County acknowledges success of mentorship and leadership program

During the Travis County Commissioners Court’s June 13 session, commissioners recognized the success of the county’s technology mentorship program.

“The Travis County technology mentorship program was established to prepare and equip the next generation of leaders within the information technology services, information security and compliance and privacy departments to take higher-level roles within the county,” said Commissioner Ann Howard, reading from the court’s proclamation.

The program lasts for a year. It trains professionals in information technology services on project management, local government operation, human resources policy and budget management.

“It’s our first year. We’ve got a small cohort, but we’re hoping to expand it to other IT departments throughout the county, and hopefully when we get our HR director in place, this is something we can take and actually use across the county to promote leadership,” said Ralph Warren, director of information technology services in the county.

Other officials associated with the technology mentorship came to Commissioners Court for the proclamation, including Lisa Jackson in compliance, Andreas Miller and Crystal Clark in security operations, and Ernest Teves, director of the project management office.

“The mentorship program aims to provide employee enrichment and retention through one-on-one mentoring and training sessions guided by seasoned leaders, enable succession planning and create lifelong employee relationships,” said Howard, reading from the proclamation, adding that the program would create a better customer experience by exposing information technology services employees to other county departments.

Commissioner Jeff Travillion said it was important that the program teaches project management principles in leadership, in order to ensure that data can be properly put to use to make good decisions.

“(It’s) for retention and attracting talent – that we’re not just getting information for the sake of having information, so that it can actually inform the direction that we’re going,” Travillion said. “This is no small thing. And I appreciate the work that has been done with the camaraderie and team-building that has occurred because of the program.”

“The mentorship program helps foster a sense of community and teamwork, enabling its employees to work together and more effectively, as well as assisting ITS in attracting and retaining talented people who are excited about the growth and development of opportunities within ITS,” Howard said, adding that the program was an “extremely valuable” initiative in regard to retention and talent attraction.

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