative access accounts. 
• Set up email distribution lists.
• Provide remote Wi-Fi access within agency buildings. 
• Run data backups, and plan to restore and recover in a disaster. 
• Assure that field staff can connect to the network through mobile devices like laptops and tablets. 

Systems Administration

If the network is the connected ribbons of roadway, think of systems as everything that runs on them, allowing functional travel and easy navigation, including our personal workstations (computer, etc.), software and servers.   

For instance, this team makes sure WSDA is using only safe and approved software programs, and that we are abiding by the licensing requirements. Why does this matter? A software company can fine our agency extremely high fees for violating its licensing agreement. The systems team monitors and regulates the downloading and licensing of software to keep us out of trouble. 

They also have been automating existing processes - such as when staff join or leave the agency - which has saved us money. 

Justin Newman, who’s based in Yakima, is staffing this function solo since Bill Castillo left WSDA in March. IT is recruiting to fill this vacancy. 

Applications Development

The Applications Development team
from left, Kevin Campbell, Tim
Valdez, Ed Thompson,
Ian Kremer, Vichet Hoy,
Josh McMeel and Curt Secker.

This group builds and maintains programs used for specific agency functions, either custom built or purchased off-the-shelf. Examples include applications for food safety, animal tracking, pesticide registration and licensing, Fruit and Vegetable Inspection, and many more. 

When a WSDA program requests a technology-based project, this group gathers and analyses business needs, issues Requests for Proposals to solicit bidders, and evaluates vendors to determine who can do the job. Or, they determine that the job can best be done in-house by agency programmers. 

For example, the team provided essential support for the Chemical and Hop Laboratory in Yakima to create a new application that replaces the old, unsupported Laboratory Information Management System, or LIMS. The new “LabWorks” system had to meet high scientific standards and will be easier for staff to use while adjusting to changing practices and state laws. 

The team:

• Curt Secker – supervisor
• Ed Thompson – lead developer
• Josh McMeel – developer
• Ian Kremer – developer
• Kevin Campbell – Sales Force developer
• Tim Valdez – Webmaster (reports to Communication Office)
• Vichet Hoy - Contractor

Technology and how it works can be a real mystery to many of us. Thankfully, WSDA has a dedicated team of professionals who understand how to “do” IT. 

In summary: We often take for granted that our ever-present technology just works. We can thank a dedicated team of IT professionals for making that happen. 

Short legislative session produced impacts on ag

Hannah Street
Policy Team

Gov. Jay Inslee signs Senate Bill 6369 on March 27. This agency request
legislation relates to certificates of veterinary inspection for animals
brought into the state. Standing next to the governor, from left, are Hannah
Street and Laura Butler from WSDA’s policy team, and Sen. Judy Warnick,
primary sponsor of the bill. 

A short legislative session is something of a false promise; the briefer timeline suggests fewer bills and a more streamlined process. The reality is quite different. 

An integral part of the agency’s success with bills and budget requests is the work done by everyone at WSDA who provided bill analysis, advised the policy team, and testified on bills. 

As preparations for next session begin already (yes, really), here’s an overview of the progress WSDA made in the three months of the 2018 session. 

Every agency request bill introduced this year was signed into law. Agency request bills included: 

• Update to the agricultural fairs statute. 
• Veterinary inspection certification change.
• Technical update to a food safety law.
• Produce safety update.
• Removal of certain aspects of hop lot information from public disclosure. 

Study session

In addition, the agency was able to weigh in on some issues and legislation proposed by others that directly affect WSDA or our stakeholders. 

For example, a school nutrition bill called “Breakfast After the Bell” passed, enabling the Farm to School program within the Commodity Inspection Division to support the Department of Health and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction to provide more flexible breakfast options for students in Washington. 

Some bills created work groups, including one on pesticide drift and another addressing apple maggot quarantines. WSDA will provide insight and expertise on these issues. 

Visitors to the 2015 Washington State Fair enjoy seeing
a momma pig and her piglets up close. An update to the
agricultural fairs act was a successful legislative bill
passed during the 2018 session.

Another bill mentioning WSDA drew attention and support from WSDA Director Derek Sandison. The bill, regarding the behavioral health of agricultural workers, cites the high suicide rates of people working in agriculture. It proposed a work group and a free behavioral health support service available to agricultural workers and their families. 

As an important issue for the longevity of agriculture, and the success and wellbeing of its stewards, Derek was a frequent presence in committee hearings for this bill, speaking to WSDA’s support.

Looking forward

The 2018 legislative session ended about a month ago, but it’s already time to start thinking about next session. Programs are working on concept papers for potential legislation. If approved by the director, budget requests will go to the Governor’s Office for approval in the fall and policy bills will go through the legislative process, assisted by the WSDA Policy Office team and agency specialists.

In summary: In just a three-month legislative session, state lawmakers addressed several issues that affect WSDA and agriculture. Read the summary wrap-up of the 2018 session on the Insider. 

Former farm girl has answers to animal import questions

Mike Louisell
Communications

Talk about acing a job interview. Kerrie Pfalzgraf applied for a job with WSDA shortly after moving to Washington from Iowa in 1982. 

Kerrie enjoying her favorite pastime. 

When told it would be secretarial work in the State Veterinarian’s Office, Kerrie simply replied: “I’m a farmer’s daughter, my brother is a veterinarian and my sister is a veterinary technician. What else do you want to know?

Kerrie has been a program specialist in the State Veterinarian’s Office for more than 35 years. She has worked under eight directors and supported seven state veterinarians. 

As an animal regulations and permit coordinator, Kerrie helps ensure that animals coming into Washington meet our state’s requirements designed to prevent disease and protect livestock owners from theft. 

Customer contact keeps her busy

She figures she gets up to 50 calls on a busy day. She may explain what exotic animals can be shipped here as pets or our import requirements for animals coming into Washington. She also refers callers to USDA or other states as appropriate. 

Kerrie is patient, but firm. She’s also a stickler for details, such as identification and type of animal, sex and age, and getting exact addresses.

“You can’t put a cow in a P.O. box,” Kerrie politely tells callers. 

Kerrie is WSDA’s lead contact with Washington’s many fair officials regarding livestock health requirements and care for any animals being exhibited.  

By early March of each year, Kerrie sends out WSDA’s livestock protocol packets to 70 fairs, 39 cooperative extensions, area veterinarians, and WSDA’s veterinarians. The seven-page document is posted on the agency’s Animal Health Program webpage.

Farm girl and avid reader

Employees in the Natural Resources Building can usually find Kerrie enjoying one of her favorite pastimes—reading a book during her breaks. “My favorite authors are Clive Cussler, J. A. Jance and James Rollins,” Kerrie noted.

Growing up in Holstein, Iowa, her parents’ farm included dairy cows and small hogs, later expanding into beef cattle. 

“I got to feed the chickens, sheep, goats, and horses. I milked cows and fed sows. I helped harvest corn and soybeans, and mowed the lawn when necessary.” 

With her foundation in ag life and dedication to animal health, Kerrie represents what’s unique and steadfast about so many WSDA employees. 

In summary: Kerrie Pfalzgraf, program specialist in State Veterinarians Office, represents the kind of dedicated employee that is the face of customer service at WSDA.

Results in on annual state employee survey

Performance and Planning Management Office

Every October WSDA participates in the statewide Employee Engagement Survey. The survey is your opportunity to provide meaningful information about your satisfaction as a state employee in general and WSDA employee specifically. The data from the 2017 survey is in. Read on to learn how WSDA rated itself. 

Participation in 2017 was down from the previous year. The proportion of all agency staff who took the survey was 46 percent, which was a 12 percent reduction from 2016, when we reached 58 percent.   

Successes

The following survey statements received the highest percentage of positive responses (ranked usually, almost always or always):

• I know what is expected of me at work, 85%.
• My supervisor treats me with dignity and respect, 83%.
• I know how my work contributes to the goals of my agency, 76%.
• I have the tools and resources I need to do my job effectively, 75%.
• I receive the information I need to do my job effectively, 73%.

These results show the areas of real strength for WSDA. The high positive scores reveal that most survey respondents feel they have the support, clear expectations and adequate resources to be successful in their jobs. 

Improvement opportunities

The following statements received the lowest percentage of positive responses (ranked usually, almost always or always):

• I receive clear information about changes being made within the agency, 39%.
• I know how my agency measures its success, 46%.
• I receive recognition for a job well done, 48%.
• We use customer feedback to improve our work processes, 50%.
• I am encouraged to come up with better ways of doing things, 53%.

These results clearly indicate areas where the agency has work to do to fully engage and support staff. At the all-agency and divisional levels, we’ll be looking for ways to make improvements on as many of these fronts as possible. 

More specifically, WSDA’s Performance and Planning Management Office will use the survey response data to assemble a cross-divisional group of employees for a facilitated discussion. This focus group will use the survey data to identify one area on which to target improvement efforts in the coming months. We’ll provide more information about this project.

WSDA’s survey results report issued by State Human Resources (within Office of Financial Management) is available here.  

Thanks to all WSDA staff who took the time to complete the 2017 Employee Engagement Survey. If you have any comments or suggestions please send them to either Nicole Wolf or Amy-Jo Shriner. 

In summary: How did WSDA employee rate job satisfaction and working conditions? Our results are in on the 2017 state Employee Engagement Survey – read the summary on the Insider and link to the full report.

WSDA expands its social media outreach

Karla Salp
Communications

Over the past two years, we in the Communications Office have been expanding the agency’s social media presence to better access and engage the public, our customers and stakeholders. In fact, in each of the past two years, we have doubled our fans on Facebook! 

WSDA currently has seven social media channels:

• Facebook
• Instagram (new!)
• Twitter
• YouTube
• Ag Briefs blog
• Flickr (new!)
• LinkedIn

Our goal is to help WSDA programs effectively share messages and reach target audiences. Social media can be a great tool to educate consumers and stakeholders about your work, and get important information to key audiences. 

Below are just some of the ways social media could help your program meet its goals.

• Share a photo of your staff in the field with a short sentence or two about how their work supports agriculture.
• Solicit feedback from stakeholders before revising a program. 
• Run ads to target certain audiences or geographic areas.
• Advertise a key job vacancy.
• Distribute a helpful how-to video.
• Alert stakeholders to upcoming changes in regulations.
• Give real-time updates about a high-profile project. 
• Blog about a program project or activity. 
• Advertise agency-sponsored events.
• Create a discussion forum about common interests in the agricultural community. 

An example of a photo offered on WSDA's Flickr site. 

Good visuals are key to most social media platforms these days, so including engaging photos or videos is important. Two quick tips -- make sure to properly focus the photo/video and hold the camera as steady as possible. Many more tips for taking visuals are available online. A little web research can really boost your skills. 

If you feel overwhelmed about the prospect of doing your own photography or writing a blog, all is not lost! Reach out to the communications team. If we can, we’ll attend your event or project to take photos or video, learn about it, and write social media posts to promote your work. 

For more information about how your program might benefit from using social media, check out our new social media matrix. We also have tip sheets on how to compose a good Facebook post or blog. To find these, visit the WSDA intranet at agrapoly01/wsda/ and go to the Communications page under Director's Office. All the how-to tips sheets are available under Process. 

If you have a suggestion for a social media post, don’t hesitate to contact me (Karla Salp) to talk about your idea.

As a reminder, no program or individual may create agency-related social media profiles, pages or accounts without consent of the communications director. All social media posts are coordinated through the Communications Office.

In summary: WSDA has really increased presence on social media platforms over the past two years. Learn how using social media can help tell our story and meet your program’s goals.

New deputy puts focus on communications, leadership

Patrick Capper
Deputy Director

I’m excited and honored to be your deputy director. My first couple of months on the job have been fast-paced and somewhat of a blur, but I’m starting to feel a rhythm. 

Patrick Capper

I have held a number of introductory meetings to learn about the issues that are important to our WSDA programs and offices. These meetings have kept me fairly desk-bound, but I’m looking forward to getting out and getting to know as many of you as possible. 

I’ve learned so much about the agency in these first weeks, and I have identified some initial priorities to focus on. 

Communication

I believe clear and consistent communication is vital to any organization. I will work to strengthen our external communication processes so that WSDA conveys its goals and activities clearly and accurately. External communication is crucial for quality customer service, as well as public understanding and support for agriculture. 

Well-coordinated internal communication is equally important. It helps us understand how our work is connected, and gives you the information and resources you need to do your best work. Of course, communication is a two-way street – I’ll also be establishing ways to listen to agency employees directly to learn what’s important to you. 

I plan to use tools like this WSDA Insider blog to communicate with you regularly. Please watch my columns for regular updates. 

Leadership decision making

WSDA’s Leadership Team (LT) has begun to streamline how we make critical agency decisions. By establishing a reliable process, we can lead the agency more efficiently. LT will also rely on the direction set out in our agency Strategic Plan, and base decisions on our stated goals, objectives and vision. 

I understand that personnel changes in the Director’s Office and within the Leadership Team can cause uncertainty. I want to assure you that Derek and I have tremendous confidence in our group of leaders, and we are all pulling together to do the hard work of advancing this agency’s goals. 

Derek will continue to focus on agency relations with our external customers, and state and national ag industry partners. He relies on me for day-to-day management of internal agency operations. He and I are in sync to ensure that WSDA is moving forward in a coordinated direction. 

Again, I will connect with all of you through this regular column on the Insider. Please watch and read, and let me know what you think.  

I thank you for all of your work and look forward to working with you as we move into spring.

In summary: WSDA Deputy Director Patrick Capper will be updating staff monthly on the Insider. Read his first column to learn more about his adjustment to the job and initial priorities he’s focusing on. 

Long-term PIO, Mike Louisell, retires

Kathy Davis
Communications

Mike Louisell

In his 18 years at WSDA, Mike Louisell has made a lot of friends and been at the center of some of the agency’s most noteworthy issues and events. As of March 30, this agency’s long-term public information officer (PIO) will say farewell and move on to new adventures.

“I’ll really miss so many employees I’ve worked with here,” Mike said. “I couldn’t even name all the people who’ve helped me. Well, I could, but there wouldn’t be enough space to print them all.”

Mike joined WSDA in January 1999. He had previously worked more than 16 years for the Washington Public Power Supply System (WPPSS) nuclear program at Satsop and Richland. It was his experience at Columbia Generating Station drills at Hanford that helped him land the job at WSDA. He was the designated PIO representing the department in mandatory drills for many years. 

His first post-college job was as a reporter for the Seattle business newspaper, Daily Journal of Commerce, where one of his assignments was to cover the construction of the Kingdome. 

From big city to agriculture

Raised in urban Seattle, agriculture was not a familiar topic.

“My stepfather grew up on an Iowa farm and asked when I got this job, ‘What the heck do you know about agriculture?’,” Mike said. “My answer then was that I didn’t know anything, but I knew the press and how to get a story into media outlets.”

Mike goes to the fair. 

And that’s just what he’s been doing for several decades. Among the many milestone incidents he’s worked on here is “the cow that stole Christmas” – the outbreak of BSE in December 2003. That stunning news had reporters calling from around the globe and around the clock for weeks. 

Mike was also involved with the 1999 aerial spraying of the Ballard and Magnolia areas for gypsy moth, which brought out protesters, as well as the World Trade Organization meeting dubbed the “Battle of Seattle.”

One of his first WSDA assignments was to promote the opening of our Yakima Building, dedicated in February 1999. “For the first time, our staff could all work in one location, instead of being scattered around the city,” he noted. 

Mike and Kim Eads, Food Assistance
Program manager. 

Over the years, Mike has worked with five agency directors. He’s been in the same spot in the Natural Resources Building throughout his tenure. Although he points out there was no door leading from the rotunda to the Director’s Office when he started.

“Mike is one of the kindest, most energetic people I’ve ever worked with,” said Communications Director Hector Castro. 

“During his nearly two decades with this agency, he has been an untiring cheerleader for WSDA and our state’s agriculture community, as well as a true believer in the importance of telling the ag story. I know all of us on the communications team will miss Mike’s heart and enthusiasm.” 

Pursuing his interests

Few may know that he once managed the visitor center at the Satsop Power Plant. And as a University of Washington student, he ushered at the Seattle Center, leading audience members to see acts such as Janis Joplin and The Monkees. 

He plans to parlay those interests into a post-retirement gig as a volunteer tour guide at the State Capitol (Legislative) Building. He also looks forward to traveling abroad, and visiting more U.S. presidential libraries. 

“After working 43 years total, it’s time to relax and not have to fill out any more vacation slips,” he said. 

Thanks for everything, Mike – enjoy your next chapter!

In summary: WSDA public information officer, Mike Louisell, gets ready to retire after nearly two decades of being involved in many of the agency’s most significant issues.