Scientific and Technical Employee Development Charter

OBJECTIVE

The objective of the Scientific and Technical Employee Development (STED) Committee is to provide guidance, recommendations, and tools for employee development within the Water Mission Area. Guidance and recommendations are provided to the Associate Director for Water, the Water Senior Staff, and the Office of Organizational and Employee Development to ensure that employees have the necessary technical skills, to ensure the scientific excellence of the water resources programs within the USGS, to meet the challenges of new science directions, and to accomplish the mission of the USGS. The purpose of employee development is to provide opportunities for individuals to improve employee performance and enhance skills and capabilities that will assist them in maximizing their full potential and achieving USGS mission objectives.

BACKGROUND

The Employee Development Committee (EDC) was initiated in 1999 through WRD Memo 99.36 (September 27, 1999), and replaced the former Technical Training Committee. During the first 2 years, the committee focused on short-term and long-term strategic goals, and worked closely with the newly created Office of Organizational and Employee Development, providing ideas and serving as a sounding board for a number of new initiatives. As described in Memo 99.36, the committee focused on the design of a leadership development program, exploration of alternative approaches to training, design of EDNA (Employee Development Needs Assessment), new employee orientation, graduate school training, and other related topics. Many of the original short-term and long-term goals of the WRD EDC have been achieved, and in more recent years there has been a need to redirect the committee's functions.

In 2001, a Bureau-level Employee Development Committee was discussed at length, and the exact role of the Water EDC was debated. In 2002, the Associate Director for Water reaffirmed the need for a Water EDC to provide guidance for employee development within the Water discipline to ensure the continuance of the USGS as a world leader in water science. The primary focus of the committee was to be on technical and scientific training within the Water Resources Discipline. In recognition of the need for technical guidance from a national perspective, the EDC membership was modified in 2002 to include one individual from each of the three Water Resources Technical offices (OGW, OSW, OWQ). In addition to the change in membership composition, the Water Senior Staff recommended the name of the committee be changed to better reflect the committee's purpose. The committee name was changed to the Scientific and Technical Employee Development Committee (STED). The current membership represents elements of the former EDC and the former Technical Employee Development Committee, providing input, direction, and leadership for the Water Mission Area from a cross-section of the Water population including the technical discipline offices (national level), district management, researchers, section chiefs (studies and data), technicians, computer functions, and representation from OED.

AUTHORITY

The EDC was established at the request of the Associate Director for Water with the approval of the Water Resources Discipline Senior Staff. The Water Senior Staff, at their January 2003 meeting, reaffirmed the need for the Scientific and Technical Employee Development Committee to provide needed input to the Senior Staff and OED for the scientific and technical training needs of Water Discipline staff.

MISSION

The mission of the Scientific and Technical Employee Development Committee is to provide the leadership necessary to guide the design and maintenance of a coordinated scientific and technical employee development program for Water Mission Area staff. The Committee will work closely with the OED to meet this objective. Committee activities include:

• Review and assessment of the existing scientific and technical water training programs, in cooperation with the discipline offices.
  
• Review of requested new employee-development opportunities or tools (such as alternative delivery mechanisms).
  
• Provide recommendations for and prioritization of current enhancements to the employee-development program.
  
• Design and plan the future directions of the employee-development program.
  
• Make recommendations to the AD/Water and Water Senior Staff for employee development policy.

The Committee will provide information on these activities by posting meeting summaries on the STED web site.

MEMBERSHIP

Members of the STED committee will be nominated by the Regional Executives, Water Field Team Coordinators, and/or Water Senior Staff. The AD/Water will appoint members to the committee and ensure that all parts of the country are represented. Rotational members will serve a 3-year term. All members will have voting rights.

Rotational membership will include:

• One WSC Chief
• One Water Field Specialist
• One Data Section Chief
• One Studies Section Chief
• One Senior Hydrologic Technician
• One National Research Program Representative
• One Information Technology Specialist

Technical Discipline Office representatives:

• One representative from the Office of Ground Water
• One representative from the Office of Surface Water
• One representative from the Office of Water Quality
• One representative from the Office of Water Information

Permanent (non-rotational) members will include:

• Office of Organizational and Employee Development Science and Technical Program Manager
• Water Senior Staff Representative

Support

• STED Webmaster

OPERATION

Meetings: Meetings: The Committee will meet at least quarterly (as needed) to review the status of the employee-development program, resolve undecided issues, and re-evaluate priorities,.

If possible, one annual meeting will be scheduled for members to meet in person; other meetings will be conducted by teleconference or through cyber seminar. Some decisions and discussions may be done through electronic mail, phone, and/or correspondence.

STED participation is voluntary and no salary is expected to be funded by the STED for normal committee operations. Travel funds may be made available by AD/Water.

Quorum to conduct business: Seven voting members.

Decision method: Majority vote if consensus cannot be achieved

Chair: Chair will be elected when the chair is vacated due to rotation, usually at the first meeting after January 1 by the Committee. The chair will be elected from a list of volunteers from the rotating members of the Committee. Chair is responsible for briefing new members on charter, sources of information, and pending actions. Chair solicits agenda items and distributes the final agenda prior to the meeting. Chair leads Committee meetings. Chair follows-up on action items. If the chair is unable to attend a meeting, an alternate will be assigned by the Chair. Chair is responsible for dissemination of minutes.

Mailing List: GS-W-STED

Web page: (USGS Science and Technical Employee Development (STED) Training)