Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 02 Paula Guthrie Recognition Springfield Upbeat January 6, 2014 Employee Recognition: Paula Guthrie, 30 Years Personnel data, promotions, career highlights, and significant accomplishments:  Paula is the creative and technical visionary that leads the Enterprise Financial and Human Resource applications that help keep Springfield working effectively today. Paula’s initiatives this year are Paperless Accounts Payable to streamline City business practices and a new Online Recruiting Portal that will help Springfield compete successfully for new talent.  Paula maintains a veritable menagerie at home, with 3 dogs, 3 cats, and 7 birds. Paula often pet-sits for friends at work.  Paula has traveled extensively, including trips through the Panama Canal, an Alaskan cruise, and a trip to Egypt. How has the Department changed over the employee’s career?  When Paula came to Springfield in 1984 there was a single VAX computer system with 16 monochrome monitors that ran the Library, Business Licenses, EMS Billing, and Payroll.  Now Springfield has business applications living in the “Cloud”, Public Safety vehicles use satellite-based Automatic Vehicle Locate technology to enable Closest Unit dispatching for emergencies, and there are Public WiFi hotspots across City Hall and the Springfield Justice Center. How has the employee grown in their position and their career?  Paula has always been a strong employee leader. Paula was elected by her peers as the first SEIU Union president in 1992, a position which Paula held for an unprecedented 5-straight terms!  Paula is the senior developer in the City of Springfield. What significant projects or events has the employee been involved in?  Paula is gathering materials to write a biography of Elias Briggs who with his wife were the first non-native settlers of the area that became Springfield. She has done extensive research to develop her materials.  While serving on the Historical Commission, she developed materials for a walking tour of Springfield.  Paula is a long-time volunteer worker with the Springfield Museum and a huge fan of the City of Springfield! What positive comments do her/her co-workers have to share about their employee?  Paula earned the nickname “The Hammer”, along with a fully functional sledge hammer to prove it that she keeps in her cubicle, for the no-nonsense determination she demonstrated while implementing an early Financial Management system.  “Paula is extremely consistent in her excellence. She doesn’t slow down in her work pace or compromise her quality of work or flag in her enthusiasm for bringing innovation and efficiency to the organization. She’s always a warm and friendly and supportive team-worker. People throughout the city respect her and her contributions and enjoy interacting with her. She is truly irreplaceable.”  “Paula has provided excellent service to the Finance department. I would give her top scores.”  “Paula contributions to a positive department culture – Paula brings flowers to office regularly to brighten up our working environment. She tells interesting and funny stories and gives praise, which makes people around her feel warm and cared for.  “Paula is friendly and easy to communicate with. I can depend on her to be prepared and ready for meetings, and she is an excellent project lead. She asks good questions that make me think about the overall process as well as the specific task. She is organized for meetings and takes outstanding notes. She is a thorough researcher, often providing information about anticipated subjects before I have a chance to ask about them. She is very knowledgeable about what she knows and isn’t afraid to admit it when she doesn’t. But then she researches and shares what she finds.”  “Paula is very supportive of me since I came on board at the City, and I appreciate how she makes herself available to me when I have questions or need clarification or history about how/why/when with PeopleSoft or the City in general. She has a wealth of knowledge and history, and I value her opinion and viewpoint. I sincerely enjoy working with Paula and feel very lucky to have her has a resource.”  I really appreciate working with Paula. She has a positive, can do attitude. I appreciate that she is willing to take on my mini projects and help me get my work done while not overpromising or overextending herself. Granted nobody’s perfect, but her ability to balance her project list is no small feat given her substantial workload. Besides all that, she is easy to talk with and has a good sense of humor.