Director's Office

To all DPA staff,
The following excerpt from an email forwarded to Directors from Elmer Lindstrom, Special Assistant to the Commissioner, reminds us all of our rights and responsibilities when communicating with legislators or other public officials:

"Employees have every right to contact legislators, testify at hearings, or otherswise make their personal feelings and opinions known. However they must do so on their own time, should never represent themselves as speaking for the department, and should not use state computers, phones, or FAXES for that purpose. Staff who may speak for the department are so designated by the Commissioner's Office and Division Directors' Offices through our normal legislative procedures...

My sincere thanks to everyone who worked through the trying weather conditions last week. As Alaskans, we are certainly no strangers to adverse weather. However, the unseasonably heavy snowfall in Juneau and the destructively high winds in Anchorage and Mat-Su posed particular challenges to our staff.

I appreciate the extra effort by everyone who braved snow and high wind to report to work. Your efforts kept our operations running and our clients served.

Greetings from the Director's office in Juneau.
I am honored by my recent appointment and look forward to the challenges that lie ahead. I am deeply impressed by the competence and expertise I have already encountered among the staff. I hope the talents that I bring to your executive management team will add and enhance that competence. I will work diligently to create the best administrative team, increase teamwork, build on past successes and surmount regional and systemic challenges.

The world is a much better place to live for many, many lives because of our first Star's expertise and compassion. A Star of our agency since July 1985, 18 years. This star's aura shines brightly. Described by co-workers as soft-spoken and calm, with a extremely strong intellect, an excellent grasp of our systems and human behavior - this star is someone client's and co-workers have learned they can admire and rely on.

This is to tell you that I will be retiring in February. For those of you who were here last year about this time, this is a repeat as I left the Division then with plans for retirement. However, when Commissioner Livey asked me to step back last spring, first as Special Assistant, then as Director, I was happy to do so. It's been a wonderful experience, both as Director and acting Director. I've been proud to represent such a progressive, professional organization and blessed to work with such wonderful people!

Happy New Year to all! 2002 was a productive and fulfilling year for DPA. It brought us great positive change with enhancements to the Temporary Assistance Program through law and field-designed process improvements. The EOIP has brought us improved office organization and management, setting the stage for the performance improvements we

The DPAWeb has a new, updated look. Redesigned especially for you, the new DPAWeb is another part of our Division's ongoing efforts to use the internet to improve communication, create tools for better business processes, and support employee development.

Joel Gilbertson has been appointed the new Commissioner of Health & Social Services

Born in Fairfax, VA, Joel Gilbertson has worked in a variety of positions related to health care and welfare systems, focusing on the efficient delivery of services and expanding access to underserved communities.