MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT CLOSING 2019

On behalf of the Los Angeles County Executive Committee we wish you Happy Holidays and a happy and healthy New Year. Here are some highlights from 2019.

We started the year with a strategic focus on communication, membership and mentorship. These three pillars are the foundation of our management council and provide a roadmap of where we are headed over the next three years. Our Vice President, Kashari S. Jones (CEO) took the helm of increasing communication by reintroducing our newsletter now dearly known as LACMC Connect, featuring people and programs. Morteza “Mory” Mostafavi (DHR) planned a mentor program while Ruben Marquez (Public Defender) found quality talent for our education and training programs. Derrick Robinson (DPSS) ensured monthly up-to-date metrics on membership. We also allowed non-members to attend a one-time Grant Writing seminar to enhance collaboration and recruitment of new members.

John Wicker (Parks & Recreation) our treasurer did a fantastic job on balancing our budget and keeping us fiscally sound. The By-Laws were revised by Marcia Mayeda (Animal Care & Control) and her team including membership qualifications. Scott Minnix (ISD) updated the website with several enhancements such as fillable forms, calendar and a resource page. Additionally, we introduced video recordings at our conferences.

Finally, the Social Media team led by Judith Green (CSSD) created Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook accounts with over 2,000 impressions for the Spring Conference alone. Neal Mok (ISD), our personal Paparazzi featured the many high-profile LACMC members in action and is solely responsible for those 2,000+ images. The “Lunch with the Director” was a great draw for managers to have lunch with the Director of their choice. The Spring Conference, Heroes Among Us, showcased A World War II nurse who served during the Battle of the Bulge and a panel of department heads Marcia Mayeda, Fire Chief Daryl Osby, and Mark Pestrella (DPW) who shared how their department responded to the Woolsey fire disaster. Crisis Leadership, the theme of the Fall conference began with an overview by Steve McClatchy who focused on making better decisions leading to better results. This was followed by Dr. Eric Stern who provided his expertise into crisis management. A panel of department heads, Ricardo Garcia (Public Defender), Terri McDonald (Probation), Mary Wickham (County Counsel), and Bobby Cagle (DCFS) provided personal stories of managing crisis in their departments.

As we begin the new year I want to say farewell and thank you to the following who will be leaving our executive team:

Dr. Steven Golightly (CSSD), Skye Patrick (Public Library), Scott Minnix, Jim Robinson (Fire Dept.), Derrick Robinson and Epifanio Peinado (DHR-Retiree).

We look forward to new possibilities in 2020 as the annual elections resulted in three new Executive Committee members: Jim Allen (ISD), Mckandy Ledger (DHR) and Rita Tufenkjian (WDACS), with Ruben Marquez elevating from Chair of the Education Committee to an elected seat on our executive team. The coming year will be filled with rich experiences for you to look forward to, such as more networking opportunities, biannual educational conferences, monthly educational seminars, membership eligibility expansion and so much more. Thank you for your support of the management council and for your participation in reaching new members while creating and strengthening leaders in our organization.

Aim High,

Ruth A. Wong, President
L.A. County Management Council