The Partnership for Public Service · 1100 New York Ave. NW · Suite 200 · Washington, DC 20005

6:00pm – 6:30pm Social

6:30pm – 7:30pm Program

Dr. Cleopatra Hargett-Lawton, Executive Director for the locally-based Institute for Teaching and Learning, will describe how the Perry School in DC recovered from long-term effects of poverty and propelled students into a better social and economic future. As an educational consultant helping transform poorly performing schools for over 40 years, Dr. Hargett-Lawton will highlight what obstacles the school faced, what resources it developed for improved instruction, and how it obtained family and community support for educational achievement. She will give her recommendations for school administrators, teachers, parents, and community leaders.  

6:00pm – 6:30pm Social

6:30pm – 7:30pm Program

ABOUT THE PRESENTER: Dr.  Cleopatra Hargett-Lawton, Executive Director of the Institute for Teaching and Learning, obtained a B.S. in Chemistry, an M.S in Special Education; and an Ed.D  She has been an educator, author, researcher, and consultant. Currently, she provides strategic planning for educational programming, diversity and sensitivity training, and consults in special education, correctional education, teacher training, curriculum development, and school reform and restructuring. She may be reached at instituteforteachandlearn@gmail.com

Space is limited. Please RSVP.

Light snacks and refreshments will be served.

The Partnership for Public Service · 1100 New York Ave. NW · Suite 200 · Washington, DC 20005

6:00pm – 7:30pm Discussion

PA Connections invites you to our October Planning and Networking Event

Come join friends and colleagues who share an interest in mentoring, networking, and professional development for the first PA Connections meeting of the season. We will hear about progress in implementing the Shared Resources Platform, solicit ideas for useful activities, and set goals for the year.

Shared Resources Platform
The Shared Resources Platform is an online curated compendium of useful resources for professional development. The goals of Shared Resources are: (1) To create a hub of information utilized by professionals who are exploring their career options or looking for career guidance; and (2) To provide information on a number of careers and sectors, while also connecting professionals for the purposes of forming inter/intra sector relationships.

Networking and Mentoring
PA Connections and NCAC leadership have been working to improve networking opportunities, both in quality and quantity.
 Programming events are being designed with networking in mind, for example by holding round-table discussions or allowing for informal discussions with invited speakers following the speaking portion of the event.
 PA Connections has launched the Networking Registry (Beta version) to help connect members seeking career and professional advice with members who are interested in sharing their knowledge and experience.
 PA Connections is establishing Shared Resources, an online resource to supplement person-to-person knowledge transfer. The value proposition for this resource is that it will be curated and annotated by members of the PA community.

Networking Registry
The Registry contains basic biographical information about members looking to connect. The Beta version is open only to PA Connections members, but it is our intent to open the Registry to all members of the chapter once we are satisfied that we have ironed out the kinks. If you are interested in joining the Beta version, email the PA Connections Team at aspancacmentoring@gmail.com.

PA Connections was formed by ASPA NCAC members interested in leveraging mentorship and networking to become more effective in our jobs and more adept at managing our careers.

Questions? Can’t attend but would like to stay involved? Please contact us at aspancacmentoring@gmail.com

Space is limited. Please RSVP.

Light snacks and refreshments will be served.

The Partnership for Public Service · 1100 New York Ave. NW · Suite 200 · Washington, DC 20005

6:00pm – 7:30pm Presentation & Discussion

You’ve seen the job announcement. You’ve decided to apply. And, you’ve prepared the resume. You’re ready to hit send on your materials—and then you remember…the cover letter.

We all know that it is common practice to submit a cover letter with a resume when applying for a full-time job or internship. Unfortunately, it is equally common that the letter regurgitates the resume. Doing so places the applicant at a disadvantage given that the potential employer already will have read what you repeat.

So, what makes for an effective cover letter? And, how can you make it work to your advantage? Join us to find out.

Featuring: Bill Shields, Executive Director of ASPA and Professor at American University. 

Space is limited. Please RSVP.

Light snacks and refreshments will be served.

PA Connections presented “Strategies for Resilience in the Workplace”: a discussion with Belva Martin.

Below are the resources  for building resilience Belva Martin wanted to share with the chapter:

9 Ways to Improve Your Resilience at Work by Barry Winbolt

TED talk “Developing a Growth Mindset” by Carol Dweck

Build Your Resilience and Coping Skills With These Tips: 10 Ways to Become More Resilient  by Kendra Cherry

10 Traits of Emotionally Resilient People by Brad Waters

25 Ways to Boost Resilience by Karen Horneffer-Ginter

Building Workplace Resilience

The New York Times: How to Boost Resilience in Midlife

American Psychological Association: The Road to Resilience

Harvard Business Review: Resilience Is About How You Recharge Not How You Endure

The Partnership for Public Service · 1100 New York Ave. NW · Suite 200 · Washington, DC 20005

6:00pm – 6:15pm Informal Meet and Greet

6:15pm – 8:00pm Discussion

PA Connections presents “Strategies for Resilience in the Workplace”: a discussion with Belva Martin.

She will facilitate a discussion on dealing with difficult or challenging situations that arise from uncertainties—e.g. changing administrations and national priorities, declining budgets, operating under multiple continuing resolutions, and targeted assaults on the civil service. (These challenges are not related to performance problems.)

Working Definition: Resilience is the ability to effectively adapt to change and adversity.

According to the American Psychological Association (APA), the good news is that resilience is not a trait that people either have or do not have. It involves behaviors, thoughts, and actions that anyone can learn and develop.

The APA and other experts in the field have identified resilience factors and strategies applicable to personal as well as professional situations; our focus will be on the workplace.

Belva Martin retired as a Director with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in 2014 after 36 years of federal service. She has been involved in efforts surrounding employee engagement, inclusion, and mentoring and coaching for much of her career. Since 2016, she has been a certified executive/career coach. In this capacity she has worked with the Brookings Institute in coaching professionals from their Women’s Leadership cadre as well as aspiring leaders from various federal agencies. She is excited to be part of ASPA and for the opportunity to work with other career professionals who have a passion for public service.

Space is limited. Please RSVP.

Light snacks and refreshments will be served.

The Partnership for Public Service · 1100 New York Ave. NW · Suite 200 · Washington, DC 20005

5:45pm Doors Open

6:15pm Program Starts

Join us for two short movies and a discussion about the creative side projects of government employees.

“Creative Feds” follows two U.S. government employees with musical careers.

“Secret Lives of Public Servants” features a Canadian government employee whose controversial art was investigated by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Following the film screening, audience members will have the opportunity to discuss the short film with its producer, Erica Ginsberg.

Space is limited. Please RSVP.

Light snacks and refreshments will be served.

The Partnership for Public Service · 1100 New York Ave. NW · Suite 200 · Washington, DC 20005

6:00pm – 6:15pm Informal Meet and Greet

6:15pm – 8:00pm Discussion

Come meet others interested in networking and mentorship!

We will discuss the planning memo for putting up a shared resources online platform, drafted by Chris Harrington and Dana Kauffman (thank you!). PA Connections members will have an opportunity to review the memo online prior to the meeting. Make sure to check it out!

PA Connections has been having an impact.

The PA Connections planning group has already met twice this year. At these meetings, members have provided input on a wide range of topics related to networking, mentoring, and professional development. This input has already had an impact. The executive board is putting together several professional development events for the coming year—one has already taken place. Last month, Bill Shields hosted an event on how to build a resume to better market yourself. In the coming months, look for a follow-up on writing effective cover letters and an event on being resilient in the face of uncertainty. Following suggestions from PA Connections members, organizers will format all NCAC events to facilitate meaningful networking, e.g., by ending the speaking portion of the event in time for networking to occur afterwards when feasible. This networking time may feature informal round-table discussions with speakers, one-on-one networking, or focus-groups.

Coming soon – Google Group Forum:

We will be using the Google Group Forum capability to foster discussion on topics of interest to PA Connections. This will be particularly useful for preparing for the upcoming meetings, as well as fostering discussions and information sharing about mentoring and networking. If you have not already done so, please sign up for the pa_connections Google Group.

Remember the Registry:

Thank you to all who have submitted their information to the Registry. If you have yet to do so, please take care of it soon. It only takes a few minutes. I will send a reminder email with the link to the Google form. The Registry is for everyone, whether you want to connect with others to seek advice or to provide advice (or both). To have access to the Registry, you must have submitted information about yourself via the online form.

Space is limited. Please RSVP.

Light snacks and refreshments will be served.

The City Club of Washington, DC · 55513th Street NW · Washington, DC 20004

6:00pm – 8:00pm

Space is limited. Please RSVP.

The Partnership for Public Service · 1100 New York Ave. NW · Suite 200 · Washington, DC 20005

6:00pm – 6:15pm Informal Meet and Greet

6:15pm – 7:30pm Discussion

Space is limited. Please RSVP.

Light snacks and refreshments will be served.

The Partnership for Public Service · 1100 New York Ave. NW · Suite 200 · Washington, DC 20005

6:00pm – 6:15pm Informal Meet and Greet

6:15pm – 7:30pm Discussion

Come meet others interested in networking and mentorship!

We will discuss the planning memo for putting up a shared resources online platform, drafted by Chris Harrington and Dana Kauffman (thank you!). PA Connections members will have an opportunity to review the memo online prior to the meeting. Make sure to check it out!

PA Connections has been having an impact.

The PA Connections planning group has already met twice this year. At these meetings, members have provided input on a wide range of topics related to networking, mentoring, and professional development. This input has already had an impact. The executive board is putting together several professional development events for the coming year—one has already taken place. Last month, Bill Shields hosted an event on how to build a resume to better market yourself. In the coming months, look for a follow-up on writing effective cover letters and an event on being resilient in the face of uncertainty. Following suggestions from PA Connections members, organizers will format all NCAC events to facilitate meaningful networking, e.g., by ending the speaking portion of the event in time for networking to occur afterwards when feasible. This networking time may feature informal round-table discussions with speakers, one-on-one networking, or focus-groups.

Coming soon – Google Group Forum:

We will be using the Google Group Forum capability to foster discussion on topics of interest to PA Connections. This will be particularly useful for preparing for the upcoming meetings, as well as fostering discussions and information sharing about mentoring and networking. If you have not already done so, please sign up for the pa_connections Google Group.

Remember the Registry:

Thank you to all who have submitted their information to the Registry. If you have yet to do so, please take care of it soon. It only takes a few minutes. I will send a reminder email with the link to the Google form. The Registry is for everyone, whether you want to connect with others to seek advice or to provide advice (or both). To have access to the Registry, you must have submitted information about yourself via the online form.

Space is limited. Please RSVP.

Light snacks and refreshments will be served.