OPEDA : Organization of Professional Employees of the US Department of Agriculture
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OPEDA National Headquarters Board Members
President  Louis Iacoletti
Executive Director  Dr. Dora (Holly) Hambley
Assistant Executive Director  Julie Schuble
VP for Professionalism  Caroline Thorpe
Executive VP  Ed Dickerhoof
Treasurer  Fred Kaplan
VP for Membership  Teresa Pickett
VP for for Public Service  Richard Fierroz
VP for Member Services  Mark Benedict
  President - Louis Iacoletti
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.

  Executive Director - Dr. Dora (Holly) Hambley
Dr. Dora (Holly) Hambley
  Assistant Executive Director - Julie Schuble
  VP for Professionalism - Caroline Thorpe
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  Executive VP - Edward Dickerhoof
Edward Dickerhoof
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.
  Treasurer - Fred Kaplan
Fred Kaplan
 
  VP for Membership - Teresa Pickett
  VP for Public Service - Richard Fierroz
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  VP for Member Services - Mark Benedict

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.

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