HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 04 Paula Guthrie Recognition
Springfield Upbeat
February 3, 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.