Although TDLR planned to transition back to the office on Jan. 18, 2022, return to the office (RTO) plans are now postponed due to the rapidly increasing number of COVID cases in the state.
Employees whose work must be performed onsite will still come into the office as necessary.
All other employees should come into the office only when necessary to complete work duties. Any future plans for RTO will be communicated to all staff.
We take the health of TDLR staff seriously and will continue to monitor this situation. We encourage you all to be vigilant at this time. Mask up and be safe.
Mike Arismendez, a current deputy executive director of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), has been named executive director effective Feb. 1, 2022. He replaces longtime TDLR executive director Brian E. Francis, whose retirement becomes effective Jan. 31, 2022.
Mike was appointed director by the Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation by a unanimous vote during a meeting on Dec. 27, 2021. Commissioners thanked Brian for his leadership of the agency and welcomed Mike to the helm.
“Although no one can replace Brian Francis, the Commission is excited to see where Mike Arismendez will take TDLR in the future by building on the legacies of former director Bill Kuntz and Brian. The agency will benefit from Mike’s experience as a member and chair of the Commission of Licensing and Regulation and as a deputy executive director. He is well-prepared to lead TDLR to the next iteration of excellence in its service to the people of Texas,” said Rick Figueroa, chair of the Commission.
Current Executive Director Brian Francis echoed the Chairman's comments. "If I have learned anything from being at the helm of TDLR, it is that TDLR is about a family of public servants working together to make Texas better. I know that Mike understands that TDLR’s success is about our family of employees. He knows he will be able to count on them just like I have. Mike, enjoy the ride, it is the best one in Texas," Brian said.
Mike was hired as TDLR’s Deputy Executive Director in March 2019. He previously served as City Manager for the City of Littlefield, Assistant to the City Council for the City of Lubbock, Mayor of the City of Shallowater, and legislative director for State Representative Carl H. Isett. He was appointed to the TDLR Commission in 2005 by Governor Rick Perry and was then appointed Chairman in 2014 by Governor Greg Abbott.
“I am humbled to be appointed as Executive Director at such a prestigious and visionary state agency. Through all my years of involvement with TDLR, I have come to know that TDLR seeks to provide the best customer service to the business community in Texas while protecting the people of Texas. I look forward to maintaining the integrity and success of this agency in my new role,” Mike said.
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 TDLR made history yesterday when we helped host the grand opening of the first intelligence center in the United States dedicated solely to working fraud cases related to credit card skimmers.
House Bill 2106 (87th Texas Legislature, Regular Session) created the FCIC, which will operate as a partnership between the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation and the Smith County District Attorney’s Office.
The FCIC will coordinate and assist in skimmer investigations with law enforcement agencies in Texas and elsewhere. The center’s law enforcement officers also will build and maintain relationships with financial institutions, credit card and debit card issuers, payment card networks and merchants. The Center will develop and provide training to law enforcement and industry partners on identifying and combating credit card fraud.
Brian Francis and Tom Butler, vice chair of the Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation, participated in the ceremony. Watch video.
Get Fit Texas starts on MONDAY! Are you ready to help us defend TDLR's title as Fittest State Agency?
Registration opened on Monday, Jan. 3, and the program officially kicks off on Monday, Jan. 10. As a reminder: Get Fit Texas is a statewide competition between agencies to see who has the highest percentage of employees completing 150 minutes of physical activity per week. That's only 30 minutes a day for five days of the week!
You can find virtual activities for the challenge on the Get Fit Texas calendar and on the TDLR Wellness Calendar.
Remember any employee who completes six weeks of the competition will receive 4 hours of wellness leave AND you can use one virtual wellness ticket each week completed (up to 10 may be earned) in the TDLR wellness store
Show your team spirit and help TDLR earn the title fittest state agency for a SECOND YEAR IN A ROW!
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Be sure to mark your calendar for one of four Microsoft OneNote trainings next week. OneNote is a digital note-taking app that provides a single place for keeping all your notes, research, plans, and information. Notes are easy to organize, print, and share, and you can search and find important information quickly.
Here's what you'll learn:
- Discover OneNote versions and the differences between them
- Understand how to navigate OneNote and organize content across notebooks, sections, and pages
- Learn how to bring different types of content together
- Understand how to create a notebook and format notes
- Use OneNote to organize meeting notes
- Set up OneNote for team collaboration.
Still have questions? Contact Jose Ornelas or Simon Skedd in the ITS team.
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The VERSA production and online systems will be down for scheduled maintenance and configuration on Sunday, January 9, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
What does this mean?
- Licensees will not be able to renew online
- Back-office VERSA users will not be able to access the system.
Questions? Contact Steve Spyropoulos.
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If you are wondering where to start in 2022 or need a little inspiration, you will definitely want to attend this webinar on Thursday, Jan. 13, from 10 to 11 a.m. led by David Yebra, from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. In this informative webinar you will hear inspiring stories and will be led through reflection exercises with powerful, actionable strategies that can support your health and wellness as we move into 2022. Bring a notepad and something to write with and plan to walk away with some great insights and strategies into your mental, physical and spiritual health! Register now.
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Gestures and Body Language
Speakers generate a great amount of emotion and interest using non-verbal communication, often called gestures or body language. A speaker's body can be an effective tool for emphasizing and clarifying the words they use, while reinforcing their sincerity and enthusiasm. Here are a few tips on how to use gestures effectively:
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Eye contact establishes an immediate bond with an audience, especially when a speaker focuses in on individual listeners rather than just gazing over the audience as a whole.
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Control mannerisms. Mannerisms are the nervous expressions a speaker might not be aware of such as putting their hands in their pockets, nodding their head excessively, or using filler words like um and ah too often.
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Put verbs into action when speaking to an audience by physically acting them out with the hands, face or entire body.
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Avoid insincere gestures by involving the entire body as much as possible in the movement and matching facial expressions to it.
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Move around the stage as topics change and move toward the audience when asking questions, making critical connections, or offering a revelation.
Click here to watch a short (5 min.) video on this topic, which will include visuals on the gestures described.
We invite you to attend our next Toastmasters meeting at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, January 11, via TEAMS. For an invitation to our meeting, please email Phong Doan.
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On Tuesday, January 11, the DHS Blue Campaign invites you to shine a spotlight on human trafficking by participating in #WearBlueDay. Anyone can make a difference by raising awareness about this crime. It is as simple as wearing a piece of blue clothing and posting about it throughout the day on the social media platform of your choice. There are many ways you can get the conversation started:
- Take a selfie
- Gather family, friends, or colleagues for a group photo
- Share a video about why you wear blue
However you decide to share your support, just make sure you use the hashtag #WearBlueDay.
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The brain uses a quarter of the body's entire energy supply, yet only accounts for about two percent of the body's mass. So how does this unique organ receive and, perhaps more importantly, rid itself of vital nutrients? In this TEDTalk, Jeff Ileff says that new research suggests it has to do with sleep. |
Enforcement Investigator Ida Parmer sent in this kudo for E&E Program Specialist Anne Pascall:
"Anne Pascall went above and beyond to assist me in understanding how things are done in Education and Examination (E&E). I reached out to her regarding a case I was working on. She was more than happy to collaborate regarding the E&E part of the case. I had many questions, and though she was ready to leave for the day, she stayed to help me, even called me back after she got home. I really appreciate her and her willingness to collaborate with me, helping me to understand how things work at the E&E and her undying patience. Truly a testament of teamwork!!"
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Creative Media Designer Kevin Harris sent in this kudo for Assistant General Counsel Dalma Sotero:
"Dalma Sotero went above and beyond to update TDLR’s Media Release form. She was asked for a quick turnaround to support the FCIC Grand Opening event and exceeded expectations. Also, thank you, Charles Johnson and the whole GC Team."
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If you have kudos for a TDLR co-worker, please send it to osc@tdlr.texas.gov and we'll place it in next Friday's Under the Umbrella. Please send by 5 p.m. Thursday for Friday publication.
Until further notice, Commission meetings and all advisory board meetings will be held via videoconference.
You can the view live broadcasts or archived meetings on TDLR's YouTube channel. Archived meetings are also posted on the LRNet Meeting Videos page. Meeting notices, agendas, and staff reports are posted on the TDLR Meetings page.
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- The Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation is scheduled to meet Tuesday, January 25 at 8:30 a.m. When the agenda and staff reports are available, they will be posted online.
- The Barbering and Cosmetology Advisory Board is scheduled to meet Monday, January 31, at 10 a.m. When the agenda and staff reports are available, they will be posted online.
- The Towing and Storage Advisory Board is scheduled to meet Wednesday, February 2, at 10 a.m. When the agenda and staff reports are available, they will be posted online.
- The Motor Fuel Metering and Quality Advisory Board is scheduled to meet Monday, February 7, at 10 a.m. When the agenda and staff reports are available, they will be posted online.
Sometimes a year has been so disastrous and so terrible that entering a new year will automatically mean entering a wonderful year!
-Mehmet Murat Ildan
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