JOAG Committee and Workgroup Call for Volunteers
2006-2007 Operational Year
(PLEASE NOTE: Due to an overwhelming response to an earlier announcement,
membership in the Awards Committee is currently closed. )
Awards Committee
Mission: To facilitate the awards process and recognize junior officers for
their accomplishments and commitment to the mission of the PHS.
The JOAG Awards Committee is looking for a few good officers to serve on the
committee during the 2006-2007 operational year. Primarily, the awards committee
will be responsible for soliciting, reviewing, and selecting the recipients of
the Junior Officer of the Year and the JOAG Excellence Awards. Additionally, the
committee will be involved in several other smaller projects during the year,
including possibly developing a new award. This committee will absolutely be
driven by its members, with many projects/ideas/discussion topics generated by
committee members. This is a great opportunity for you to get involved with a
committee where your voice can be heard and your impact felt.
The first meeting will be held on October 16th, and meetings will be held
bi-monthly by conference call throughout the year with more frequent meetings
while the awards review and selection process is going on (in the March – April
time frame). Many committee activities will also be coordinated through e-mail.
I would like to have about 15 total members of this committee, and if I get many
more requests than that to be an active member of the Awards Committee, I may
limit membership on a first come/first served basis, with preference given to
people who were active members last year.
If you’re a junior officer (ENS, LTJG, LT, or LCDR) and you would like to be
involved with this committee, please inform Awards Committee Chairman, LCDR
Jonathan Rash, at Jonathan.Rash@ihs.gov
COA Planning Committee
Mission: To oversee JOAG activities and facilitate junior officer involvement at
the annual COA conference. These activities include, but are not limited to, the
formal JOAG meeting, Meet & Greet, Professional Development Workshop, social
activities, JOAG booth set up and staffing, and junior officer staffing of COA
activities.
Summary: This year's conference takes place June 4-7, 2007 in Cincinnati, OH.
The group is working on several exciting activities this year. In addition to
the ones listed above under "Purpose", other activities include, writing
standard operating procedures, updating the committee webpage, and establishing
closer ties to the national COA. Junior officers are welcome to volunteer for
the COA Planning Committee at any time throughout the year. For more information
about volunteer opportunities, please contact the COA Conference planning
workgroup Chair, LCDR Rona LeBlanc at
Rona.LeBlanc@fda.hhs.gov
Communications and Publications Committee
Mission: To facilitate the dissemination of Corps-related information to junior
officers.
The Communications and Publications Committee (CPC) has the primary
responsibility of providing Junior Officers with pertinent information in a
timely and efficient manner. The CPC was initially established to maintain
JOAG's website about a year ago. While this continues to be done, the committee
has also taken on the task of increasing the visibility of JOAG, the Corps, and
PHS in general through officer submissions to a variety of publications. This
coming year, the committee will be accepting a new challenge and will be
responsible for the JOAG newsletter. Officers interested in volunteering for the
Communications and Publications Committee should contact the CPC Chair, LT
Stacey Smith, at stacey.smith@ihs.gov
Specific meeting dates and times will be established in the upcoming weeks.
Development Workgroup
The Development Workgroup is a liaison group to the Commissioned Officers
Foundation (COF). The Workgroup works with COF to plan, promote, and implement
development activities that benefit public health professionals, including USPHS
Junior Officers. We are looking for volunteers to help develop new ideas and
plan and carry out these activities. The Workgroup coordinates the JOAG Booth at
the annual US PHS Scientific and Training Symposium sponsored by the Foundation.
All activities undertaken by this Workgroup are under the auspices of the
Foundation and all proceeds from development activities go to the Foundation.
Last year we had merchandise that fostered esprit de corps, such as coins,
t-shirts, coffee cups, and water bottles.
We are looking for new ideas and would love to hear from you about becoming a
member of the Workgroup. For more information, please contact the Fundraising
Workgroup Chair, LCDR Kristina Joyce-Pittman at
Kristina.Joyce@fda.hhs.gov
Inter-services Committee
The JOAG Inter-services Workgroup is looking for a few good officers to serve on
the workgroup during the 2007-2008 operational year. This workgroup was created
2 years ago to identify new ways for JOAG to lead the charge in finding ways to
get acquainted with our sister-services. With the advent of Commissioned Corps
transformation, the need for joint operability is crucial. This workgroup will
be driven by its members, with many projects/ideas/discussion topics generated
by workgroup members. This is a great opportunity for you to get involved with a
workgroup where your voice can be heard and your impact felt.
The first meeting and frequency of meetings will be determined by the members.
Many workgroup activities will be coordinated through e-mail.
If you’re a junior officer (ENS, LTJG, LT, or LCDR) and you would like to be
involved with this workgroup, please inform the Inter-services Workgroup
Chairman, LCDR Mark Osborn, DO.
mark.w.osborn@uscg.mil 787-729-2305
Membership Committee
Mission: To select, facilitate, and assist new members in going through the
nomination and appointment processes outlined in Article VI of the JOAG Bylaws.
The Junior Officer Advisory Group Membership Subcommittee is seeking seven
members for the 2006/2007 membership year for the purpose of forming policy,
advertising and soliciting for members, and processing and recommending
applicants for selection to the voting membership of JOAG. It is anticipated
this subcommittee will need to meet monthly for ˝ hour teleconferences and from
time to time as needs require. The bulk of the work will likely be in the spring
of ’07 when JOAG begins the selection process for several members to refill
expiring terms in the fall. Additionally, successful candidates for this
membership subcommittee should have either a history of attending general JOAG
meeting teleconferences, or commit to join teleconferences from this point on (a
knowledge enhancing experience!). If you are interested in serving, please send
an inquiry to or call the membership subcommittee chair, LCDR Richard Henry at
richard.henry@hhs.gov , 1 (240)
453-8804, 1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite 250, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
Policy and Procedures Committee
Mission: To establish guidelines and operating procedures governing the Junior
Officer Advisory Group.
The Policy and Procedures Committee is responsible for developing and
maintaining all guidelines, policy, and procedures for JOAG. This includes the
Bylaws, Standard Operating Procedures, Charter, and Code of Conduct. For the
2006-2007 operational year, the Policy and Procedures Committee will begin
developing a 5-year Strategic Plan for JOAG. We will also be involved in the
adoption and incorporation of the new Standard Operating Procedures.
The Policy and Procedures Committee meets the Wednesday before the JOAG meeting
at 1300. Our next meeting will be November 8. If you’re interested in being
involved in shaping the future of JOAG, please contacted the Chair, LT Aimee
Treffiletti, at alt5@cdc.gov
Professional Development Committee
Mission: To identify issues, provide advice and guidance, and propose solutions
to foster and promote Junior Officers as professional, proud, and principled
Commissioned Corps Officers.
The mission of the Professional Development Committee is to aid and assist
junior officers in the continued development and attainment of highest ideals of
officership, leadership and ethical behavior.
The instrumental functions of the Professional Development Committee are to:
Identify existing career enhancement opportunities for junior officers.
Identify and create new and needed career enhancement opportunities for junior
officers
Review and develop general program activities such as public information,
education, and research relating to professional development
Examine issues or make recommendations on topics related to the professional
development of junior officers
Establish and maintain liaison duties that promote cooperative relations with
other groups
The Professional Development Committee prides itself on the great opportunity to
be identified with the transformational growth of the US Public Health
Service….don’t you want to be a part of it?
You will be expected to meet with us once a month (2nd Wednesday of the month
1300-1400) and bring forth creative thoughts and ideas, but most importantly,
the desire to assist junior officers in getting to a higher plane.
For more
information about joining the Professional Development Committee, please contact
Michael Schmoyer Mschmoyer@kz.cdc.gov
Recruitment and Retention Committee
Mission: To increase the number of junior officers in the United States Public
Health Service Commissioned Corps.
The JOAG Recruitment and Retention Committee is looking for those officers
interested in participating for the 2006-2007 operational year. Our objectives
over the next year are to improve our support of recruitment within various
career fairs, develop and improve current informational guides to support
recruitment efforts, and continue to develop the COSTEP Connection Program. We
are open to any additional ideas/objectives for the operational year that you
may have. The Recruitment and Retention Committee is driven by the spirit and
ideas of its members and we hope to have you on board! This is a great
opportunity to be heard and drive change!
The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 8th at 1130-1230 EST. We
plan on meeting the 2nd Wednesday of the month on a bi-monthly basis via
teleconference. Ideally, we would like to have 20-25 active members. Preference
will be given to past active members and on a first come/first served basis.
If you are a junior officer and would like to be involved with this committee,
please inform the Recruitment and Retention Committee Chair, CDR Madelyn
Renteria, at MRenteria@hrsa.gov
Welcoming Committee
Mission: To provide and disseminate information to newly commissioned junior
officers.
The Welcoming Committee welcomes newly commissioned junior officers to JOAG by
emailing each of them a welcoming letter, a JOAG brochure, and an information
fact sheet. This is often the first email that junior offices receive regarding
JOAG and it is a valuable resource that provides information about JOAG as well
as general information about the USPHS Commissioned Corps. The Committee is
working on several exciting activities this year. Some of the activities
include, writing standard operating procedures, updating the Committee webpage,
planning part of the JOAG exhibit booth that will be displayed at the
Commissioned Officer Association Meeting, updating the information fact sheet
and brochures that are emailed to newly commissioned junior officers, and
supplying JOAG materials for the Basic Officer Training Courses. Junior officers
are welcome to volunteer for the Welcoming Committee at any time throughout the
year. For more information about volunteer opportunities, please contact the
Welcoming Committee chair, LT Heather Dimeris, at
hdimeris@hrsa.gov