The Chief Human Capital Officers Council is pleased to announce the winners of the
2010 CHCO Council Leadership Awards

These awards are given to Chief Human Capital Officers and Deputy Chief Human Capital Officers for their dedication and commitment to advancing and substantially improving Federal Human Resources through their participation and leadership in the Chief Human Capital Officers Council. Recognition will be given to individuals and groups who lead, create and promote advancements in the federal HR field through their work on the CHCO Council, that will have major impact on a government-wide level. 

This year's Working Group of the Year is the HR IT working group, led by Jeff Neal. This group was tasked with finding a better way to address USAJOBS functionality. The group focused on a recommendation that was in the best interest of the federal government. This working group crafted and reached agreement on a concept of operations to define the core framework for the new design (USAJOBS 3.0) and its operational capabilities. This concept of operations was the first critical milestone in the overall requirements process. The group vetted and obtained buy-in for the concepts and started the next level of requirements definition, leveraging knowledge from across the government and key vendor partners. Deputy CHCOs Rodney Markham and Bill Fleming were key members of this working group.

This year's Deputy CHCO of the Year is Rita Franklin, Deputy CHCO for the Department of Energy.  For more than five years, Rita has enthusiastically been engaged and involved in helping to professionalize the human resources (HR) workforce. Rita served as a member of the initial HR team focused on establishing a training and development program for the HR profession. During this time she also willingly assumed the role as the chair of the HC/HR Workforce Subcommittee. She routinely held committee meetings, briefed the full Council on the progress of the workgroup, and presented a strong business case to the Council that funding was essential to support the goal to professionalize the workforce in a consistent manner. In 2010, the charge of the HC Workforce Subcommittee was refocused to establish an HR University and Rita continues to lead this workgroup with enthusiasm and determination to ensure this goal is accomplished.

This year's CHCO of the Year award is presented to Assistant Secretary John U. Sepulveda, CHCO for the Department of Veteran's Affairs. Assistant Secretary Sepulveda has led two major working groups this year. His work on the Veteran’s Employment working group, both on the Veterans Council, and on the CHCO Council, have brought great early results on the overall hiring of veterans in the federal government. Mr. Sepulveda continues to lead this group, as well as the newly formed working group on Hiring Reform, which is focused on supporting the implementation of hiring reform initiatives government-wide, sharing best practices and resolving agency challenges. As a senior member of the CHCO Council, Mr. Sepulveda demonstrates his commitment to the Council by his participation in these initiatives and many others.

Congratulations to our inaugural CHCO Council Award winners, your recognition is well deserved.