2013-08-29 Special Meeting of the Merit Appeals Board Minutes

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Special Meeting of the Merit Appeals Board August 29, 2013 all of her love and support, and for all that she does for their family and community, and for being with him today. Mr. Hermes shared some highlights concerning his family (raised in South Windsor, Connecticut), high school years, acceptance and graduation from the United States Military Academy at West Point, meeting and marrying his wife and raising a family, and his human resource work background at both the County and State levels (SEE ATT. A). Mr. Hermes acknowledged former Human Resource Directors Mike Ben and Ron Takahashi and commended them for their technical expertise, leadership, vision, and influence on multiple levels as well as their contribution to the design and implementation of Civil Service Reform in the early 2000's. Mr. Hermes thanked Mr. Takahashi for taking the time and energy to teach and mentor him. Mr. Hermes shared his vision, initiatives and policies, and thoughts concerning the employees of the Human Resources Department, carrying out and supporting the Department's initiatives and prerogatives, and building solid and cooperative relationships between departments through regular communication and information sharing. Chair Rowe thanked Mr. Hermes for is presentation. He called upon Ms. Sharon Toriano to make her presentation. Ms. Toriano thanked the Board for the opportunity to provide a presentation and stated that she's very fortunate to have the honor and the privilege of serving Hawai`i Island in her current capacity as Deputy Director. She said that her background, experience, knowledge, and ability are captured in her application, and will be sharing other aspects moving forward. Ms. Toriano conveyed that in the last three years, the County has had significant process change, such as how driver's licenses are issued or the manner in which we recruit, and the need to prepare in order to address changes in how our work is performed. As team leaders, we're continually challenged to become more efficient while maintaining the quality of service and delivering them with aloha. Ms. Toriano addressed maintaining partnerships with our various stakeholders as we continue to work on the needs of our community, as well as union needs at the local level. Ms. Toriano informed the Board that she has worked for ten different CEO's, each with a different direction that was set in place and embarked on. Flexibility, perseverance, and the ability to work collaboratively as a team are qualities which she possesses and believes that our stakeholders demand and expect. Page 3