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OPEDA National Headquarters Board Members |
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President
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Louis Iacoletti |
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Louis A. Iacoletti has
28 years of Federal civilian service, the last
11 years at USDA.
Since 2010, he has worked in
the Budget and
Acquisitions Office, Office
of the Chief Information
Officer (OCIO), Farm Service
Agency (FSA), USDA as a
Special Projects Officer. From 2006
until 2010, he served as the Chief of the Desktop Applications
Support Branch, OCIO, FSA,
USDA,
managing information technology (IT) support and training provided to FSA
employees. During 2005-2006, he
worked on special projects
such as the IT realignment
for the FSA CIO and Associate
Administrator helping to establish
new IT capabilities, policies and procedures for FSA
employees - nationwide. Prior to
working in FSA, during
2001-2005, he served as the
Chief, Tracking Applications
and Analysis Division and as
CIO for USDA's Office of
Civil Rights. During his
tenure with Civil Rights, he
led efforts to implement new
civil rights tracking
systems, which transformed
the Agency's ability to
respond effectively to the
needs of its stakeholders. During 1997 to 2001, Mr. Iacoletti worked in the Department of Labor's CIO
office in various positions, to include an assignment as Director of CIO
Programs, for the Department. From 1992 to 1997, he held positions with the
U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington D.C. During 1983 through 1992, Mr.
Iacoletti worked for the U.S. Army at Fort Hood, Texas, and in Germany. Prior
to entering Federal service, he worked as a Laboratory Scientist with the State
of New Mexico Scientific Laboratories.
Originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Mr. Iacoletti earned his B.S. Degree
in Chemistry from the University of New Mexico in 1983. In 1991
he earned his Graduate Certificate in Information Systems Management from the
University of Southern California in Heidelberg, Germany, and in 1996 he
received his M.S. Degree in Information Systems Engineering at George Mason
University.
President Iacoletti has been
on the OPEDA board for
several years, and was
elected in 2009 for his
first
three-year Term as
President, OPEDA, through
June 2012. By
recruiting new volunteers,
board members, and by
working closely with USDA's
executive leadership to
partner on key cultural
transformation initiatives,
and by leading and
encouraging bold an
innovative changes to the
organization nation-wide, he
is transforming OPEDA into a
high-performing organization
of the future.
As a member
of the OPEDA Board since
2004 and as the President of
OPEDA since 2009, President
Iacoletti, through his
leadership and commitment to
the Organization, has
assembled a dedicated
high-performing National
Board of volunteers who are
rapidly transforming OPEDA
into a modern, responsive
employee organization.
Progress has been made in critical areas
such as membership
recruitment, member
services, legislative
activities, partnering
with the Secretary of
Agriculture, Departmental
Management, USDA Agency
Heads and others, and other
employee
organizations, unions, and
coalitions representing well over
4.3 million Federal
employees and annuitants.
We are also working closely
with USDA leaders to
participate in Cultural
Transformation initiatives
that benefit our members,
and to develop and provide
career development
opportunities, retirement
seminars, and many other new
services in the future.
The OPEDA Constitution
limits its Presidents to serving no more than two
"consecutive" 3-year terms,
similar to US Presidents who
may only serve two
"consecutive" 4-year terms.
Accordingly, after President
Iacoletti's first term is
completed in 2012, to ensure
that OPEDA is able to maintain
and build on the momentum in
the last three years,
President Iacoletti plans to
run for a second term as
President through 2015.
President Iacoletti's vision
for OPEDA in 2015 is for
OPEDA to become a
"World-class, Federal
Government employee
organization" which sets the
example for others to
follow. |
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Executive
Director -
Dr. Dora (Holly) Hambley
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Assistant Executive
Director -
Julie
Schuble |
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VP
for Professionalism
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Caroline Thorpe |
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Executive
VP -
Edward Dickerhoof
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Ed Dickerhoof has been active in OPEDA
for more than 15 years, serving in both
appointed and elected capacities.
He recently retired from the USDA Forest
Service as an economist after 44 years
of service, first in field locations
in Georgia and Wisconsin-completing his
career in the agency's Washington
Office. |
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Treasurer
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Fred Kaplan
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VP
for Membership
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Teresa Pickett |
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VP
for Public Service -
Richard Fierroz |
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VP
for Member Services -
Mark
Benedict |
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Mark J
Benedict, J.D. has been in
Federal service since 1990
and a Policy and Program
Analyst in the Food Safety
and Inspection Service (FSIS)
Office of Policy and Program
Development (OPPD) since
2001; coming to federal
service after a successful
career as an attorney and
international business
consultant.
Mark is a
2011 graduate of the
Partnership for Public
Service Excellence in
Government program and
serves on the Senior Fellows
Board of Directors. He has
been a nationwide advocate
for people with disabilities
for the past 40 years since
he became severely disabled
at the age of 20.
Mark has
served two years as the
Chairperson for the FSIS
OPPD EEO Advisory Committee
(recently doubled in size to
include the OPPD Internal
Communication Board
function) which was
nominated for the FSIS
Administrator’s Outstanding
Equal Employment Opportunity
Advisory Committee
award in 2008
and 2009.
Mark has
served the Administrator’s
Office as the FSIS liaison
to the USDA
Office of Small and
Disadvantaged Business
Utilization
(OSDBU) AbilityOne Program
supporting people who are
blind or severely disabled
since the position was
created in 2002 and received
the OSDBU AbilityOne
Champion award in 2009. Mark
was nominated to receive the
2011 Dick Alley AbilityOne
Lifetime Achievement Award.
Mark received
the FSIS Administrator’s
Excellence in Diversity
Award in 2007. In 2007, Mark
served as a participant in
the inaugural FSIS Diversity
Roundtable representing
people with disabilities.
Mark has
worked in the area of
disability law since 1977
and has served on multiple
EEOC working groups and GAO
Advisory committees
addressing disability issues
facing federal employees.
Mark served two terms as
President of the Association
for Persons with
Disabilities (APDA) in
Agriculture and served two
terms on the Secretary’s
Advisory Committee for
Employees with Disabilities
and the USDA Diversity
Advisory Council
representing people with
special needs. Mark
represents the interests of
ther Kansas City chapter of
APDA in Washington, DC. Mark
is currently serving as the
Project lead for ongoing
OPPD Strategic Planning
initiatives. Mark is active
in USDA Cultural
Transformation initiatives
at FSIS and is a recognized
expert in the emerging
discipline of Knowledge
Management.
Mark serves
on the OPEDA Board of
Directors as Vice President
for Member Services. |
