Guest notes from Charlie Zelle

Chair

Last week, it was my pleasure to announce that our search for the next regional administrator had concluded as the Metropolitan Council approved the appointment of Mary Bogie to fill the Met Council’s top staff job.

We didn’t have to look far for the best candidate for this position. Mary has been with us for nearly 18 years and is one of the most astute and visionary leaders I’ve ever worked with. She’s a highly respected executive advisor and cross-organizational leader, who is known for her ability to create high-performing teams that advance our mission of fostering efficient and economic growth for a prosperous metropolitan region.

Over the past 15 months, Mary has stepped in to serve as the Met Council’s acting regional administrator while Meredith Vadis was supporting state COVID-19 response efforts and then following Meredith’s departure from the Met Council in February this year. She also provided critical leadership in the Met Council’s COVID-19 pandemic response. In her years working at the Met Council, she has overseen critical budget, financial, human resources, and information technology functions.

Mary's expertise in financial management, capital financing, budget development, and financial reporting is well-known across the state. Prior to serving as deputy regional administrator and chief financial officer for the Met Council, she worked at the Minnesota Department of Finance, serving as finance services director. During that time, she managed statewide accounting systems operations to provide effective financial management to all state agencies.

As an organization, we are extremely fortunate to have strong leadership that is setting a vision for transportation, housing, sustainability, and addressing racial disparities. Paired with you – our skilled, dedicated professional staff, who are committed to equitably serving the people of the region – we have great opportunities in front of us to make significant progress toward these important goals.

If you missed them, I encourage you to listen to the Management Committee and full Council discussions from Wednesday about this appointment. And please take a moment to congratulate Mary on this accomplishment!

Bogie named regional administrator

On Wednesday, the Metropolitan Council approved the appointment of Mary Bogie as the next regional administrator, overseeing all Met Council divisions and operations. Bogie has been serving as the Met Council’s acting regional administrator since the departure of Meredith Vadis in February. Prior to that, she served as deputy regional administrator.

Bogie has also served as the Met Council’s chief financial officer since 2011; before that she was the deputy chief financial officer and controller. Her career in public finance began with the Minnesota Department of Finance (now Minnesota Management and Budget), where she served in leadership roles spanning statewide accounting systems, financial management, and reporting.

Thompson moving to capital projects at Metro Transit

Nick Thompson, director of Metropolitan Transportation Services, will begin a new role at Metro Transit on June 28 as deputy general manager of capital programs. The deputy general manager position was created to coordinate work across multiple departments and to strengthen relationships with funding partners, policy makers, and other stakeholders.

As deputy general manager of capital programs, Thompson will oversee BRT Projects; Transit Systems Development, which includes the Green Line Extension and Blue Line Extension light rail projects; Engineering & Facilities; Transit Oriented Development; and Asset Management.

For the past four years, Thompson has served as the director of the Metropolitan Transportation Services division and as a member of the Met Council’s executive team. He has extensive experience in leading the planning and development of capital projects. Prior to joining the Met Council, Thompson spent more than 15 years at the Minnesota Department of Transportation, where he led multiple capital projects and served as assistant commissioner. One of his key past projects was the Urban Partnership Program, which brought MnPASS lanes and other transit amenities to the I-35W corridor.

Additional leadership shifts at Metro Transit

Another new position, assistant general manager of planning, evaluation, and marketing, has not yet been filled. That position will oversee Service Development, Strategic Initiatives, and Transit Information & Marketing.

Metro Transit is also seeking candidates for the director of bus safety position and will soon begin a search for a chief operating officer, replacing Vince Pellegrin, who will retire on June 18. A virtual retirement ceremony for Pellegrin, who has been with Metro Transit for 23 years, will be held tomorrow, June 16, at 10:30 a.m. More information about his career will be shared in this week’s Insights.

The legislature convened for the first special session of 2021 on Monday. The special session was called for June 14 when Governor Walz extended the peacetime emergency declaration as the state continues to manage its COVID-19 pandemic response.

Much work remains for lawmakers to complete before they adjourn. The legislature must pass the state’s next biennial budget by June 30 when the state fiscal year ends. Leaders agreed to a broad outline on a $52 billion budget on the last day of the regular session, and negotiations between the House, Senate, and Administration have continued since the regular session adjourned in May. Though agreements have been finalized in several areas, as of Monday work continues on the largest budget areas.

One notable difference in the special session compared to the regular session is the presence of more legislators and the public in the Capitol building. The State Capitol reopened to the public on Thursday, June 10.

Questions? Email Brooke Bordson in Government Affairs at Brooke.Bordson@metc.state.mn.us.

Upcoming live trainings
Live trainings are available this summer from Microsoft and your Met Council experts on a wide range of topics:

• June:
  • Run effective meetings with Teams
  • Teams virtual events
  • Microsoft’s modern workplace tutorial to improve your remote work experience
  • OneNote with Teams: Basic features
  • Teams app integrations: Lists
  • Ask the Trainer Q&A: Teams, Forms, Lists, Planner
• July:
  • Getting started with Teams
  • Microsoft Edge Chromium browser
  • Teams Meeting breakout rooms
  • Teams owner best practices
  • OneNote with Teams: Advanced features
• August:
  • OneDrive and SharePoint with Teams
  • Teams app integrations: Forms
    
    

Visit the Microsoft trainings calendar on MetNet for details and to add these webinars to your calendar. These sessions will be recorded and available after the live sessions. Past recordings of these trainings and more – from managing tasks with To Do and Planner to Power BI training – can be found on the Microsoft 365 Champions Channel in Stream.

Microsoft Teams presence settings
Did you know you are able to set your presence in Teams? Find your presence settings on the upper right of Teams by clicking on your profile picture. Review Microsoft’s documentation on presence to learn more, and follow these tips:

• Set your status as “Do not Disturb” for focused time, or use one of the many other options to control your availability.
• Set an out-of-office message so when you are off you can direct your co-workers to someone who can assist with their needs.
• Set your status duration for a set-it-and-forget-it experience, minimizing the need to follow up on your status later.
• If you set focused time using Microsoft’s MyAnalytics, Teams will automatically set your status to "Do Not Disturb" for the duration of your focused time.
  
  

Do you have questions about Microsoft collaboration tools? We have answers!
Join the Microsoft 365 Champions Team to ask our Met Council experts about anything you need help with, from how to do something to why does that thing do that. The Collaborative Business Solutions team in Information Services is here to support you and your collaboration needs. Join this Team to also stay current on all the great enhancements coming to Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint, and other Microsoft tools under the Microsoft Roadmap channel.

Also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States.​ It is celebrated annually on June 19. Specifically, Juneteenth commemorates the delivery and announcement of federal orders by Union Army General Gordon Granger that all people held as slaves in Texas were free. The defeat of the Confederacy in April 1865 allowed for the beginning of widespread enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation, signed two years before. Learn more at Juneteenth.com.

To mark this day, the Equity & Inclusion team at Metro Transit hosted a virtual workshop yesterday providing an overview of Juneteenth, exploring the continued impact of our unresolved history, and providing participants a chance to talk about cultivating a culture to process the pain of the past and present and move into a realm of healing.

Find equity-related upcoming events, resources, and more on the Equity & Inclusion site on MetNet. Check out the Insights newsletter for regular updates on the Equity & Inclusion team's events.

Join a facilitated discussion about allyship
The "Beginning Conversations on Race" series, facilitated by members of the Equity & Inclusion team, concludes this week with a session about allyship. The online event is scheduled to run from noon to 1 p.m. on Thursday, June 17. If you would like to receive a calendar invite, please email Rachel Cagle at Rachel.Cagle@metrotransit.org. Employees who would like support hosting smaller, guided group discussions about race at other times can contact Rachel.

Pride Month is a celebration of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) community. It is celebrated in June to commemorate the Stonewall riots, which occurred in June 1969 and served as a catalyst for the gay rights movement.

Several Pride events are planned:

• Tuesday, June 22, 10 to 11 a.m.: A "Brunch & Learn" about allyship in the workplace, hosted by the Met Council's Pride Employee Resource Group. Watch for an invite or email Nia.Colebrooke@metc.state.mn.us.
• Wednesday, June 23, 12:30 p.m.: An online conversation with LGBTQ staff, hosted by local comedian Tane Danger (of Metro Transit's online video series, "Hey! Where Does This Bus Go?"). The event will be shared on Metro Transit's Facebook page.
• Monday, June 28, 11 a.m. to noon: A workshop with Jamil Stamschror-Lott (he/him) of Creative Kuponya and Kesley Shultz (they/them) about inclusivity and LGBTQIA+ allyship, accountability, history, and terminology. Join via Zoom.
  
  

The Pride Employee Resource Group hosts monthly discussions and serves as a support network. For more information, email David.Hanson@metrotransit.org or Nia.Colebrooke@metc.state.mn.us.

The traditional Twin Cities Pride march will not be held, but several other events are planned. The 49th Annual Twin Cities Pride Festival will be held in Loring Park July 17–18. Learn more at TCPride.org.

Recent news:

• Leaders announced on Thursday the Met Council is no longer requiring face coverings in our facilities, effective immediately.
• Previous limitations on work-related travel have been lifted.
• Teleworkers: Work with your managers on plans for returning to onsite work.
• Reminder that we are now sending the COVID-19 email updates every other week.
• This month the state is running a vaccine incentive campaign, rewarding the first 100,000 Minnesotans who get their first shot by July 1.
  
  

Tools to help you find vaccine appointments:

• Directly schedule an appointment using the COVID-19 Vaccine Connector.
• Use the Vaccine Locator Map to search for vaccine providers in your area.
• Schedule an appointment on the HealthPartners COVID-19 site or M Health Fairview COVID-19 site.
• Schedule an appointment for a vaccine at a pharmacy near you with the CDC: VaccineFinder.
• Make sure you're reading the weekly all-staff COVID-19 email to get the latest on vaccination opportunities, guidelines, and more.
• For more information about the vaccine and how to find an appointment, visit the Minnesota Department of Health vaccine site.
  
  

Many sites are now offering walk-in appointments.

If you still need a vaccine appointment, please email Lisa Belland at Lisa.Belland@metc.state.mn.us so we can connect you with available vaccine appointments through our state and county partners.

COVID-19 testing:

• Free COVID-19 community testing locations are available throughout the state.
• At-home test kits are offered by the state for all Minnesotans, free of charge.
• HealthPartners offers testing for Met Council employees who have a HealthPartners medical plan.

Gaby Olvera

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Associate Planner

Community Development

Primary duties
I am an associate planner with Local Planning Assistance. My primary duties will be to provide technical assistance and projects to support local planning efforts across the region.

Started
May 10

How does it feel to start a new job when everyone is working from home?
My last semester was all virtual so I got some practice there, but it’s definitely a little strange not being able to meet my colleagues face to face. I do think that it is nice coming in when most people are already accustomed to the virtual environment. It would have been way more stressful starting when everyone was in the middle of that transition. That being said, I am excited to get to meet and chat with colleagues in person someday!

Hometown
I grew up in Chicago, specifically in the Little Village neighborhood.

Current residence
I currently live in St. Paul. I’ll be moving soon and looking into both St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Family
I am the youngest of three, and my family all live in Chicago. While I don’t have any family in Minnesota, some of my closest friends from college are in the cities, and I live with my partner!

Education
Humphrey School of Public Affairs (2020), MA in urban and regional planning. I was also a Charles R. Krusell Fellow during my time at Humphrey. Carleton College (2016), BA in political science/international relations, with a concentration in educational studies.

Experience
My first job out of college was as a special education assistant with Minneapolis Public Schools at Seward Montessori School. I became more interested in community development so I interned at Seward Redesign after work. Since then, I have had a few internships. I’ve interned at the City of Saint Paul (PED), Project for Pride in Living, and with the Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers. I gained a ton of experience in affordable housing development and policy!

Other interests
I love sports! I grew up playing basketball and softball, so I play those when I have time. My partner coaches and really enjoys soccer, so I have been trying to play, but I’m not very good at all. I also like to think that I am a musical person! I performed a little bit (guitar/singing) but stopped to focus more on my career. Although, I still play and sing to de-stress a bit. Aside from that, I love to be out and about with friends, whether it be at breweries or someone’s backyard.

Kimberly Malone

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Supervisor, Investigation and Resolution Unit

Office of Equal Opportunity

Primary duties
The primary work of the Investigation and Resolution Unit (IRU) is centered around responding to harassment and discrimination complaints based on protected classes as identified under state and federal law and Met Council policy. IRU works closely with Human Resources to monitor all hires before an offer of employment can be made to ensure that an equitable process was followed, that we are hiring the best candidates for our jobs, and that they are being provided fair compensation. IRU provides training on civil rights laws and policies like the Civil Rights Act, the Minnesota Human Rights Act, and Met Council policies like the Discrimination, Harassment, and Inappropriate Behavior Policy. IRU provides training on the Americans with Disabilities Act to all new bus operators during their first days of employment in their classroom training. IRU also reviews customer complaints as it relates to protected class issues.

Started
June 1

How does it feel to start a new job when everyone is working from home?
Starting a new job without being able to meet face to face is difficult. While I love not having to commute into the office because it frees up more time in my day, I am a people person, and building relationships in person is much easier than trying to get connected with the correct people virtually.

Hometown
Pierre, SD – But I've called the Twin Cities home since 2005.

Current residence
Brooklyn Center

Family
I am married to my wonderful spouse, who is a special education teacher in St. Paul Public Schools. We have two children – Phoenix, age 3, and Griffin, whose 10th birthday is today, June 15! We also have two dogs, a chihuahua and an elderly whippet, and five new backyard baby chicks. We are looking forward to lots of summer camping trips and fresh eggs come fall.

Education
I attended Hamline University School of Law (now Mitchell-Hamline School of Law), where I earned my Juris Doctor. Before law school, I attended the College of St. Catherine (now St. Catherine University), where I earned a Bachelor of Arts in theatre.

Experience
I have spent the last six years working for the State of Minnesota. I worked with the Department of Employment and Economic Development as their lead investigator and EO consultant, and I worked for the Department of Transportation as their discrimination case manager. I am excited to bring my experience with discrimination complaints in the state enterprise to the Met Council.

Other interests
I love to sing. While I have not been on stage in quite some time, performing will always be a passion of mine. Pre-pandemic I sang with the St. Mark’s Cathedral Choir in Loring Park. I play the alto saxophone and after many years in storage, I was moments away from joining the Minnesota Freedom Band in 2020 when plans were put on pause due to COVID-19. Since my performing outlets went away this past year, I filled the void by stepping up my cooking game and as a result lost 101 pounds over the last 18 months!