Deputy County Executive wins Crain’s management award
Deputy County Executive April Lynch has been recognized by Crain’s Detroit for her management expertise.
As the deputy executive who oversees Human Resources, she earned an Excellence in HR award for her ability to manage change during the past few turbulent years.
Lynch came to the county in September 2019 when she became a Deputy County Executive after serving as Ferndale City Manager.
Her first challenge was helping institute new ideas and philosophies for County Executive Dave Coulter.
Some of her notable achievements cited by Crain’s include:
- Establishing a culture that supports diversity, equity and inclusion and hiring the county’s the first Chief DEI Officer.
- Helping manage the county workforce during the COVID Pandemic.
- Helping departments create a five-year succession plan to deal with retirements.
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Bouchard named ‘Sheriff of the Year’
Sheriff Michael Bouchard has been named “Sheriff of the Year” by the Michigan Sheriffs’ Association.
In 2016 Bouchard was named Sheriff of the Year by the National Sheriffs’ Association. He is the longest-serving sheriff in Oakland County, serving his sixth term.
“I’m very humbled and honored to receive this award,” Bouchard said. “But I view this as more a reflection of the skill and dedication demonstrated every day by our team at the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office than by me as an individual. It’s a tremendous honor I share with the entire staff. An award from your peers or coworkers means a great deal because they know the demands of the profession.”
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Don’t get caught by “phishing” emails
Almost 10 percent of the county employees who were sent misleading emails were fooled in a recent Oakland County Information Security campaign.
The recent simulation “phishing” email pretended to be an alert of “Unusual sign-in activity” from Russia. Of the county users, 9.7 percent clicked the fake link, and 1.5 percent additionally filled in their credentials on the fake site. These actions could allow a hacker to intrude into county systems.
The simulation was conducted as a training tool to identify “human risk’ and reinforce employee security awareness.
County computers are under constant bombardment from emails, social media and messaging apps. “Phishing” attacks are at an all-time high and are the largest cause of malware and data breaches.
Consequently, county employees are urged to stay up to date on their monthly security awareness courses. Employee Security Awareness Training can be found at https://myapps.oakgov.com.
Suspicious emails should be deleted or forwarded to abuse@oakgov.com.
 New Employee Orientation Sessions resume
For the first time in more than two years, Oakland County offered a new employee orientation last week to help people get acclimated and educated about working for the county.
The first session attracted 47 new part- and full-time employees, who gathered at the Oakland County International Airport to learn about everything from the county’s organizational structure to wellness initiatives and benefits, retirement information and the county’s policies and resources.
The orientation sessions were suspended during the COVID pandemic, so many of those who attended the session were barely new and came to the county in the early days of 2020 when COVID first hit.
“Our county is in a unique position,” Deputy County Executive Rudy Hobbs told the group of employees. “We not only had to respond to a pandemic, but we were also really focused on how we can provide services in new and better ways. Every day, we’re trying to get better.”
Oakland County Executive David Coulter delivered a video message to the new employees, saying, “Every day, we strive to support communities where residents flourish, businesses thrive and opportunities abound. It’s a big responsibility, but I know that, along with the passionate public servants you are joining, we are up to the task. “
The employees got to know a little bit about each other. Sunil Asija, Human Resources Deputy Director, revealed his first job: working the hotdog line at Kraft Foods.
“And I haven’t eaten a hot dog since,” he said.
Other employees came from departments across the county, from Parks and Recreation to the Sheriff’s Office, to Veterans and Medical Examiners and the Health and Human Services Department and Animal Control.
The new employee orientation sessions will take a break in July, but resume in September, so stay tuned to learn about the benefits of working for Oakland County.
Café offers menu to satisfy all tastes
Employees who don’t want to travel far during their lunch hour but still want a nutritious meal need only go over to the courthouse. The Courthouse Cafeteria is on the county campus and offers a variety of food Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
The menu includes Classic American, Mexican, Middle Eastern with a variety of classic roll ups and sandwiches. Daily specials change throughout the week except Taco Tuesday.
 Let ENCOMPASS give you direction to better mental health
County employees are urged to take time this week to check in with themselves.
Services from ENCOMPASS, the county’s Employee Assistance Program provider, are available, whether individuals need mental health support, family or workplace counseling, or another of the many benefits provided at no cost.
Get started by visiting www.encompass.us.com and using the company code “oakland.” After creating a profile, employees can also do a simple wellness assessment by navigating to the bottom of the portal and selecting "assessments."
Employee Spotlight and News: County supervisor’s daughter a royal hit
Ashlyn Mason, daughter of Heather Mason, Supervisor Human Resources, was recently named the first “Princess Joslyn” to represent Canterbury Village at its Michigan Pirate and Princess Faire.
The 18-year-old Waterford Kettering graduate started working for Canterbury Village last fall as a character in their Phryte Village haunted house. During the holidays she played Cindy Lou Who.
Click here to see “Princess Joslyn’s” first official appearance.
Classes and Seminars
Lunch and Learn – Understanding Market Volatility: Two sessions: Noon, July 19 in the Royal Oak Conference Room in Executive Office Building, 2100 Pontiac Lake Road, Waterford. Conducted by retirement counselor Thomas May. Lunch provided. 25-person limit. To register, click here. Or sit in on a live webinar 10-11 a.m. Tuesday, July 26. To register, click here.
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Barbara Hankey is a perfect fit as the first woman Public Services Director. Read her story on the Telegraph website.
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