Telework for Government: Meeting the Challenges for COOP, Security and "Green"

Panelists:

Ms. Campbell's involvement with telework started in 1996 when she became the director of three telework centers in southern Maryland. She worked closely with tri-county government officials and GSA to ensure that the telework centers received the visibility necessary for continued growth. She also worked with Congressman Steny Hoyer's office and Laurel government officials to design and develop the Laurel Telework Center.

Prior to starting at USPTO in January 2006, Ms. Campbell was employed at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments where she was responsible for the oversight of public and private sector telework in the Washington metropolitan region. During her tenure at COG, Ms. Campbell was instrumental in the design, development, and promotion of such programs as Telework Virginia and the Telework Partnership with Employers. She has held the position of Vice President of the Mid-Atlantic Telework Advisory Council and played a major role in the annual Washington Area Conferences on Telework from 2002 through 2004, and the Senior Executives' Telework Event in 2005. On July 18, 2006, Ms. Campbell testified before the Congressional Committee on Government Reform's Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce and Agency Organization on the USPTO's teleworking program. During her testimony, Ms. Campbell provided information to the Committee about the Trademark Work at Home program and the Patents Hoteling Program. She explained the benefits that these programs have for employees and for the USPTO. Ms. Campbell holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lynchburg College and Certified Public Manager certification from George Washington University's Institute for Regional Excellence.

Prior to his appointment at GSA, Mr. Sawislak held management roles on several of the largest transportation projects in the United States. In addition, he has managed high-visibility projects in management consulting, emergency planning, environmental management, transportation planning, and infrastructure development. Mr. Sawislak is a member of the Transportation Research Board, the American Planning Association and the American Institute of Certified Planners. Mr. Sawislak holds a degree in Political Science from The George Washington University.

Ms. Kea has enjoyed a distinguished career at the FDIC. Prior to her current position, Ms. Kea served as the FDIC's Ombudsman. In that capacity, she fulfilled a critical role for FDIC and the banking community through her effective liaison with bankers, industry representatives, community groups and other members of the public. Ms. Kea's success in this role was evident through her selection as Chairman of the Coalition of Federal Ombudsmen and her receipt of the Vice President's National Performance Review prestigious Hammer Award for her contributions to Federal Ombudsmen programs. Her approach to the Ombudsman's role in brokering relationships between the public and regulatory agencies still serves as a model today throughout the government.

Prior to serving as FDIC Ombudsman, Ms. Kea was an active member of FDIC's Legal community. She began her legal career as a staff attorney and quickly advanced to the senior positions of Assistant General Counsel and Acting Deputy General Counsel during the height of the banking crisis. During this time, Ms. Kea successfully handled numerous high-profile, complex cases involving professional liability litigation, failed financial institution matters, and labor-management issues.

Ms. Kea remains active within the business community and is highly sought after as a public speaker on a wide range of topics related to her background and experience.

Ms. Kea received a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Texas Law School, and completed the program of Instruction for Lawyers at Harvard Law School and the Program for Senior Managers in Government at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree with honors from the University of Texas. Ms. Kea is a native of a small German community in south central Texas. She now resides in Silver Spring, Maryland with her family.

Gerald T. Charles, Jr. is a director in the Cisco Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG). He brings more than 20 years of executive management, comprehensive technology, and strategic thinking expertise to his role, with competency in areas such as networking, security, transactional processing, and business/ERP applications.

As a thought leader in organizational strategy and governance, business case models, security, voice, and innovation, he is helping transform service delivery and economic value in the public sector. Charles has developed and implemented companies' mergers and acquisitions as well as strategic, operational, and financial goals.

Prior to Cisco, Charles was vice president for OAO Technology Solutions (OAOT), where he eliminated major losses, implemented an IT solution provider practice, and started the company's public sector division. Before OAOT, Charles was a vice president for TRW and BDM. He brought in multimillion-dollar contracts, turned closed subsidiaries into profit centers, and was a key technical and program architect for implementation of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's EDGAR system.