Good Morning,

Thank you for participating in our statewide listening sessions two weeks ago! Your input is so critical in helping us develop a meaningful strategic plan for the Institute for Public Service. You honored us with your attendance and engagement in the listening process and we look forward to taking the thoughts you provided to develop a plan to better meet your needs and those of our customers even better.
I've received positive comments about the sessions from both employees and stakeholders.

I cert ainly owe Dr. Mitch Owen a debt of gratitude for his excellence in guiding us through capturing massive amounts of information and for the work he and Martha Kelly will do in helping us formulate a workable plan. They were both complimentary of you and the role you have played thus far as we create the overall strategic plan that will guide us into the future.

The next step in the process will be a working retreat with
our strategic planning team . We will review notes from the sessions, discuss input, identify common themes and use these and other data sources to determine our strategic direction for the future. This retreat will take place September 14-16 and we will work to finalize a plan in November
. In the meantime, we have added a way from our website or intranet that you can provide additional feedback along the way. Feel free to communicate with me, Dr. Owen, or any strategy team member as well.

Each of you make great contributions to our customers and stakeholders across Tennessee (and beyond). I continue to be excited about what the future holds for our institute. This comprehensive, employee- and customer-derived strategic plan will give IPS the direction we need to work together for a better Tennessee.

Herb