Will Humble Professional Development, Wills Blog

Governors & State Agency Culture

The Governor is just one person. There are 32,000 people working in various capacities in state government. So how is it that just one person, the governor, can impact the work culture and morale of 32,000 employees? It’s all about leverage.

The governor is the most powerful person in the state. She or he has enormous statutory authority and can hire or fire just about any state employee (virtually all state employees are ‘at will’ these days – meaning they can be fired for no reason at all).

Governors seldom reach deep down into agencies and fire and replace people…  but it’s common for governors to replace agency heads, deputies, legislative affairs people and communication directors (especially at the beginning of an administration). It’s also customary for the governor to make wholesale changes in governor’s office personnel.

So how does all that statutory authority including the authority to change agency directors and their deputies change the work culture of state government?

Perhaps the biggest thing is that agency directors set the tone for workplace behavior, agency priorities, flexible work schedules, whether to allow programs to hire folks, selects the deputy and assistant directors to carry out her or his wishes, gives the programs green, yellow, or red lights to apply for grants, and makes decisions about administrative rulemakings.

The decisions that the directors and her or his assistants make have a profound impact on workplace culture and morale. Add to that the kinds of executive orders the governor gives, like capping agencies at a certain FTE level or freezing changes to administrative code and you can start to see how a single person can have such a profound impact on work culture.

Agency director management style can influence culture in more subtle & insidious ways. For example, appointed directors can stifle innovation and harm morale by instructing staff to clear all decisions with them before proceeding. Even worse, appointees may tell staff to halt action until he or she “hears back from the governor’s office“…  resulting in long delays or even a complete lack of progress.

When there’s a change in the governor, as there will be in about 30 days, it’s a real opportunity for cultural change.

Many persons that work in various sectors of public health in private, nonprofit, or among other levels of government will be looking forward to potential changes in the coming work environment and may be attracted to serve in the new administration if they believe the incoming governor better appreciates the importance of evidence-based public health practice and improves morale by creating a healthier agency culture.

Many people are likely looking forward to a cultural renaissance in Arizona state agencies and will be looking forward to working with the new administration.

Some folks who might not have considered working for the ADHS over the last few years might be willing to give the agency a 2nd look in the coming months. I expect interest in (and competition for) positions at ADHS to pick up once the governor is sworn in and new leadership is selected. Why not get in on the ground floor?

On one hand, it’s a shame that there are nearly 100 open positions at ADHS these days, but on the other hand – those vacant positions represent opportunities for folks to join the new team early in the administration.

A quick review of open positions on the AZ State Jobs website reveals openings for epidemiologists, emergency medical services staff, newborn screening positions, maternal health (PRAMS) jobs, laboratory and behavioral health tech’s, a tribal liaison, several positions in licensing and compliance, vaccine coordinators, opioid prevention, biomedical research, even the agency director.

You get the idea…  there are many open positions that many of you may be interested in exploring in anticipation of the cultural changes that’ll be coming to state government in the coming months. Now is a good time to explore the possibilities.

You can start your search at this link – the AZ State Jobs Website
Submit Your Resume to the Hobbs Administration Resume Bank to be Considered for a Leadership Post in the Administration
Will Humble Social Determinants, Suicide Prevention, Wills Blog

Arizona Child Fatality Review Program: 29th Annual Report: Arizona’s Abuse/Neglect Mortality Rate Increased 36% in 2021

Back in the mid 1990’s the AZ State Legislature established the Arizona Child Fatality Review Program to evaluate every child death and provide evidence-based policy recommendations to prevent child deaths.

Over the years many policy and operational interventions came out of these reports, from safe sleep to new seat belt laws for kids. The goal of each year’s report by conducting a comprehensive review of all child deaths and make policy recommendations to prevent as many as possible.

Last year’s report found that firearm deaths increased 41% over the previous year, while child death rates were 250% higher than the national average (likely due to the lack of mitigation measures implemented by soon to be former governor Ducey and former director Christ. 

View the the Arizona Child Fatality Review Program 29th Annual Report

The Arizona Child Fatality Review Program’s goal is to reduce child deaths in Arizona by conducting a comprehensive review of all child deaths to determine what steps could have been taken, if any, to prevent each child’s death.

In 2021, 863 children died in Arizona, an increase from 838 deaths in 2020. Fourth eight percent (48%) of the 863 deaths were preventable. The three most common causes of preventable death were motor vehicle crashes, firearm injuries, and suffocation. Fifty-six (56) children died from a firearm injury (100% of these deaths were determined to be preventable).

In 43% of the preventable deaths, substance use was a contributing factor, and in 33% of these deaths, poverty was a risk factor. There were 44 suicide deaths in 2021. In 68% of these deaths, recent warning signs for suicide were the most common risk factor, and 17 suicide deaths were due to firearm injury. 

Prematurity was the most common cause of death for neonates (infants less than 28 days old) while suffocation was the common cause of death among infants 28 days to less than 1 year of age. Drowning was the most common cause of death in children 1-4 years of age as 68% of the 44 drowning deaths occurred in this age group.

There were 65 SUIDs in 2021. An unsafe sleep environment was a factor in 95% of these deaths and bedsharing in 58% of the deaths.

Arizona’s abuse/neglect mortality rate increased 36% from 5.8 in 2020 to 7.9 in 2021. Of the 128 children who died in 2021 from abuse/neglect, substance use was a contributing factor in 59% of the deaths, and the child’s families had prior involvement with a CPS agency in 46% of the deaths.

Importantly, the report proposes several evidence-based interventions that should be implemented that would reduce preventable childhood deaths. Those recommendations are laid out on Pages 90-99 of the Arizona Child Fatality Review Program | Twenty-Ninth Annual Report.

Intervention recommendations are proposed for preventing abuse & neglect, COVID-19, drowning, firearm injuries, car crashes, prematurity, substance use, SIDS, and suicide.

We expect this year’s Child Fatality Review Program report to be more influential in informing public policy as the incoming governor is more receptive to prioritizing evidence-based public health policy & practice than the outgoing administration.

Will Humble Professional Development, Wills Blog

Call for Presentations: AZPHA Annual Conference

Addressing Health Disparities:
Building Infrastructure & Engaging the Next Generation of Public Health Leaders

AzPHA will be holding our annual conference on Thursday, February 23, 2023 at the Desert Willow Conference Center on Phoenix, AZ. In preparation for the conference, AZPHA is conducting an open call for abstracts for persons wishing to present at the conference.

Presentations are scheduled to be held in person. A virtual option has yet to be confirmed but is being considered. Please select which format you prefer to present, and we will do our best to honor your preference based on what is available.

Depending on your selection, you may be asked to present twice. You may propose your work as a solo presenter or as a team. The breakout sessions will be 45 minutes, there will be a morning and an afternoon session.

Presenting teams: All presenters must register for the full event. Please identify the primary presenter for your team presentation. This individual will communicate conference-related information with the rest of the team.

If you are submitting this proposal as part of a team, please confirm the following before applying:

  • Proposed speakers have agreed to participate.
  • Proposed speakers will be available on Thursday, 2/23/23
  • Deadline for submission is December 23, 2022.

We look forward to reviewing your proposal for the 2023 AZPHA Annual Conference!

Please submit your proposal to present by 12/23/22 using our call for proposals form
You can also propose to present a poster at the conference. Use our poster presentation proposal form
Will Humble Professional Development, Wills Blog

Governor-elect Hobbs’ Transition Team Reviewing CV’s for Administration Leadership Posts: Get Your Resume in the Hopper!

The Hobbs Administration begins in just 32 days…  and the incoming administration is moving swiftly to prepare to govern. Governor-elect Katie Hobbs has named Allie Bones as her incoming Chief of Staff. Ms. Bones is a long-time public servant and has been the current assistant secretary of state under Secretary of State Hobbs since the latter took office in 2019.

Hobbs has also named the co-leads and members of her formal transition team. Monica Villalobos, president and CEO of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Mike Haener, former deputy chief of staff to Governor Janet Napolitano to be the co-leads of her 30-member formal transition team.

Submit Your Resume to the Hobbs Administration Resume Bank to be Considered for a Leadership Post in the Administration

Members of the formal transition team are below: (Note: transition team members have many professional responsibilities; I include an abbreviated description here):

  • Mike Haener Co-lead (Willetta Partners, Deputy Chief of Staff for Legislative Affairs – Gov. Napolitano)
  • Monica Villalobos Co-lead (President & CEO of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce)
  • David Adame (President & CEO Chicanos por la Causa)
  • Jasmine Blackwater-Nygren (Member of the Arizona House of Representatives)
  • Ron Butler (Managing Partner of the Phoenix office of Ernst & Young)
  • Chris Camacho (President & CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council)
  • Chad Campbell (SVP at Strategies 360 Consulting, former House Minority Leader AZ State Legislature)
  • Coral Evans (former Flagstaff Mayor & Council Member)
  • Marlene Galan-Woods (former journalist, actor, producer)
  • Steve Gallardo (Maricopa County Board of Supervisors)
  • Marisol Garcia (President, Arizona Education Association)
  • John Giles (Mayor, City of Mesa)
  • John Graham (Chairman and CEO of Sunbelt Holdings)
  • Sharon Harper (President, CEO and co-founder of Plaza Companies)
  • Martin Harvier (President, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community)
  • Berdetta Hodge (Tempe Union High School District Governing Board/ Tempe Town Council)
  • Andy Kunasek (Maricopa County Supervisor)
  • Jen Longdon (Arizona House of Representatives)
  • Garrick McFadden (Founder, Owner Gamesq, PLC)
  • Jim McLaughlin (President at UFCW Local 99)
  • Peggy Neely (former Phoenix Vice Mayor, Managing Partner at Neely Public Strategies)
  • Jackie Norton (President and CEO of the Rodel Foundation)
  • Tonya Norwood-Pearson (Arizona Association of Conservation Districts Executive Director)
  • Danny Ortega (Owner of the Ortega Law Firm, P.C.)
  • Lynne Pancrazi (former Representative and Senator, Arizona State Legislature)
  • Stephanie Parra (Governing Board, Phoenix Union HSD)
  • Frank Piccoli (AFSCME AZ Local 2960 President and People Committee Chair)
  • Regina Romero (Mayor, City of Tucson)
  • Fabian Sandez (Special Representative, United Brotherhood of Carpenters/Joiners of America)
  • Alfred Urbina (Attorney General, Pascua Yaqui Tribe)
  • Mary Rose Wilcox (former Supervisor, Maricopa County; Valleywise Health Governing Board)
  • Bob Worsley (former Senator, Arizona State Legislature)

The 30 members of the transition team are broken into various working groups, as is customary for transition teams. The most relevant teams to our public health mission will be the Health and Human Services team (AHCCCS, ADES, ADHS, ADoH, and DCS).

One consideration when selecting a person for a transition team is usually related to the diversity of their connections and relationships to state government, local sectors, nonprofits, and other stakeholders. A diverse transition team with robust contacts allows them to talk with a host of folks who are not on the transition team to get input and ideas.

What Does a Transition Team Do?

Transition teams generally have operational goals: 1) Interviewing current administration officials; 2) Making personnel recommendations; and 3) Reviewing agency briefing materials & making recommendations about state government policies & operations.

One of the first things the transition team groups do is ask for the agency’s briefing materials. As they review the quality and content of the briefing documents, they ask themselves: Is this high-quality and professionally prepared? Are the materials objective or self-serving? Do they appear to be prepared at the last minute? How useful is the information?

The transition team groups usually schedule meetings or calls with a host of stakeholders who they trust as well as existing agency directors and their assistants. Transition team members also often talk to key stakeholder groups that work or are affected by agency decisions and operations.

Making Personnel & Policy Recommendations

Over the next month or so, the transition team will be making recommendations to Governor Elect Hobbs and Chief of Staff Bones about who they have found that would be good fits for leadership positions at the state agencies.

Don’t miss the opportunity to be considered for a leadership post in an administration that’s poised to be a good working environment for folks committed to evidence-based public health practice.

Submit Your CV for Consideration Via the Hobbs Administration Resume Bank Today!

How Can State Agency Staff Prepare for their Meetings with the Gubernatorial Transition Team?

It’s a Sprint to Inauguration Day: Here’s What We Might Expect During the Transition

What Impact Will the Election Results Have on Arizona Public Health?

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