News from Big Sky Country
Official newsletter of the
Montana Chapter of IAWP
Facebook: Montana Chapter of IAWP
Montana Chapter Website
Volume 28, Issue 2
May, 2013
Table of Contents
Guest Commentary
Page 1
From the Archives
Page 2
Disability Advocacy
Pages 2-4
Region News
Pages 4-7
MT Conference Reg.
Page 8
International Conf.
Page 9
The Montana IAWP Newsletter is
published four times a year by the
Montana Chapter of International
Association of Workforce Professionals
(IAWP).
Editor: DeeDe Baker
to: dbaker@mt.gov
Send articles
Publisher: Elaine O’Leary
Guest Commentary - Elaine O'Leary
If you haven't sent in your registration for the
Montana Chapter Conference in Helena on June 12-13 now
is the time to do so. The registration form can be found on
page 8 of this newsletter. The Helena folks and the board
have been working hard to make this another great
conference. Hope to see many of you there!!
One of the things we will vote on at the conference will
be the proposed by-law changes that were sent out previously
to the members (also available on our website). The changes
will bring our training and travel policies in line with the state
policies. Our Constitution/By-Law Chair, Ken McLean, will be
sending out a voting proxy so if you are not able to attend,
you can designate a co-worker or someone who is coming to
the conference to vote for you.
Many offices around the state have been involved in
Job Fairs and it sounds like they have been very successful
for both employers and job seekers. It takes a lot of
planning, time and effort to put together a job fair and it is
much appreciated by all.
Information on the workshops and speakers for the
IAWP 100th Anniversary International Conference is
available on the International website. The dates are July 710, 2013, in Chicago, IL. The agenda and speakers look
excellent and hopefully Montana Chapter attendees will bring
back lots of information to share.
We hope everyone has a great summer and the fire
season is short or nonexistent. See you in a couple of weeks
in Helena!!!
Roberta Diegel President
Jeannie Wohlfrom President-Elect
DeeDe Baker Vice-President
Betty Peterson Past President
Elaine O’Leary Secretary
Dawn Guenzi Treasurer
Joe Fletcher Veteran’s Chair
Montana Officers and Chairs:
758-6273
Kari Woods
Education Chair
444-9495
Paula Marcinkowski Co-Awards Chair
444-9063
Rebecca Stancil Co-Awards Chair
868-1753
Joe Fletcher Legislative Chair
544-4129
Marcy Roberts Specialized Cust. Ser.
377-3314
Elaine O’Leary Newsletter/Public Rel.
791-5820
Ken McLean
Constitution
791-5827
542-5744
549-4113
791-5820
253-4133
544-4129
444-0839
FROM THE ARCHIVES:
By: Deb Chouinard
Looking into the archives from August, 1979, I ran across a letter to Jan Murphy in Great
Falls, whom I believe was later Jan Whitcraft, Assistant Manager in the Flathead office. The
letter was from W. Scott Boyd, then Executive Director of the International Association of
Personnel in Employment Security (IAPES) as we were then known. (The W. Scott Boyd
Educational grant was named after him, obviously.)
The letter was responding to a request for records of Chapter presidents and histories.
While Mr. Boyd maintained there were no histories available, he did share the Montana Chapter
was first chartered May 23, 1944. The charter was withdrawn in 1968, and the Chapter
rechartered October 1, 1973. In 1974 the membership was 126 members strong. Five years later,
in 1979, it had increased to 354, a “wonderful growth” according to Mr. Boyd.
Even with five years where we were without a charter, that’s still 64 years of membership
in Montana IAPES, or IAWP! Throughout the years, our Chapter has had its ups and downs,
increases and decreases in membership, and challenges to remain relevant. One thing has remained
strong, the friendships and networks that we have developed with each other.
Looking forward to our Educational Conference coming up in just a few short weeks in
Helena! It looks like spring/summer may have arrived!
DISABILITY ADVOCACY
Contributed by Marcy Roberts
Even though this is written from the perspective of a people with disabilities, advocacy is valuable
for those without disabilities too. Advocacy is basically a set of skills you can use to ask someone
for something you WANT, NEED or DESERVE.
Although personal power comes from existing human & civil rights (laws), it also comes from
assuming the responsibility for your needs and being accountable for your own actions. Examples
of rights would be seeking information about existing laws and service – while assuming
responsibility means choosing to gain more knowledge, and perhaps gain insight from another
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Disability Advocacy (cont.)
person who has experience in the area. For those with disabilities, our protection comes from the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990.
An example of an employee with a disability is Kelly who has diabetes, and works at her desk in IT
for a small business. Because of her medical condition she needs to eat every 2 hours to control
her blood sugar. However, recently her boss eliminated morning and afternoon breaks, and now
company employees only get a lunch break, and are prohibited from eating at their desks.
Kelly used advocacy to address this problem by first talking to HR about her rights, then talking
with her boss about making an accommodation for her dietary needs
It is very important to understand the difference between rights, needs, and fairness. Fairness is
very an important value. Because of fairness, most people see an improvement in their quality of
life.
Workplace fairness is a very high priority, and there are many laws that protect employee’s rights
in regards to this. Our legal system was developed to answer the question of what is fair – fair
hiring practices, a fair divorce, and fair & reasonable access for an employee with a disability.
Because Congress is always passing new laws or interpreting existing laws, determining fairness is
not always easy. Although the federal government protects some rights in all states, it does not
protect the exact same rights in all states. Therefore it is very important to understand the legal
implications of each law or right for your state.
Although legal rights can be somewhat unclear, a general rule of thumb is that the law states that
everyone should be treated the same. If not, your employer is violating your rights. This is
especially important for those with disabilities to understand, as many times this minority group
doesn’t “feel” they should be treated the same as everyone else.
Law specifically protects reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities. The ADA
requires employers to provide reasonable access to applicants and employees with disabilities
unless such accommodations would pose undue hardship – and although this can be a bit vague, such
undue hardship would fall under extreme scrutiny and must be proven. Accommodations can be
modifications to existing facilities, equipment or workspaces. They need not be costly - one such
accommodation for a great computer programmer who was also deaf, was to equip him with a side
mirror on his headset so he could see who was coming up behind him. This eliminated him from
jumping every time someone approached him (thus interfering with his productivity).
In general, workplace accommodations include any change or adjustment to any environment that
makes it possible for a person with a disability to enjoy the benefits or privileges of employment
equal to those enjoyed by people without disabilities.
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Disability Advocacy (cont.)
Even though rights are protected by law (and are the strongest advocacy power), needs and desires
are also worthy of advocacy. Some needs like alternative work schedules for parents with young
children are important-but not protected by law. Many people won’t speak up about such needs,
thinking they are not worthy of advocacy, however addressing these needs might help the
individual become a better employee.
Most employers want their workers to be happy, and if possible, they will try to accommodate an
employee’s wants and desires. Desires are ok to speak up about too – just be careful not to “want”
too much too often. – And remember your wants & desires carry the least advocacy power.
So advocating for your needs desires and rights is important for both those with disabilities and
those without – but remember that while your rights are protected by law, your employer grants
your needs and desires at his or her discretion. As mentioned earlier, though, desires & needs are
also worthy of advocacy, so SPEAK UP!
Robin Idol
News from Region I
Contributed by Laura Gardner
Region News
Missoula 3rd Street Office
Staff Updates
Our newest team member is Michael Williams. He recently retired as the elementary
principal at Franklin Elementary School here in Missoula. Michael had been a school administrator
in the Missoula area for the past 22 years. After almost two years of retirement the need to
serve the community drew him to his current position at the Missoula Job Service as a workforce
consultant. “It is great to be helping the community again and being a part of such positive things.
I am glad that I am able to be a part of such a great organization.” We are so happy that you
joined us, Mike! Welcome!
Jennifer Lodine-Chaffey was accepted as a Graduate Student at the University of
Washington, Pullman. Her last day at Missoula Job Service was Friday, 5/17/13. She has been
instrumental in writing several grants in addition to working in WIA programs, employment and at
our front desk. One of her latest achievements was to write weekly blog posts for the “Make it
Missoula” website. She was featuring specific jobs on the blog once a week to reach out to more
job seekers for our employers. Also, each week she wrote blog posts with specific career advice.
This past week’s article was particularly poignant. Her final blog was titled “3 Most Important
Things for Finding a Job”.
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Region News (cont.)
1. You need computer skills to obtain most types of employment
2. The way you dress and present yourself says a great deal about you and your potential as
an employee
3. Kindness is always the best policy
She then concluded her article with the quote, “Kindness is always the best policy” explaining
that Seneca states this succinctly: “Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a
kindness.” “Thank you for your kindness to me, Missoula. May you prosper and grow!” We wish you
all our best, Jennifer! You and your experience and expertise have been a delightful gift to our
office. I know I speak for all of us when I say…you will be missed and we wish you continued
success in Pullman Washington!
The Missoula Job Service Employers’ Council awarded two $1000.00 scholarships to local
High School students. One student will be pursuing a Culinary Arts degree at the Missoula College,
and the other plans on attending the Modern Beauty School in Missoula and becoming a
Cosmetologist. We invited housing specialists to come to our March meeting and discuss the issue
of homelessness in Missoula and our April meeting was focused on our scholarship winners with
presentations from teachers from Missoula College and the Modern Beauty School. On May 8th,
JSEC sponsored a seminar “Social Media Boot Camp II ~ Beyond the Basics” with Suzanne Elfstrom
of Partners Creative. The JSEC is also very proud that our small business Employer of Choice
(Ecology Project International) also received the new MSEC state Award for small business
employer of choice. Scott Pankritz from EPI was able to attend the awards breakfast in Missoula
and receive his award from MSEC.
Deborah Gass was honored during a ceremony held at the Holiday Inn Parkside receiving
the highest award given out by the Missoula Business Women’s Network (MBN): “Missoula Business
Woman of Year”. MBN is an association of more than 300 local members and it was obvious that
Deb was held in high regard by that organization. Deb’s acceptance speech and its delivery was a
credit to her skill, expertise, preparation, and – last but not least – to the Missoula Job Service.
You are an amazing part of our team, Deb. We are so lucky you’ve been on our team these past 14
years!
Missoula Veterans Update – First Quarter 2013
The Missoula Veterans “Stand Down and Job Fair” will be held at the Missoula Armed Forces
Reserve Center on Thursday, 5/23/13 from noon to 6pm. Shannon Noble, DVOP and Rebecca
Stancil, FSS have been indispensable helping with organization and planning of this worthy event
with the VET Center (the lead organization).
Since her transition to DVOP, Shannon has established connections with DVOP / LVER groups,
Veterans Employment Specialists and other Veteran organizations throughout Missoula and
Western Montana. She has also made connections nationally with Veterans organizations on
LinkedIn. She attended the “Labor and Employment Specialist” course in January and “Case
Management” course in April/May at NVTI (National Veterans Training Institute) in Denver to
5
Region News (cont.)
better serve Special Disabled, Disabled and other Veterans requiring intensive services, to better
inform employers of the incentives and benefits of hiring a Veteran, to better educate front line
staff regarding Priority of Service to Veterans, and to better serve everyone by sharing job
search and career guidance tools and Veterans resources available online.
Family Self-Sufficiency Program Update
HUD's Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program is an asset building program, which focuses
on helping families and individuals develop goals that will enable to move forward in their lives.
These goals include; finding and maintaining employment, securing housing, completing college,
clearing up credit, accessing childcare, securing transportation, etc. Rebecca’s program working
with Housing Choice Voucher recipients has accumulated over $146,000 in escrow savings. Paula’s
program working with residents of Public Housing has accumulated over $24,000.
Program Graduate: The Missoula Housing Authority had one FSS graduate for the month of
April. This single mother was able to learn finance management skills, obtain and maintain a
vehicle, and obtain employment during her participation in the FSS Program. In addition she
completed home ownership counseling, completed her degree in “Early Childhood Education”, and
owned her own cleaning business. She graduated with $4,670.40 saved in her account. She was
also able to utilize approximately $1,904.61 from her escrow account to address barriers to
employment such as; vehicle repairs, work supplies, etc.
Community Service Outreach
Vernette Torgerson of the Sidney Job Service sent out a request to all Job Services for
help. Due to the population growth in the Bakken area, there are many people without housing and
without access to personal hygiene items. As we know, in order to obtain and/or maintain
employment there is a basic level of personal care that is required. Even the retail stores can’t
keep products on the shelves. Therefore, Missoula started a collection of personal hygiene items
to donate. Items included: Shampoos, Lotions, Deodorants, Razors, Shaving Cream, Lip Balm, Hair
Combs, Fingernail/Toenail Clippers, Wet Wipes, Toothbrushes, Toothpastes, and Dental Floss. We
hope it helps a little Vernette!
News from the Flathead Job Service
The Flathead area had the most exciting Job Fair in over five years!! We had 67 employers
with job openings and over 1000 participants. The feedback has been great and people were hired
on the spot. The excitement and optimism it brought to our area was priceless!
Jori Bullemer is leaving us, kind of. She has been hired by Flathead Valley
Community College to be a Navigator/Advisor. She and two other people will
be trained in the ways of the college and Job Service to help client’s
navigate the education and employment systems. We are sad to see her go
but she will still be working out of our office two days a week.
6
Region News (cont.)
At the MSEC Meeting Bill Nelson won Manager of the year. The Flathead JSEC got JSEC
of the year and Kari Martel in Libby won JSEC Coordinator. THANKS to Roberta Diegel and Terri
Haueter for taking the time to submit nominations on our well-deserved winners!!!
We recently took down the job boards in our lobby. Seekers are being educated on using
the computer to look up jobs. There were more concerns raised by staff then what we’ve received
from the clients so far! We used the opportunity to do some major re-arranging and are very
happy with our new look. The next time you are in the Flathead, stop by to see our new and
improved Resource Area!
Region Representatives –
Region I – Laura Gardner
Region II – Bob Vinton
Region III – Darla Handran
758-6250
791-5802
377-3314
Region IV – Open
Region V – Lanae Vetsch
444-2992
News from Region V
Contributed by Lanae Vetsch
I hope that everyone is enjoying their spring weather. It is nice to see the green
grass and spring flowers popping up. I saw the tour train today, which means tourist
season, has already arrived. If you have not taken the tour train ride in Helena, I highly
recommend it.
Since the last newsletter, the Helena area sub-chapter has not had a chance to
meet. We already made arrangements to secure Jorgenson’s hotel for the upcoming
IAWP state conference and we are looking forward to seeing everyone in June.
Other employee news, Lanae Vetsch
attended her college graduation
ceremonies in May, from both Helena
College and MT Tech with honors. The
nights of studying for final exams and
attending classes on-line during or after
the Early Bird sessions are finally over. 
The last 4 years were challenging while
working full time and attending college
classes, it is very gratifying to complete
the degrees.
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Seeking Sanity in this Crazy World”
June 12th and 13th, 2013
Jorgenson’s Inn
1714 11th Avenue
Helena, MT 59601
REGISTRATION FORM
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
12:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Violence in the Workplace – Associated Employers
Handling Difficult People – Associated Employers
6:00 pm
Banquet – Awards – Installation of Officers
General Meeting
Dinner provided
Thursday June 13, 2013
8:30am – Noon
Commissioner Pam Bucy and Department Administrators Updates
DeeDe Baker – How to Maintain a Positive Attitude in a Negative
World.
Karen McNenny – Keynote speaker on Superhero Seeks Sanity
www.karenmcnenny.com
Hotel accommodations will be provided by the Jorgenson’s Inn. Block of rooms is under IAWP
Conference (Dept of Labor). Reservations must be made by June 7, 2013.
REGISTRATION FEE
_____________________________
Name
_____________________________
Address
Please mail registrations to:
$40.00
___________________________
Office
___________________________
Email Address
Roberta Diegel
Flathead Job Service
427 First Avenue East
Kalispell, MT 59901
8
IAWP Executive Office
1802 Louisville Road Frankfort, KY 40601
1-888-898-9960
Fax: 502-223-4127
e-mail:
iapes@iapes.org
International Association of Workforce Professionals
2013 IAWP Educational Conference
July 7 – 10, 2013
Chicago, Illinois • The Fairmont Hotel
Go to http://iawponline.org for complete details on the Conference.
Saturday, July 6 - Leadership Training and Early Bird networking with the Blues Brothers
Sunday, July 7 - Opening Ceremonies, Opening Keynote: Mike Dilbeck, Cultural Event & Reception
Monday, July 8 - General Session: Dennis Petrie, Concurrent Workshops, International Delegation Panel,
District Meetings, Illinois Night: Flappers & Gangsters
Tuesday, July 9 - General Session: Washington Update, Concurrent Workshops, Awards Luncheon,
Chapter Bests, Portland 2014 Night
Wednesday, July 10 - Closing Keynote: Tyson Wooters, Concurrent Workshops, Closing Ceremonies,
Banquet and Ball: Celebrating the Centennial
9