Executive Women in Government Updates

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Preparing for the Senior Executive Service Training Attracted a Full House

Carol Harvey, former OPM executive, shared tips with aspiring SES members on how to prepare their SES certification packages.	Aspiring executives listen and learn while Carol Harvey gives advice on how to best package their qualifications for SES consideration.

“If you are applying for an Senior Executive Service (SES) position, research shows that at least 14 different people will look at your SES certification package, among them a personnel clerk and three SES members not from your agency,” said Carol Harvey.  Consequently, it is important, she said, to be able to tell a story about your accomplishments in simple terms so that people from many different walks of life can understand your contributions and qualifications.

Harvey, a former official with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and now an independent consultant, helps individuals and agencies prepare employees for SES positions. At a training session held at the Treasury Executive Institute in Washington, DC,  on May 9, 2012,  she held the  attention of a roomful of Executive Women in Government members and Treasury Executive Institute participants as she offered advice on how to put their best foot forward in applying for SES positions.

She told the audience that they must avoid acronyms, they must be be concise, use action words, and adhere to the page limits specified in the vacancy announcement. Ms Harvey also said that the application must demonstrate a track record of results as opposed to performing tasks or activities.  “You need to think as if operating a business; think about new products or services you should be offering” she advised.

Women often are reluctant to take credit for successes and more often want to credit the team.  But, Harvey asked: “Who is being considered for SES--you or the team?  If you are a team member, explain what you contributed; if you led the team, take credit for that leadership.”

Harvey recommends addressing at least two competencies under each of the five executive core qualifications (ECQs), with the exception of business acumen.   Under business acumen, she recommends providing a compelling example under each competency,  including financial management, human capital management, and technology management.

Even if you never apply for another job, said Harvey, it is important for federal employees to know about the ECQs and what it takes to be a leader.  Technical credibility is a competency that is rarely emphasized by the hiring agency, she said.  Instead, competencies agencies look for at the executive level are accountability, customer service, and decisiveness in solving problems.

For those federal employees at the GS-14 or 15 levels, knowing the ECQs and using them as a guidepost for obtaining experiences in preparation for getting into the SES is key.  “Identify your skills and identify areas where you are weak and start working on them now.  A lot of people don’t have skills in financial management.   Look for a detail to another area so that you can develop the expertise you lack. Look at task forces and work groups that can give you different kinds of experience and skills. Consider moving to another position to acquire new skills,” she said.

Paula Farrell, EWG Treasurer and coordinator for training session, said she was pleased by the turnout for Carol Harvey’s program, a popular annual offering to EWG members.  “Helping our members prepare for SES certification is just one of the many ways that EWG helps develop women leaders in the federal service,” she said.

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EWG 2012-13 Officers Announced

President Reta Jo Lewis

Reta Jo Lewis, President, Executive Women in Government for 2012-13, is a senior federal leader with wide-ranging experience in the private sector and government.

Click to read Biography

Vice President Shoshana Grove

Shoshana Grove, Vice-President, Executive Women in Government for 2012-13, is a federal executive whose experience and training, career development and communications has enriched her agency and colleagues.

Click to read Biography

Secretary Tanya Hodge Mottley

Tanya Hodge Mottley, Secretary, Executive Women in Government for 2012-13 is a federal executive with vast experience in environmental and international trade policy.

Click to read Biography

Treasurer Paula Farrell

Click to read biography

Please note: Betsy Smidinger, current EWG President, will remain on the Board as most recent past President and Paula Farrell will continue as EWG Treasurer.

Other Recent Events:

Executive Women in Government Celebrates Women's History Month and International Women's Day with their 9th Annual Summit & Training Conference.

Executive women leaders from across the federal government came together at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, DC, on March 8, 2012, to commemorate International Women's Day and Women's History Month. The theme of EWG's Ninth Summit & Training Conference tracked the theme of Women's History Month, which is “Women's Education, Women's Empowerment.”

Our speakers illustrated the theme.  Powerful, creative, and accomplished women in the fields of politics,  science and technology, business,  the arts, and the public service sector spoke to the need for continued education in our society, for continued collaboration, for continued focus on building family, community, and society.

Read More about the Summit  >>>>

EWG Members Enjoy a Night at the Theater

What better way to spend an evening out than at the theater, with colleagues and newly-made friends?

A group of EWG members, representing several federal agencies, enjoyed an evening out at the Arena Stage Theater in Washington, D.C.  The renovated Arena Stage now has a one of the largest cantilevered roof in the U.S. which is tapered to a compass point, aligned with the Maine Avenue axis, and salutes the Washington Monument.

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Insights Abound at EWG's Fifth Annual Flash Mentoring Event

A roomful of mentors and mentees gathered on Wednesday, February 15, 2012, for Executive Women in Government’s fifth annual flash mentoring event, held in conjunction with the Treasury Executive Institute in Washington, DC.  Fashioned along the lines of speed dating, mentors gave insights into their own careers around three different topics.  Mentees moved to a different table after each round so they could gain insights from different executives and other participants.

In her opening remarks, EWG President, Betsy Smidinger,  encouraged participants to share their own experiences.  “The mentors learn as much from the mentees as the mentees learn from the mentors,” she said.  She thanked Mary Josie Blanchard for her leadership in once again organizing the event along with the 14 mentors as well as the scribes who participated.  Blanchard noted that the event has grown so popular that there was a waiting list this year.

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Planning for Your Financial Future: Personal Finance in Turbulent Times

Should you transfer your Thrift Savings Account to an Individual Retirement Account when you retire? Start a college fund for your grandchild? Invest in tax-free municipal bonds?

These were just some of the questions participants in EWG’s Personal Finance in Turbulent Times event posed to Anderson Wozny, Director of Financial Planning with Edelman Financial Services, on Thursday, January 26, 2012.

Wozny, accompanied by colleague Jennifer Sevier, Associate Director, Financial Planning, said clients often tell him they can’t afford to save and invest. But, even investing a modest amount on a regular basis can, over time, grow into a substantial nest egg thanks to the magic of compound interest. Making choices like eliminating that daily coffee and donut can mount up to a savings of over $4,000 annually, given you are purchasing them with after-tax income. And that amount, properly invested, can grow into hundreds of thousands of dollars over a few decades.

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EWG's Annual Holiday Tea Celebrates Season of Giving and Honors President Emerita Marylouise Uhlig

The annual holiday tea hosted by Executive Women in Government has become an important event for women executives across the federal government. This year's holiday tea held at the Willard Hotel on Thursday, December 14, 2011, attracted over 120 women executives who gathered to network, to contribute to the Marine Corps' Toys for Tots Program and the Wounded Warrior Program, and to honor Marylouise Uhlig as their new President Emerita.

Hosted by President Betsy Smidinger, this year's event proved to be a premier opportunity for members and guests to enjoy a delightful tea and to shop for hats, jewelry, and unique apparel from women vendors. EWG honored Marylouise Uhlig for the body of work she has contributed to women in government for the past 30 years.

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In Memoriam--Virginia Knauer 1915-2011.

Virginia Knauer, a top consumer adviser to three Presidents (Nixon, Ford, Reagan) and one of the founders of Executive Women in Government, died October 16, 2011, at her home in Washington at the age of 96.

A pioneering consumer advocate, she became the highest-ranking woman in President Richard Nixon’s administration when she was named special assistant for consumer affairs in 1969. Although her position had no statutory or enforcement authority, she successfully lobbied for reforms such as product labeling and unit pricing.

For more about this extraordinary woman, click here >>>

All Planned and Past Events >>>