 Come check out the Indiana War Memorial Museum with your fellow interns on July 17 or 18 at 1 p.m.!
The Indiana War Memorial Museum interior consists of three main floors including a Shrine Room, the Altar of Consecration, and a free military museum. The museum is across the street from the American Legion Mall, a beautiful greenspace with monuments to commemorate those that were killed or missing in action in the wars in Korea and Vietnam.
The War Memorial Museum is approximately a 15 minute walk from the Indiana Government Center. After the museum tour, take a short walk over to Monument Circle where you can visit the Soldiers and Sailors Monument (located at 1 Monument Circle Indianapolis, IN 46204), a monument that is Indiana’s official memorial to the Hoosiers that served in several other wars.
Read more about the historic monuments and museum.
There are two dates offered for this event; please be sure to select the correct registration date for the date that is most convenient.
Interns should meet in Robert D. Orr Plaza on the Statehouse side.
Register for July 17 or July 18
 Established in 2005, the Office of the Inspector General is relatively new to the State of Indiana. This Friday, July 19, Lori Torres, Indiana's current Inspector General, will explain her role as well as the impacts of public corruption. With her, State Ethics Director Jennifer Cooper will discuss various ethics rules.
Lori A. Torres
Inspector General
Lori A. Torres was appointed Inspector General by Governor Eric Holcomb effective January 9, 2017. She was a key member of the senior leadership team at the Indiana Department of Transportation immediately prior to her appointment, serving as General Counsel and Deputy Commissioner. She previously served as the Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Labor for six years under Governor Mitch Daniels.
She has practiced law for more than thirty years, including at Smart, Kessler & Torres in Johnson County for fifteen years and more recently at Ice Miller in Indianapolis.
She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Indiana University Bloomington and received her law degree cum laude from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.
She is a resident of Johnson County.
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Jen Cooper
State Ethics Director
Jen Cooper joined the Office of Inspector General as a staff attorney in May of 2012 and became the Ethics Director in April of 2015. Prior to joining the OIG, she served as a paralegal in the Monroe County
Office of the Department of Child Services and as a volunteer attorney at the District 10 Pro Bono Project in Monroe County.
During her studies at Indiana University Robert H. McKinney Indiana School of Law, she served as an intern at the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office, a law clerk for the Office of Indiana Attorney General, an extern at the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana, a research assistant, and a certified legal intern at the law school’s Civil Practice Clinic. She received recognition as a Gold Level (200+ hours) volunteer through the Pro Bono program upon graduation.
She grew up in Libertyville, Illinois and attended Loyola University Chicago before moving to Bloomington, Indiana, where she currently resides.
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This Friday, July 19, interns are invited to come out to Victory Field after work for the Indianapolis Indians vs. Dunham Bulls game. We will meet in Robert D. Orr Plaza and walk over to the field, so there's no need to worry about moving your car - just stay parked in an IGC garage.
Tickets are $7 for the lawn. This price is WITH the State of Indiana Employee discount. We will be paying individually. Interns will have a specific section of the lawn where we plan to sit so feel free to bring blankets (no lawn chairs are allowed). The game begins at 7:15 p.m., and meet-up times are to-be-determined. This information will be available in a later newsletter.
If you are interested in getting food as a group before this event, please fill out this quick questionnaire about preferences, pricing, etc.
What to bring:
- Government badge
- Money for tickets and food
- Family and friends
- Coolers with food and drink
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The path to growing one’s career is different for everyone and hardly predictable. This was proven by the five agency leaders who took time to speak to a large group of Governor’s Public Service interns July 9.
The following leaders shared their experiences in and out of state government, and discussed the benefits of being a public servant:
- Lori Torres, Inspector General
- Darshan Shah, Chief Data Officer
- Peter Lacy, Commissioner of Bureau of Motor Vehicles
- Luke Bosso, Senior Operations Director at the Office of Gov. Holcomb
- Blair Milo, Secretary of Career Connections and Talent
Facilitated by State Personnel Department Director Britni Saunders, the event was attended by 50 interns.
Chief Data Officer Shah has worked in healthcare operations through his entire career until he became to agency head of Management Performance Hub. Much of his advice revolved around seeking out mentors and relying on them for professional and personal advice. Like Commissioner Lacy, Shah also emphasized how seeing your projects on the news and in the public is an emotional benefit of working in public service.
Secretary Milo’s career path is interesting and evidence that changes sometimes need to be made in order to grow. Milo served as a Surface Warfare Officer in the US Navy before being elected mayor of La Porte for two terms, subsequently serving as Indiana’s first Secretary of Career Connections and Talent. Milo her position presents opportunities to work in several different areas and involves a variety of projects. Her advice to interns was to “do what you’re doing right now as best as you can.”
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Commissioner Lacy mentioned one positive aspect of working for the public. Being able to see a photo of a 15-year old smiling with his or learner’s permit on Facebook, he said, helps him remember the impact he has on individual lives.
A challenge Commissioner Lacy said he faced was adapting to the Real ID Act of 2005 as many states still have yet to comply with the almost 15-year-old law. As Lacy put it, making strides in the BMV involves looking for and completing projects “that are going to take the BMV to the next level” by working on the business instead of only in the business.
Inspector General Torres opened up about her career history to validate a point: switching jobs is okay. To move up to her current position, Torres worked in state government as well as the private sector. Her current position offers the challenge of maintaining transparency and trust among the public and those who work for the state. Some of her advice was to “do what you say you’re going to do” and follow through on assignments, even if you do not like it.
Sr. Operations Director Bosso values his experience in public service and urged everyone to spend time working in state government. With a history spanning multiple agencies, Bosso promotes an active approach to career growth.
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 The importance of good communication was the essence of last Thursday’s event. The Soft Skills and Networking Workshop, hosted by Rachel Zajac, Chief of Staff, Office of Career Connections and Talent brought interns from many different departments together to discuss professional development. State Personnel’s Talent Acquisition Team assisted by composing a 20-page catalog of tips and advice for an impactful internship.
 On the topic of communication, exercises were completed in small groups and allowed for detailed discussions between interns. Zajac also brought the entire group together for discussions involving idea-sharing and reflection.
Better conversations are vital to successful networking and communication with colleagues. Advice can be taken from Celeste Headlee’s TED Talk shown at this workshop. Asking open-ended questions, listening with intent to learn, and avoiding distractions were just SOME of the tips given to interns
“From this session, I hope everyone walked away committed to conscientiousness when listening, responding, and participating in conversations and meetings,” notes Chief of Staff Rachel Zajac. “I also hope everyone scooped up the Professional Development Guide – it is a fantastic resource filled with tips on how to manage a variety of professional situations.”
Be sure to attend next week's Resume Building & Social Media Workshop to gain more valuable skills for the professional world.
 Be sure to take advantage of this weekly opportunity to eat healthy, change up your lunch scenery, and try food from local vendors and food trucks. The Statehouse Market takes place every Thursday from 10:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. in Robert D. Orr Plaza.
This week's lineup:
Vendors: VanAntwerp's Farm Market | Poseys and Pumpkins | Biltz Greenhouses | Gluten Free Creations | Wildflower Ridge Honey | Oberweis Dairy | Groomsville Popcorn | Limelight Coffee Roasters | Generations Pie Company | Batch No. 2
Food Trucks: Brozinni Pizzeria | Pierogi Love Indy | Serendipity Mobile Catering | Soladine Concessions | Gaucho's Fire | Union Jack | Slider Station | The Twisted Sicilian | Backyard BBQ | Simply Divine Cupcakes | Da Blue Lagoon
Follow Statehouse Market!
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Here's the list of upcoming intern events and workshops, along with the registration links. Mark your calendars and make the most of these opportunities!
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