LeadershipDHHS

In April 2006, the inaugural class of LeadershipDHHS graduated. Those participants gained valuable insight into the inner workings of the department. At the same time, senior management gained a group of leaders, some of whom are poised for and ready to take on more responsibility within DHHS.

The overwhelmingly positive response to the first run of the LeadershipDHHS program encouraged the DHHS Succession Planning Work Group to enhance the program for 2006-2007. Participants for the upcoming session will soon be notified of their selection. They represent a strong cross section of all the agencies and institutions of DHHS and vary in education, expertise, pay grade and tenure.

This year’s participants will have their communication styles assessed by Dr. Jean K. Davis. Dr. Davis is a political science and public administration professor at North Carolina State University who also has an extensive background in human services delivery in the public sector. Additionally, participants will explore workplace ethics, the budget process, diversity in our state, and other pressing issues. Particularly, the Governor’s Hispanic liaison will highlight the importance of understanding the impact changing state demographics will have on the demand for our services. The participants will be divided into work groups tasked with presenting a group project at the end of the program. This past spring, the group projects were evaluated by senior management, and two of the projects are currently being studied for implementation.

This program is one of the ways DHHS is preparing for the future. The DHHS Succession Planning Work Group, the secretary and all the senior staff are enthusiastic about this leadership development program. With the anticipated change in our work force due to attrition and retirement over the next three to five years, they see a tremendous need to identify and prepare future leaders.

For more information on LeadershipDHHS, please contact Sandra Trivett at Sandra.Trivett@ncmail.net.

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Last Modified: July 28, 2006