Good Monday Afternoon MTAS,

Yes, it’s been a few weeks since you heard from me. I’ve been busy, and I’m excited to share with you what has been going on. Please accept my apologies for the delayed correspondence.

First, here is a big shout out to Dennis Wolf for his attainment of Chief Fire Officer (CFO) designation. To better explain what a big deal this is, let me share with you that there are only 1,304 CFOs worldwide and only 24 in the state. The Commission on Professional Credentialing is the organization that bestows this honor, which is the highest level of certification for fire department personnel. Way to go Dennis!

Other celebrations include birthdays. Happy birthday to: David (April 7), Ralph, (April 14), and Sherri (April 18). I can’t forget work anniversaries either. Thanks and congratulations go to: Warren (April 1), Rex (April 10), and Brett (April 15). These three employees have 64 combined years of dedication to this agency. Thanks guys!

So, you may be wondering what’s been keeping me from letting you know what’s new with MTAS. Well, from April 8 – 11, I was with the IPS leadership team in west TN. We had a very productive meeting. I had a few “a-ha” moments and look forward to taking what I learned there and implementing some of those ideas.

From that session, I left for the TCMA spring conference (April 11 – 13). A take-away from that conference was that videos in recruitment advertisements yield 16% better candidates. I’m willing to give this a try for a future recruitment. I welcome ideas that you might have on this topic.

After TCMA, I made it to the office briefly before hitting the road again to visit the Martin office (Kay). I hadn’t been there since Kay moved offices. From Martin, I went to Nashville and met with Dawn Crawford at the Pool, and then the MPA students at TSU. They held an awards ceremony for public service. I really enjoyed the inspiring event. The next day I had a meeting in Cookeville and finally made it back to the Knoxville office on Friday. Whew, that’s been a lot of travel, but some really productive sessions.

To keep you informed on position vacancies at MTAS, here is a status report:
· Training consultant in Knoxville – position has been advertised, resumes reviewed, and there are three interviews scheduled for May 1
· Business manager – final stages of an offer
· Municipal management consultant in Jackson – interim identified, starts May 2, search about to begin
· Municipal management consultant in Nashville – final stages of an offer

Please let me know if you have any questions about any of this information.

Sincerely,
Margaret