Leadership plays an important role at CSA. Since I am only an intern, I have not been put in position to show leadership skills but I have seen great examples of it. Craig Sullivan is the Executive Director at CSA and on a daily basis he shows us leadership. He has a very important role in the organization and also has a tremendous impact on all 15 counties. In some way, shape, or form, all the employees of CSA have leadership skills and show these skills in some variation on a daily basis.
Craig, being the Executive Director, has the most important role in the department. I do not see Craig very often, as he is in and out of the office every day. He travels a lot for meetings and presentations. We do have a department meeting every Monday morning, in which he is head of. This meeting will take about an hour but sometimes runs longer depending on the workload for the week and upcoming months. Craig has been sat CSA for 12 years now and has a sound understanding of government and the way it works. He is knowledgeable in so many different areas and it shows as he is constantly giving advice to those who work in the department and also others around the state. We have a caucus coming up, in which members of the House, Senate, and some lobbyist will be in attendance. At this meeting, Craig will present the bills we have been working on and they will begin to prepare for the legislative session, which begins after the first of the year. Craig is very good about keeping himself available by phone, email, or in person, which is great for those working underneath him, If a problem arises, getting in touch with Craig is usually not a problem. I feel that he has valuable leadership skills and I look forward to continuing to learn from him.
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Batch 4: Free Write
I recently worked on a couple different project for CSA. I have continued to piece together a binder with the budgets from all 15 counties. In the process of doing so, I have begun an Excel document that has more statistical data in it that is related to the budgets I have received. When I began this internship, I was mediocre using Excel, at best. Through this internship, I have gained many useful skills in not just Excel, but also, Word, PowerPoint, and Publisher. I feel that I am becoming proficient in each one of these, which will be very useful when I begin my career.
On another note, this is my first semester being a Graduate Student Assistant. I am currently teaching two courses for the Master's of Emergency Management and Homeland Security program. This has been a wonderful experience so far. I have had the opportunity of gaining knowledge outside of my field of study and I have found this subject area to be very interesting. I look forward to working with the students and learning the material in the remainder of the semester.
On another note, this is my first semester being a Graduate Student Assistant. I am currently teaching two courses for the Master's of Emergency Management and Homeland Security program. This has been a wonderful experience so far. I have had the opportunity of gaining knowledge outside of my field of study and I have found this subject area to be very interesting. I look forward to working with the students and learning the material in the remainder of the semester.
Batch 4: Interview
I interviewed Kristin Cipolla from County Supervisors Association (CSA) because I feel that we have a lot in common and share a similar interest in the career path we wish to pursue. Kristin has been at CSA for 4 years now and has the title of Legislative Liaison. Kristin started off working in the House of Representatives as a research analyst and then moved across the street and began working at CSA in 2012. She does wonderful work for CSA and they are proud to have her on their team.
Kristin's main responsibilities are bill writing, attend hearings, create newsletters, attend meetings, and lobbying. She chose this career based off her strong communication skills and desire to help others in the community. She knows that when she comes into work every day she has the ability to better lives around her. A Bachelor's degree is needed for this position and she happens to have a Bachelor's and a Master's degree. Kristin gave me the advice of getting to know as many people as possible because that is how you build relationships, get jobs, and better the community as a whole. I have already met so many people in politics and look forward to all the others I will meet throughout this internship. I can see myself working along side several of the people I have met so far and I think this field of work is a great fit for me.
Kristin's main responsibilities are bill writing, attend hearings, create newsletters, attend meetings, and lobbying. She chose this career based off her strong communication skills and desire to help others in the community. She knows that when she comes into work every day she has the ability to better lives around her. A Bachelor's degree is needed for this position and she happens to have a Bachelor's and a Master's degree. Kristin gave me the advice of getting to know as many people as possible because that is how you build relationships, get jobs, and better the community as a whole. I have already met so many people in politics and look forward to all the others I will meet throughout this internship. I can see myself working along side several of the people I have met so far and I think this field of work is a great fit for me.
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Blog 3: Free Write
For only living in Arizona for a short period of time, I have been trying to adjust to the brutal heat. I have seen 100+ degrees very minimal times in my entire life living in Illinois, so it's quite the adjustment seeing that kind of heat every single day. On the bright side, I keep telling myself, just wait until winter. This will be my first winter outside of the midwest and I am stoked for the beautiful weather that is to come! Overall, the transition out west has been a bit overwhelming, yet very interesting. The way people do things out here is completely different from the lifestyle in the midwest. The gun laws have thrown me off a bit as well, it truly is the "wild west." Overall, the eating habits out west seem to be healthier, as I am finding there are not a lot of places to go for deep fried food, which is all we have in my hometown back in Illinois. Also, I really enjoy the scenery out here, so many great views to look at everywhere I go!
I started a new book series recently, called Game of Thrones. I am current with all the episodes in the T.V. series and was told that the books (like majority of books) are much better than the television series. I am on the first book, but must say, if you have interest in Game of Thrones and you have not read the books, it is a MUST READ! The author, George Martin, has a unique way of writing and an interesting choice of words. Also, it is incredible how detailed his writing is. I am only about 3/4 the way through the first book and I am so impressed by how much better it is then the show. Also, there are over 1,000 characters throughout the entire book series, which does make it a somewhat difficult read.
I started a new book series recently, called Game of Thrones. I am current with all the episodes in the T.V. series and was told that the books (like majority of books) are much better than the television series. I am on the first book, but must say, if you have interest in Game of Thrones and you have not read the books, it is a MUST READ! The author, George Martin, has a unique way of writing and an interesting choice of words. Also, it is incredible how detailed his writing is. I am only about 3/4 the way through the first book and I am so impressed by how much better it is then the show. Also, there are over 1,000 characters throughout the entire book series, which does make it a somewhat difficult read.
Blog 3: Free Write
I was able to experience a very interesting and historic part of the state today. A woman from my department gave me a tour of the state capitol museum. Being from Illinois and living there my entire life up until a couple months ago, Illinois is all I have ever known. I am very unfamiliar with the state of Arizona government and how things work in this state in general. The woman mentioned that it would be a great experience and a great step in this intricate learning process.
The state capitol museum consists of three floors and is behind the new capital building, but still connected. It's strictly used for tourist purposes only. I would say the coolest experience was being in one of the old hearing rooms where many famous people throughout history have worked. President Taft was among the many people who, at one point in time, was speaking and doing business in this room. Also, there was an office with a wax statue of Arizona's first Governor, George W. P. Hunt. Although the statue was a bit creepy, it was really interesting seeing what took place in that specific room and all the documents that they had in there, including the states constitution.
I recommend, if you have never been, check out this museum and learn all about the state's history. It was such a wonderful experience. Once I got back to the office, the executive director gave me a book on the Arizona constitution and history, which I look forward to diving into!
The state capitol museum consists of three floors and is behind the new capital building, but still connected. It's strictly used for tourist purposes only. I would say the coolest experience was being in one of the old hearing rooms where many famous people throughout history have worked. President Taft was among the many people who, at one point in time, was speaking and doing business in this room. Also, there was an office with a wax statue of Arizona's first Governor, George W. P. Hunt. Although the statue was a bit creepy, it was really interesting seeing what took place in that specific room and all the documents that they had in there, including the states constitution.
I recommend, if you have never been, check out this museum and learn all about the state's history. It was such a wonderful experience. Once I got back to the office, the executive director gave me a book on the Arizona constitution and history, which I look forward to diving into!
Blog 3: Career Service Write-Up
I attended the ASU job fair this week, which presented many opportunities for full-time employment. I have bene proactive in looking for a job, so when the internship ends, hopefully I can carry everything I have learned into a full time position. The job fair consisted of many different employers from a diverse group of occupations. I personally talked with five different employers, 2 in which I felt would be a great fit for myself. Those two were Health Service Advisory Group and The Office of the Auditor General.
The Office of the Auditor General consisted of positions that obviously involve auditing. Although, this would be completely new to me, I feel that my current work at the internship can be a great building block for some of the work that I would be performing at this job. Health Service Advisory Groups, also known as HSAG, has a project coordinator position open, which I feel would suit me well. I received my bachelor's from NIU in healthcare administration and now I am working on my master's in public administration at ASU. I feel that these degrees and the work experience from my healthcare internship and current internship at CSA would bring success working as a project coordinator. The woman I spoke with took notice in all the research experience I have and said that I would be working more on the analytical research side of the things, if all works out.
Overall, this was an awesome networking event that ASU held for their students. I was able to meet with several people and have really good discussion about employment opportunities. I look forward to reconnecting with these individuals in the future!
Blog 3: Free Write
Hello Everyone,
A new week has brought on a new project. First, I would like to make a quick comment based on one of my post's last week. Liz Archuleta has left Arizona and has begun interviewing in different states using the packet of information that I put together last week for her. I wish her the best and I will keep everyone posted on how the election turns out for the position of NACo 2nd Vice President. On another note, a new week in the office has brought on a new project that will be done over the course of the next couple weeks as more information is presented to the department and myself.
Basically, I am putting a folder together that contains all the budgets for all 15 counties. We are in that stage where most counties are beginning to put their tentative budgets together, therefore, I am trying to get all the tentative budgets together and briefly scan over them to make sure everything makes sense. As time goes on, each county will begin to send over their adopted budgets for the new fiscal year.
We have meetings coming up in Navajo County, where we will sit in and listed to several different counties discuss their budget and need for more funding. As we all know, the financial situation differs tremendously from county to county. There will be attorneys, a few members from the house and senate, the policy analyst from CSA, and a few others sitting in on the meetings. I will briefly discuss what happens in these meetings at another time, once they occur.
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