FEBRUARY 2021
ALAMEDA COUNTY SOCIAL SERVICES AGENCY • OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS & COMMUNITY RELATIONS • EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER
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A Message from the Agency Director
ebruary is both celebratory and reflective – especially this year. We have lived through a full year of the pandemic, losing friends and loved ones along the way, so it’s a special time to remember and honor ancestors during Black History Month. This year is also a good year to reflect on the trials that enslaved peoples suffered and the families that grew, supported, and celebrated together with strength, love and laughter; the families that now will remember those who paved our ways, the ones well-known and the ones we knew well, the ones who held and loved us. In February, we celebrate the Lunar New Year – the Year of the Ox, whereby we are encouraged to keep calm and carry on until the pandemic is a memory. Steeped in both the observance of Black History and Lunar New Year are principles that align with the historical moment we find ourselves facing; diligence, power, perseverance, and excellence. Valentine’s Day presented an opportunity to express love for our loved ones in many non-traditional ways. It’s also American Heart Month, so we are reminded to care for ourselves as well as we care for our families, ensuring that our hearts stay strong and we stay healthy. There are so many celebrations that go along with all that the short month of February brings us, but this year, let’s all be mindful that being safe and staying healthy means deferring celebrations outside our safe bubbles, or celebrating virtually. The traditions will be waiting for us next year and we will be ready for them. Stay safe and healthy and thank you for your continued service! – Lori
A Career Well Planned And A Retirement Much Deserved: Denise Robinson Celebrates 36 Years of Service
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WRITTEN BY: Sylvia Soublet, Office of Public Affairs and Community Relations
enise Robinson, Human Resources Director ends a distinguished career spanning 36 years and 9 months in public service. Denise embodied and relished in the most human aspects of public service. She enjoyed personally distributing parking passes because it allowed her to get out from behind her desk and meet people. For years, she volunteered to prepare taxes for low- and moderate-income individuals and families through our Agency’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. Denise would be the first to tell you that she cherished the casual interactions with staff in ways most people did not understand or appreciate. Continued on page 2
IN THIS ISSUE 1 Agency Director’s Message 1 Denise Robinson Celebrates 36 Years of Service 3 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Launches 20th Year 4 Black History Month: Honoring the Past, While Looking Toward the Future
County of Alameda Social Services Agency
Continued from page 1: Denise Robinson “I want to be remembered as a person with high integrity and a sense of fairness.”
Fellow SSA employees flocked to Denise’s office to wish her a (socially distanced) farewell. More than 100 well-wishers, including current and former SSA and County staff joined the Microsoft Teams virtual celebration on February 4, 2021.
She says, “People often asked me, why are you delivering parking passes? Don’t you have someone who can do that?” Her constant refrain: “If someone else did it, then I would not get a chance to see you.” If you were to deconstruct Denise’s career journey, you would discover a series of classifications (some now defunct) that served as professional stepping stones in her path to Human Resources Director. She started with a stroll through the Clerk series (Clerk I, II, and Lead Clerk). After that she fast-tracked her way through the Supervising Clerk lane – I, II, and III.
to test for the position. She received the highest possible score of 108. Denise recounted this experience with humility, but the sense of pride in her voice led me to conclude, if she could capture that experience in one sentence it would read something like: I showed them what qualified looked like in the number one position on the eligible list.
Having sped through the administrative support classifications, Denise set her sights on Human Resources (HR). During our conversation, she reflected on the impetus for her career strategy. Denise gives credit to the sage advice she received early in her career from her first supervisor. She recounted, “I had a college degree when I was hired as a Clerk I and my supervisor told me, ‘I don’t want to see you in this position for too long. I want you to apply for any and every position that becomes available.’” She listened and executed her plan.
“My mother always told me to stay humble and never forget where you come from.” It was an upward trajectory from that point. Denise went on to secure an Out of Class (OOC)-DPO II position and was later appointed permanently. That led to another OOC appointment as Senior Personnel Officer, to which she was again permanently appointed. The position was later reclassified to its current title – Chief Departmental Human Resources Administrator. That is how you build a career of 36 years and 9 months, brick by brick.
Feeling a bit timid about applying for a career position in HR, Denise decided to test the waters by volunteering as an exam monitor. The volunteer foray into HR led her to apply for a career position; she was later hired as an Administrative Specialist II/Health and Safety Officer. Building on her success, she went on to apply for Department Personnel Officer I (DPO), for which she was told she did not qualify. You know what happened next—the decision was appealed, and she was allowed
When looking back on her career, I asked Denise to reflect on the one aspect she enjoyed most. It was a one-word answer: “Mentoring.” In that single act, she honored her mother and the values she instilled. “Never forget where you came from,” her mother told her. Denise said she heard her mother’s voice speaking those words when she made a decision on whether to mentor. In many ways, by saying yes to a mentor request, Denise exemplified how her mother lived her life and how she wanted to live hers. “I would like my legacy with the County and the SSA to be one that reflects my integrity and sense of fairness,” remarked Denise. With this chapter behind her, Denise looks forward to traveling, taking a serious look at deferred home projects, and giving back to her church family where she has worshiped for almost 59 years.
For many years, Denise volunteered as a tax preparer with SSA’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. Photo credit: Kavey Seng, 2016
Happy Retirement, Denise!
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Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program Launches 20th Year with New Beginnings
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WRITTEN BY: Kim Fogel, Office of Public Affairs and Community Relations
o many of us see 2021 as a time for new beginnings and that’s certainly true for SSA’s VITA Team. Forced to shut down last March by the COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders, VITA has come roaring back - launching into its 20th tax season in a different, safe, socially distanced environment while providing no-cost tax preparation the community has come to depend on each year. Coordinating this operation – three sites, approximately 60 volunteers, thousands of no-cost tax returns to prepare in the next three months, a new service delivery model, and new technology - are a dynamic duo from the Office of Public Affairs: Jacqueline “Jackie” Jacobs, who began working with the program shortly after its inception and whose name is practically synonymous with SSA’s VITA program, and Charles Balderama Sanchez, who has just joined SSA as an Administrative Specialist and will soon assume coordination responsibilties for the VITA program.
Tax program coordinators Jacqueline Jacobs and Charles Balderama Sanchez prepare to greet customers arriving for their document drop-off appointments.
returned approximately $5 million dollars annually back to deserving tax filers, and the local economy. The ink was barely dry on her retirement proclamation from the Board of Supervisors when she turned up at her new SSA desk in the Office of Public Affairs to serve as a retired annuitant for the VITA program.
They are working together in a very foreign tax preparation environment this year that sometimes feels like “flying the plane as we build it,” says Jackie. For the first time, the program is operating “virtually,” providing drop-off and pick-up services by appointment only. All tax preparation will be done virtually over Microsoft Teams. As “co-pilot,” Charles is not only assisting Jackie; he is learning everything he can, because next year, he will be flying solo as VITA Program Coordinator.
“VITA is my baby…my way of giving back,” she said. But she is looking forward to moving on with travel, a home remodel, and expanding her own tax business. Meanwhile, Charles also looks forward to making new contributions to his local community. Born in Vancouver, Canada to Filipino and Salvadoran parents, Charles grew up in Oakland and attended Oakland public schools.
After this tax season, Jackie is retiring. Yes, we’ve heard that before. But this time, she says, she means it.
“I was raised primarily by my older sister and mother and they are the two individuals I admire the most,” he said. He has been involved in the community from his teen age years, starting with advocating on behalf of the Oakland Public Library and later serving on campaigns, the Oakland Library Commission, and as Treasurer of the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club. Before coming to SSA, he worked as a library page for San Jose Public Library and as a management aide for Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, supporting the COVID Temperature Screening Department directors. He completed his undergraduate education at UCLA, majoring in Political Science with a concentration in American Government.
Jackie officially retired in 2017 after 15 years with the Agency’s Information Services Division. Among her many accomplishments, she helped to build the VITA program from a fledgling one-office operation that processed only simple returns to the robust three-site operation that has
Jackie’s biggest piece of advice to Charles: “Enjoy learning the work. You are not going to know it all at once. People will help you.” That’s good advice, according to Charles. “I’m in meetings with people who seem to know the name and number of every form by heart!” But, he adds, “It’s great to be part of helping working class individuals and families.”
Masks and social distancing are part of this season’s protocols, but the same friendly service still awaits VITA customers.
Click here for more information on SSA’s VITA program.
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Black History Month: Honoring the Past, While Looking Toward The Future WRITTEN BY: Sylvia Soublet, Office of Public Affairs & Community Relations
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f you are a regular reader of the BUZZ, then you know how we traditionally recognize Black History Month (BHM).
Each year we have the privilege, as BUZZ editorial staff, to attend BHM celebrations throughout SSA at most of our larger offices. We document the celebrations through photos and interviews with staff, participants, and organizers for our annual BHM celebration feature article. What makes these celebrations so wonderful to share with you, our readers, is that they showcase staff, their planning efforts, thoughtful execution, and the collaborative spirit throughout the Agency representing and embracing the diversity that makes SSA unique. Unfortunately, because of current events we are not able to celebrate BHM with our traditional staff gatherings that allow our readers to experience the events through our retelling of the stories and photos. But we did not want to let this BHM pass without paying tribute to historical legends and legends in the making.
ENTERTAINMENT: Cicely Tyson
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icely Tyson’s birth year is generally believed to be 1924, though some sources give 1933. She was the daughter of immigrants from the Caribbean island of Nevis, and she grew up in a devoutly religious household in Harlem. Discovered by a fashion editor at Ebony magazine, she quickly rose to the top of the modeling world. In 1957 she began acting in off-Broadway productions, and the following decade she appeared in several short-lived Broadway shows. Because she was committed to presenting only positive images of black women, Tyson initially did not have steady work in film and television. Her next notable role was as Rebecca Morgan in the popular and critically acclaimed film Sounder (1972), for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. In 1974 she appeared in perhaps her best-known role, that of the title character in the television drama The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, adapted from the eponymous novel by Ernest J. Gaines. Her performance as the 110-year-old former slave, whose life is depicted up through the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, won Tyson two Emmy Awards.
Photo source: Oscars.org
Tyson’s memoir, Just As I Am, was published January 26, 2021, and she was promoting the book during her final weeks. In an interview with Gayle King, when asked how she wanted to be remembered, Tyson said, “I’ve done my best. That’s all.” See the CBS This Morning interview. Tyson died on January 28, 2021, at the age of 96.
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SOCIAL JUSTICE: Bryan Stevenson
ryan Stevenson (born November 14, 1959) is an American lawyer, social justice activist, founder/executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, and a law professor at New York University School of Law. Based in Montgomery Alabama, Stevenson has challenged bias against the poor and minorities in the criminal justice system, especially children. He has helped achieve United States Supreme Court decisions that prohibit sentencing children under 18 to death or to life imprisonment without parole. Stevenson has assisted in cases that have saved dozens of prisoners from the death penalty, advocated for the poor, and developed community-based reform litigation aimed at improving the administration of criminal justice. He was depicted in the legal drama, Just Mercy which is based on his memoir Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, which tells the story of Walter McMillian.
Photo source: New York Times
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Continued from page 4: Black History Month
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SCIENCE: Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett
r. Kizzmekia “Kizzy” Shanta Corbett (born January 26, 1986) is an American viral immunologist at the Vaccine Research Center (VRC) at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health (NIAID NIH) based in Bethesda, Maryland. Appointed to the VRC in 2014, she is currently the scientific lead of the VRC’s Coronavirus Team, with research efforts aimed at propelling novel coronavirus vaccines, including a COVID-19 vaccine. She is is on the frontlines working with a team of scientists, studying Moderna’s vaccine, one of the two COVID-19 vaccines shown to be effective by more than 90 percent. In December 2020, the Institute’s Director Anthony Fauci, said: “Kizzy is an African American scientist who is right at the forefront of the development of the vaccine.” Corbett was born in Hurdle Mills, North Carolina. She grew up in Hillsborough, North Carolina where she had a large family of step-siblings and foster siblings. Her fourth grade teacher, Myrtis Bradsher, recalls recognizing Corbett’s talent at an early age and encouraging Kizzy’s mother to place her in advanced classes. “I always thought she is going to do something one day. She dotted i’s and crossed t’s. The best in my 30 years of teaching,” Bradsher said in a 2020 interview with The Washington Post.
Photo source: National Institutes of Health
In 2004, Corbett graduated from Orange High School in Hillsborough, North Carolina. In 2008, Corbett received a B.S. in biological sciences and sociology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, as a student in the Meyerhoff Scholars Program. In 2014, Corbett received a PhD in microbiology and immunology from the University of North Carolina st Chap[el Hill. View CBS This Morning Profile.
PHILANTHROPY: Darren Walker
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arren Walker (born August 28, 1959) is a nonprofit executive who serves as president of the Ford Foundation, a $14 billion international social justice philanthropy. Under his leadership, the Ford Foundation became the first non-profit in US history to issue a $1 billion designated social bond in US capital markets for proceeds to strengthen and stabilize non-profit organizations in the wake of COVID-19. Walker is a fellow of the Institute for Urban Design, a member of the Council of Foreign Relations, and a board member of the Arcus Foundation, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Friends of High Line, and the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies. He is a member of Governor Cuomo’s Reimagining New York Commission and co-chair of NYC Census 2020. He chaired the philanthropy committee that brought a resolution to the city of Detroit’s historic bankruptcy. Earlier in his career, Walker worked as a lawyer and investment banker. He has been a teacher of housing, law, and urban development at the New York University School of Law and the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. He is co-chair of the New York Public Library Council. He is board of directors vice-chairman at the New York City Ballet. In 2018, Walker joined the board of directors of the Committee to Protect Journalist. Walker was born in a charity hospital in Lafayette, Louisiana. Walker was raised by a single mother in Ames and later Baytown, Texas, and was one of the country’s first children to benefit from the Head Start Program. Walker said that his background “has given me an understanding of the need for investment in human capital and the centrality of private philanthropy making a difference in human lives.” With financial support from a Pell Grant, Walker was admitted into the University of Texas at Austin. In 1982, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in government and a Bachelor of Science in speech communication. In 1986, Walker graduated from the University of Texas School of Law with a Juris Doctorate.
CONTACT THE BUZZ Send comments to Sylvia Soublet • ssoublet@acgov.org Content and Design Editor: Andrea Wong
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