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Change Management Team to Help NCS Personnel Transition to Homeland Security

Arlington, VA., December 02, 2002 - With the transition of the National Communications System (NCS) to the Department of Homeland Security in full motion, the Office of the Manager, NCS (OMNCS) is striving to make the transition as seamless as possible for its personnel and its national security and emergency preparedness telecommunications partners.

“We are working very hard to ensure that all of your questions get answered and that all of your concerns will be addressed,” explained Brenton C. Greene, Deputy Manager of the NCS. “We’re trying to do that through ‘all-hands’ meetings, by distributing notes, and in keeping you updated as issues come up. We want to continue to do everything in our power to make sure that this is a smooth, seamless transition without having the ‘oh my goodness, what’s going to happen with this’ kind of angst coming upon us.”

Part of easing the transition is through the NCS Change Management Team, established last October to help keep its employees and stakeholders better informed about changes in the NCS operating environment and the pending move to the new Department.

“From the White House down to us [the NCS], we’re very, very focused on making sure your interests are protected in this transition,” said Larry Wheeler, Chief of the NCS Plans and Resources Division during an NCS “all-hands” meeting November 26. He added that as part of its responsibilities, the Change Management Team will try to address any concerns that would affect individual and organizational transition to the new department. “With that input,” said Wheeler the Change Management Team can focus on the right things to help the transition go smoothly”.

The team held a kickoff meeting in early October and has since established a charter laying out its mission, goals, vision, and approach for helping the NCS and its employees continue to succeed as we take on new and challenging missions, according to Marilyn Witcher, the NCS Change Management team leader.

The team’s mission is “…to communicate information to, and receive feedback from, employees and stakeholders about organizational changes that have occurred since September 11, as well as changes resulting from the transition to the Department of Homeland Security.”

Witcher said the team established three primary goals to guide the team’s effort. The team serves as the focal point for communicating timely, consistent, and relevant information to the NCS members. Team members will also obtain employee and stakeholder concerns to guide the team’s activities, and will provide recommendations to management based on input from employees and stakeholders.

The NCS Change Management Team leader is Witcher, Chief of the OMNCS Industry, Government, and External Affairs Branch. Team members include Jim Fogarty, Gerry Versis and Hilary Carr from the Plans and Resources Division; Lisa Phillips-Morris and Navy Commander Ray Emmerson from the Critical Infrastructure Protection Division; Gary Amato and Michele Bruisch from the Technology and Programs Division; and Jackie Cookston and Steve Barrett from the Customer Service Division. Wheeler is the team’s sponsor.

The team conducted its first in a series of surveys that will measure the current organizational state of the OMNCS since September 11, 2001, and gauge employees’ readiness for the transition to the new Department. The survey was completely anonymous and confidential. The aggregate results, the organizational strengths, and opportunities for improvement will be identified and presented to all employees. Similar surveys will then be administered periodically throughout the transition to DHS. The results of each survey will be used to identify employee concerns and help management make informed decisions on transition issues.

In addition to the NCS Change Management Team, there are other groups that are addressing NCS stakeholder interests in preparation for the DHS transition. Listed below are brief descriptions about the other teams:

• NCS Transition Team– This team works to ensure that NCS missions and capabilities will be fully integrated in the new Department. Team executives meet regularly with key officials from the Bush Administration DHS Transition Team to effectively transition the NCS organization into the DHS’ Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection (IAIP) Directorate. NCS Transition Team members include Sheila Dryden, Larry Stark, Larry Wheeler, and Jim Fogarty, with support from contractors.
• Administration DHS Transition Team – This team is responsible for overseeing integration efforts for the entire DHS, including the IAIP Directorate. John Gannon is the DHS Transition Team’s lead representative for the IAIP Directorate.
• Interagency Critical Transition Working Group -- This group works on bringing together the missions and functions of various CIP agencies slated to transition to the DHS IAIP Directorate and provides recommendations to the Administration DHS Transition Team. The group includes the leaders of the CIP agencies transferring to the DHS IAIP Directorate (NCS; Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office; National Infrastructure Protection Center, Department of Energy’s Energy and Assurance Program; and Federal Computer Incident Response Center) and members of the Administration’ s DHS Transition Team.

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