NAVREF
Comments on Draft VHA Oversight Plan. On December 19,
NAVREF submitted its response to VHA’s draft Nonprofit Corporations
Initial System-Wide Evaluation and the draft NPC
Evaluation Checklist. This was the focus of considerable effort by
NAVREF board members and staff during the last three weeks. NAVREF
continues to welcome working with VA toward an oversight process that 1)
ensures VA and congressional confidence in NPC management without being
unduly burdensome to VA and NPCs; and 2) maintains the NPCs’
independence and their fundamental purpose of serving as flexible
funding mechanisms for VA research and education.
To go to the NAVREF comments,
click here.
2009 NAVREF
Annual Conference Dates and Location. In 2009, NAVREF will hold its
Annual Conference in downtown Chicago, Illinois. This will be the first
time the meeting will be held outside of the Washington DC area. We
hope our loyal attendees will enjoy the change of scene and that
everyone will take advantage of this opportunity to visit an exciting
city.
Please
mark your calendar and plan to attend the 2009 NAVREF Annual Conference:
Dates:
Mid-afternoon on Sunday, September 20, through mid-day on Wednesday,
September 23
Location:
Doubletree Hotel Chicago Magnificent Mile; 300
East Ohio St., Chicago
Room rate: $189.00 plus 15.4%
($29.11) taxes for a total of $218 per night. Note: This is less than
the Chicago area government rate.
All NPCs
are encouraged to send at least one staff member and one board member to
the 2009 conference. One of the reasons for meeting in Chicago is to
make it easy for board members to attend. The current plan is to
allocate at least one day for topics of interest to board members and
staff, and by attending together you will optimize the learning
experience. So please begin planning to “Bring a Board Member” to the
2009 NAVREF Annual Conference. Start talking to board members now about
attending so it will be on their calendars.
Program
Co-Chairs Eileen Lennon, PhD, (ED Seattle) and Bob Obana (ED San
Francisco) and NAVREF staff, along with Chicago local Cindy Reutzel (ED
Hines), have already been meeting regularly to begin planning the
program. We are very interested in your program suggestions. Please
send your ideas for topics and speakers to
Eileen@sibcr.org or
Robert.Obana@ncire.org or
AMurakami@navref.org.
1.
Human Resources Workshop Update. NAVREF staff members
continue to explore contracting with the Society for Human Resource
Management to hold a two-day workshop for NAVREF members. After
assessing various program offerings, we believe that the SHRM
program called “HR Essentials” is the best fit for the most NAVREF
members and their HR staffs. However, we are somewhat disappointed
in the “take home” materials that come with this training and are
working with SHRM to add enhancements. We are also exploring adding
a half day for discussion of issues resulting from NPC employees
working in VA facilities and often being supervised by VA
employees.
The
likely dates for this workshop are April 14 and 15 with the
possibility of an additional half day on April 16 regarding VA
interface issues. However, we will not make a final decision on
whether to hold this workshop until we are confident that the SHRM
program will provide a high-value training experience for NAVREF
members. Please stay tuned for an update after the holidays.
NAVREF Welcomes Sonie Mathew. NAVREF’s 2008 Annual
Conference assistant, Sonie Mathew, has just transitioned from being
a temp to NAVREF’s newest employee. Formerly, Sonie was the manager
of a Maryland county educational program for middle school children
with Aspergers Syndrome. After five years of teaching, he decided
to make a career change that would allow him a more regular schedule
and time to pursue his interests and talents in theater and music.
Please join us in welcoming Sonie as NAVREF’s administrative and
conference assistant.
Holiday Wishes. Angela and Sonie join me in wishing everyone
associated with NAVREF a very happy and safe holiday season, and a
healthy and prosperous 2009. The NPC staffs and boards who comprise
the NAVREF membership form an extraordinary community with
outstanding volunteer leadership and member participation. We are
thankful for the opportunity to work with people so dedicated to
veterans and the role the NPCs play in supporting VA research and
education.
The NAVREF office will remain open during the holidays. Even though
Barbara will be on vacation the week of December 22 and Angela will
be off the week of December 29, don’t hesitate to send an email or
call the office if you have questions or concerns.
