Edited By Mary Ellen Bradley

Thomas Bynum, Information Systems Director, Department of Employment Security
May Board Meeting | DSHS and Fish & Wildlife: Training Partners

Thomas Bynum, Information Systems Director, Department of Employment Security

Thomas is the Information Systems Director for the Department of Employment Security. He accepted the position in April of 1997. I met with Thomas recently to find out more about him.

Tell me a little about your background.

I grew up in Jacksonville Florida. I graduated from New Stanton High School and then attended Florida A & M University. I majored in math and I took a few computer courses while I was at A & M.

My first job was with IBM in Endicott, New York. IBM recruited me prior to my graduating from college. I spent a year getting trained in PL1, FORTRAN, Assembler and COBOL.

After working for the company for a year, I went to Officer Training for the Navy and received my commission as a Line Officer. While in the Navy I was assigned to New York City as Minority Affairs Officer for the Northeast Naval District. This district was made up of Southern New York and Northern New Jersey. Public relations responsibilities were to publicize and promote enlistment in minority communities in addition to testing and counseling applicants. I then served as an Operations Officer and Electronic Material Officer / Electronic Warfare Officer aboard a destroyer class ship. In 1975, I began employment with Bank of America in San Francisco.

At Bank of America, I was a senior systems analyst. I participated in the redesign of the bank card system (VISA) which was written in Assembler language. I then moved to the Williams Companies in Tulsa, Oklahoma., a diversified Fortune 500 company with subsidiaries that include one of the country’s largest interstate pipelines, two natural gas companies, the third largest telecommunications company and other energy related entities. I worked in CICS, Batch Systems, Assembler, COBOL and FORTRAN. I managed and supervised the development and maintenance of large computer systems.

My wife and I had been to Washington state and liked it. We were starting to think about looking for jobs in a place where we would like to retire. My wife took a job with Corrections and is now a Director of Corrections in Snohomish County. I found a job at Office of Financial Management as an Information Technology Manager. I started work at OFM in 1992 by looking at the accounts receivable program.

In 1995 I moved to Employment Security as a business system manager and I also worked on GUIDE. I eventually became the project director of GUIDE. In April of 1997, I was appointed as the Information Systems Director.

I think we must provide the best service to our customers as possible. We must look at the business functions and have business drive the technology. The state should not necessarily be on the leading edge. Why drive a Cadillac if a VW will do? Technology managers must evaluate what is needed by the state, pick a proven solution that is best for the customer and then implement that solution. Vendors should assist the state in providing solutions that work.

I think the biggest problem that I have noticed is that we do a lousy job of communicating our accomplishments and abilities. Technology professionals in government are just as capable and in many cases more capable, than their private counterparts. We should push the positive accomplishments and not let the negative activities continue to be how people see us. We do more positive than negative.

I would like Employment Security to be the best technology agency in the state and in the nation. I want us to be pro-active, listen to our customers and do what it takes to give good service. I want us to go the extra mile and have committed staff.

I am most proud of the people I work with, both staff and customers. I am also proud of my work on GUIDE. It is a large and successful project. The success of GUIDE is due to outstanding and dedicated people, a good partnering atmosphere, excellent communications plan, and a desire not to be labeled a "failure." The people make me proud and I am especially proud of the drive that they continue to display in such a challenging and ever-changing career.

Yes, my wife works for Department of Corrections. A son who is attending UW on a football scholarship. A daughter who is attending University of Pacific.

Work is actually my hobby. I do serve on the IPMA board and work on the Automation and Technology Committee for the Federal Government.

— Mary Ellen Bradley

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May Board Meeting

Members Present: Jim Albert, Judy Schneider, Phil Grigg, Mary Ellen Bradley, Darrell Riffe, Bob Monn, Shelagh Taylor, Dennis Laine.

The Board Chair, Jim Albert, opened the meeting at 7:40 a.m. May 14, 1998.

Secretary: The minutes from the April Board meeting were approved as published.

Treasurer: Judy Schneider presented the Treasurer’s report which was approved. The IPMA accounting firm has completed a review of the IPMA corporation books and accounting system, and indicates they were well organized and fundamentally sound.

Communications Committee: Mary Ellen Bradley solicited input for upcoming IPMA Newsletter features and received several ideas.

Business Planning: Judy Schneider presented a status of the IPMA investment portfolio.

Executive Seminar: Phil Grigg reported the contract has been signed with Skamania Lodge to accommodate up to 65 people for the seminar September 16 - 18. Phil discussed possibilities for keynote speakers. Registration is expected to begin in June.

Forum: Dennis Laine, Phil Grigg and Bob Monn met with the corporate sponsors to discuss the 1998 Forum. They also discussed possibilities for speakers for the executive seminar, and their interest in participating in future professional development events. Dennis reported the Forum planning committee is meeting every two weeks. A contract has been signed with the Tyee Hotel as the location for both the ’98 and ’99 Forums. Letters have been sent to vendors regarding reserving booths.

Professional Development: Bob Monn reported the May 7th NT Clustering event with Microsoft and Compact went very well. There were 40 attendees, and they appeared to be the right audience. Bob believes the additional publicity paid off. His discussion with the corporate sponsors indicates support for IPMA bi-monthly events. The tentative date of the next event is July 9th.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:40.

Respectfully submitted by Shelagh Taylor, IPMA Secretary.

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DSHS AND FISH & WILDLIFE: TRAINING PARTNERS

Information Technology (IT) staff at the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) and the Department of Fish & Wildlife (DFW) have recently joined together in a successful cooperative effort to share resources for providing IT security training for their employees across the state.

The Information Systems Services Division’s Data Security unit at DSHS developed the training entitled, "Hackers, Bugs, and You!," for all DSHS employees. The three-hour security awareness training consists of a colorful and informative slide presentation and two short videos. One of the videos, "E-Mail Essentials," provides timely information regarding legal and appropriate use of e-mail The second video, "Mum’s the Word," focuses on PC and LAN data security.

DFW staff heard about the training and attended one of the first DSHS presentations given in the fall of last year. Realizing this was training that could benefit their staff, Sheryl Hall, Technical Services Manager at DFW’s Information Services Division, contacted Karen Engvall, Data Security Manager at DSHS, and arrangements were made between the two agencies to share the training and resources. As an example, in April, the training was presented to both DSHS and DFW Vancouver area staff at DFW’s Southwest Regional Office’s new facility in Vancouver.

"Hackers, Bugs, and You!" has been presented to over 350 employees since October 1997, and it continues to receive rave reviews. Far from being boring and pedantic, the training is pleasurable and fun and offers security tips and tidbits for users on and off the "information super highway." It provides answers (in non-technical terms) to such questions as:

• Can someone else read your performance evaluation?
• Can someone send e-mail nasty-grams in your name?
• Do you know how to construct simple, but effective passwords?
• Do you inadvertently create back doors for hackers?

Over the past six months, "Hackers, Bugs, and You!" has been presented in Olympia, Spokane, Wapato, the Tri-Cities area in Kennewick, Tacoma, Everett, Seattle, and Vancouver. More training is scheduled for the central Washington area in East Wenatchee on May 28 and for the Olympia and southwest Washington area on June 3 in Olympia.

This unique partnership between the two agencies has been a rewarding experience for all involved and proves that, with a little ingenuity and a lot of good spirit, working together toward a common goal results in excellent interdepartmental relations, effective use of resources, and important information-sharing.

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