Deborah Whetzel Email & Phone Number

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Manager of HumRRO’s Personnel Selection and Development (PSD) Program Area, which includes a staff of psychometricians and industrial-organizational (I-O) psychologists. Applies psychological principles and practice to the research, development, and validation of operational assessment systems; conducts occupational analyses in support of personnel programs such as selection and succession planning; and consults on implementation issues such as the interpretation and use of assessment results and the legal defensibility of personnel practices.• Direct project to develop test questions for the Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT) and a variety of specialist tests for the Department of State. Also working on Assessment Center (AC) exercises to enable their delivery in a virtual environment.• Directed a project for the Transportation Security Administration which included conducting a detailed job analysis of all Transportation Security Officer (TSO) positions not only to update the essential tasks and identify the critical competencies for the original three positions, but also to establish them for the new positions in the TSO job series. • Managed a pilot test of the Internet version of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), known as the iCAT in an academic setting. • Directed two projects for the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) to: a) develop and equate alternate forms of their cognitive ability tests and b) develop tests for System Operator/Power Dispatcher jobs. Tests include situational judgment and logic-based reasoning.• Completed a meta-analysis of predictors of clerical performance for EEI. This work involved updating Pearlman, Schmidt, and Hunter’s (1980) seminal work and expanding the predictor space to include personality and computer-administered tests. Results were published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

• Worked with a team of psychologists to develop and revise the managerial, supervisory leadership and functional/technical competency models. The models covered all levels of leadership in the Postal Service and were designed for use in selection, training development, performance appraisal, and succession planning. • Supervised development of leadership assessments to identify talent for entry into Corporate Succession Planning and to identify individual developmental needs. Assessments included competency-based situational judgment tests, cognitive ability, and personality.• Developed and evaluated leadership development courses using an innovative approach to leadership training, known as Interactive Theater, in which participants watch actors portray job incumbents, determine leadership styles, and provide coaching. • Worked with team members to update the process for individuals to complete their individual development plans (IDP) online. New IDPs incorporated competency assessment and provide drop down menus of suggested developmental opportunities for each competency.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

• Revised U.S. Postal Service executive competency model in conjunction with USPS psychologists. Involved conducting workshops with subject matter experts and analyzing qualitative data to identify behavioral examples of performance at each of three levels of proficiency for each competency.• Developed functional/technical competency models for U.S. Postal Inspection Service for positions Investigative Analyst, Intelligence Analyst, Administrative Support Specialist, Forensic Analyst, and Inspection Service Operations Technician. Involved conducting workshops with subject matter experts to identify competencies needed for successful performance. Competency models were integrated to form a career path for Inspection Service employees and to provide tools for performance appraisal and management.• Developed competency models and performance appraisal systems for Choice Hotels International. Appraisal system is used to measure performance for all levels ranging from Senior Vice President to administrative staff. Involved conducting workshops with incumbents and supervisors and integrating information into a model that is useful for measuring performance and providing behavioral feedback.• Conducted job analysis of Electrical Technician, Mechanical Technician, and Instrumentation and Control Technician positions for FirstEnergy’s Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Plant. Involved creating surveys used to link test items to KSAs needed to perform the job. Used job analysis results to document content validity of selection exams.• Developed competency models for the Columbia, Missouri Police Department for the positions of Captain, Sergeant, Officer, and Community Service Aide. This involved conducting background research to identify police-oriented competencies, conducting workshops to develop behaviorally-based anchors for the computer-administered performance appraisal system.

Ph.D., Industrial Psychology

M.A., Industrial/Organizational Psychology