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Alumni Corner

Charles Johnson enters retirement with 46 years of federal service

June 28, 2017

Charles JohnsonCharles Johnson, Office of Communications, retired on June 29 after 46 years of federal service—21 in the U.S. Air Force and 25 at EIA.

Charles began his government service in 1971 when he entered the U.S. Air Force. After assignments in Korea, North Carolina, Germany, and Florida, Charles retired as a Major in 1992.

In May 1992, Charles joined EIA in the office of Coal, Nuclear, Electricity, and Alternate Fuels (CNEAF). His first assignment was working with the Nuclear/Uranium team as an operations research analyst for the uranium data survey. The team published the Annual Uranium Report and updated survey procedures, form processing, and distribution of data.

He received a master certificate from George Washington University in Program Management in 2010. He completed several online courses in multiple coding and graphing languages, including ColdFusion, PHP, and JQuery. He coded coal and electricity web pages so they were dynamically generated and updated. He designed interactive charts (Highcharts and U.S. maps) for data presentations. He was also instrumental in publishing Today in Energy.

Throughout his career, Charles was an exceptional and outstanding employee who made extensive, significant, and enduring contributions not only to EIA, but also to the United States. The consistently high quality of his work, displayed by his many outstanding performance ratings, attests to his dedication, professionalism, and work ethic. He provided premium customer service, displayed strong innovative capabilities, and continuously improved his coding skills. He performed his duties with a professional and helpful attitude, and he could always be counted on to get the job done.

--Vivien Lau, Office of Communications


Brenda King retires after 30 years of federal service

June 14, 2017

Brenda King, Photo credit: Meg Freeburn for EIABrenda King, Office of Resource and Technology Management (ORTM), retired on May 31 after 30 years of federal service. Brenda began her 17-year career at EIA with the Office of Statistical Standards, Data Collection Services Branch in 1990 before transferring to ORTM.

Brenda provided support services to EIA employees over the course of her career that included time and attendance, travel and training, and conference room coordination. After retirement, Brenda plans to travel often, play the casinos, and spend more time with family. Brenda has also committed to putting her two grandchildren through college and caring for her elderly parents.

Congratulations on a job well done!

--Christinne Rodriguez, Office of Communications


Team SDSI celebrates Patty Chou's retirement

April 20, 2017

Patty Chou, Photo credit: Meg Freeburn for EIAThe Office of Survey Development and Statistical Integration (SDSI) recognized Patty Chou's retirement on April 5, 2017, at the SDSI team meeting. Patty worked 25 years at EIA, as a contractor for 10 years and then as a federal employee for 15 years.

Patty started at EIA on the Survey Operations Team and coordinated the user acceptance and quality assurance testing for modernizing the collection and processing of the coal survey forms. She later developed the user requirements for the electric power surveys, including frame maintenance, data collection, processing, quality assurance, quality control, and respondent record contacts all in one centralized survey functional operation.

In recent years, Patty worked on the Survey Development Team where she drafted the Integrated Test Plan and Business Requirements documentation for the Generalized System Business Plan model. Her leadership and exemplary federal service produced extensive, significant, and enduring contributions to EIA's data collection and processing systems.

--Jacob Bournazian, Office of Energy Statistics


Adam Sieminski joins CSIS

February 3, 2017

Congratulations to former EIA Administrator Adam Sieminski on joining the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) Energy and National Security Program as the James R. Schlesinger Chair for Energy and Geopolitics.

John J. Hamre, CSIS president and CEO, had this to say about Adam:

"We are honored to have Adam join our energy team at CSIS," said Hamre. "He brings with him a vast array of energy knowledge and experience and also a superb reputation around the world and in Washington as a trusted source of sound advice and insights."

Read the full CSIS press release.

--Rachel Tran, Office of Communications


Congratulations Gale Kabat, new EIA retiree!

July 7, 2016

Gale KabatOn July 1, Gale Kabat of the Office of Resource and Technology Management's Finance Team retired from EIA with a Distinguished Career Service Award.

Administrator Adam Sieminski presented to Gale Kabat, in recognition and appreciation of more than 24 years of federal government service, a plaque that reads:

"Ms. Kabat excelled at developing EIA's financial management procedures and was instrumental in thoroughly documenting and validating energy information requirements across the organization. She ensured EIA's strategic priorities and resources were closely aligned and well-justified in the budget, which greatly improved the overall quality, timeliness, and professionalism of EIA's budget formulation process."

Happy retirement, Gale!

--Rachel Tran, Office of Communications


Former EIA Administrator Richard Newell to lead Resources for the Future

May 27, 2016

Richard NewellOn May 23, 2016, Former EIA Administrator Richard Newell was named as the next president of Resources for the Future (RFF). The organization, which was founded in 1952, conducts economic research and analysis on natural resources and the environment and is recognized as the first think tank devoted exclusively to these issues.

Newell's term as president of RFF begins on September 1, 2016, and represents a homecoming of sorts. He previously served at RFF as a researcher specializing in climate and energy issues before accepting an appointment in 2007 to become a professor at the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University. As president of RFF, Newell will lead a staff of more than 70 and oversee an institutional endowment of nearly $70 million.

Many employees at EIA may recall Newell's tenure as EIA Administrator from 2009–11. As EIA's Administrator, Newell oversaw a reorganization of EIA's offices, a refresh of EIA's brand, the redesign of EIA's website, and the beginning of EIA's front office rotation, which provides nonsupervisory staff with a better understanding of the people and processes that shape EIA and how the agency is valued by its external stakeholders.

--Tom Doggett, Office of Communications


EIA retiree, Kathy Cavanaugh, on the topic of organ donation

February 9, 2016

Many of you may remember Kathy Cavanaugh. She worked in EIA's former Office of Oil and Gas for 30 years and retired in 2008. Kathy wrote her doctoral thesis on EIA's identity and culture, and she won the Administrator's Award in 2007 for her many years of service to our organization.

She contacted me recently about the subject of organ donation, a cause that is important to her and her family. She asked me to share some information about being an organ donor with EIA staff.

Kathy wants people to know there are many ways to help including sharing information about organ donor programs, signing up to be an organ donor (which many people do when they get a driver's license), or going online to register to be a living donor.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has prepared answers to 10 frequently asked questions about organ donation, including who can donate and how the organs are distributed.

--Colleen Blessing, Office of Communications