Therese Rogers Email & Phone Number

Camp Springs, Md

Serves as Associate Chief in the Labor and Employee Relations Division (LER) within the Office of Human Capital and Training, Management Directorate, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Department of Homeland Security (DHS). • Directs work of five HQ Operation LER Specialists servicing USCIS Leadership.• Works in partnership with agency leaders and American Federation of Government Employees-National Citizenship and Immigration Services Council 119 (AFGE-NCISC) officials to develop and implement strategic policies and practices in fulfillment of the agency’s human capital planning. • As a key development team member, crafted USCIS Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Council Charter, furthering agency initiatives towards advancement of DEIA.• 2024 DHS HR Symposium guest instructor for ER and LR: Understanding the People and Processes course.

• Managed and directed the work of five Southeast Regional (SER) LER specialists. • Worked closely with the Regional Director, Program Office Chiefs, District and Field Office Directors, Office of General Counsel, Office of Equal Opportunity and Inclusion, the Anti-Harassment Office, and the Office of Investigations. • Built constructive partnerships with critical stakeholders and local Union Officials; influenced change, leveraged resources, and delivered effective outcomes for all parties.• Evaluated HR processes for suitability while maximizing the SER LER branch’s contribution to the agency’s mission. • Developed employee relations workforce analysis tool for organizational leadership. Annual report provided statistical analysis of agency disciplinary data, aided leaders in development of more sound authoritative policy and targeted focus on counteractive efforts. Deployed Q&A CBA 2022 training and informational sessions for client population following a new agency collective bargaining agreement.  Served as the temporary Associate Chief of the Northeast Regional LER Office; help accommodate a short notice vacancy; ensured continued effectiveness of regional office for customer base; no disruption in services provided by SER or NER staff.  Hands-on mentoring and high standard-setting oversight and leadership elevated both staff’s oral and written communications, and increased employee commitment and morale.

Orlando, Florida, United States

• Served as a technical expert in labor and employee relations in the Southeast Region LER office. • Worked closely with District and Field Office Directors, Office of General Counsel, Office of Equal Opportunity and Inclusion, the Anti-Harassment Office, and the Office of Investigations.• Provided advice and guidance to agency managers in a wide variety of matters, advanced human resource principles, concepts, and practices, related to labor relations, alternative dispute resolution, interest-based bargaining, and facilitation sufficient to provide staff advisory services on agency-wide issues.  Established effective working partnership with local union officials, resulting in the quiet resolution of several highly complex issues pending for several weeks prior to arrival. Zero Unfair Labor Practices claims filed; all negotiated grievances successfully resolved, during tenure. Subject Matter Expert and Co-host for USCIS Leadership Lessons Series: A First Line Supervisor’s Guide to Understanding and Utilizing the Probationary Period.  Host for agency-wide supervisory training courses: Performance Evaluations (Mid-year and Finals), COVID-19 Workplace Precautions Flexibilities, Voluntary Assignments, Family Medical and Leave Act of 1993, and Introduction to Disciplinary Actions and Labor Relations for New Supervisors.

Duke Field Florida

• Lawyer for reserve Air Force Special Operations Wing, responsible for management of the Air Force Base Legal office, consisting of two (2) subordinate attorneys, a senior paralegal chief, and three (3) additional paralegal professionals. • Legal advisor to the Wing Commander; managed legal counsel for three (3) Group Commanders, fourteen (14) Squadron and Flight Commanders. • Provided pre-mobilization and legal assistance to all military members. Rendered legal advice and assistance on various private legal matters presented by military personnel and their families.• Identified, researched, and addressed extremely complex and difficult legal questions affecting the Air Force Special Operations mission. • Provided analyses, interpretations, and opinions on a broad variety of cases and issues that include legal and policy positions on intricate and obscure Air Force matters.  Prosecuted seven (7) high vis cases involving sexual assault, drug abuse, DUI, road rage and domestic violence. Reduced military justice backlog by 50%, during tenure. Yearly production for legal assistance to population yielded client’s savings of over $11,000 in legal fees.

Joint Base Andrews, Maryland

• Lawyer for host Air Force Wing, that provides 24-hour emergency reaction rotary-wing aircraft for National Capital Region contingency operations. • Legal advisor to the Wing Commander, whose security/services/airfield management includes transport of the President of the United States, Vice President & other Senior US leaders.  Maximized legal office efficiency; served as agency Labor Attorney during short-notice vacancy; provided legal advisory to management officials and legal review for civilian disciplinary actions.  Saved clients over $45,000 in annual legal fees; rendered legal assistance to eligible joint population of over 120,000 active duty, military retirees, and their family members.  Performed legal research/drafted opinions on civil law issues that arose under the Freedom of Information Act, Privacy Act, Service members Civil Relief Act, and various state laws.

Orlando, Florida Area (Virtual Position)

• Planned and executed the delivery of comprehensive labor and employee relations services in direct support of Arlington National Cemetery (ANC).• Investigated, advised, and influenced leadership and other officials on effective implementation of labor management and employee relations policy, and appropriate compliance with governing laws and regulations. • Advised management officials on all Management and Employee Relations (MER) topics including conduct/discipline resulting in adverse actions, employee grievances, and performance management.  Introduced ANC “HR for Supervisors” course for management officials; convinced agency leadership to ensure mandatory participation until 100% trained; helped managers identify common issues and pursue appropriate methods for prevention, rehabilitation, or discipline of employees.  Established successful partnerships with the exclusive representative of ANC employees, American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2.  Significantly improved prior poor relationship between ANC officials and the local union, as noted in 2019 performance evaluation, “she has changed the management/union relationship from adversarial to cooperative in just a few short weeks on the job.”  Conducted successful Impact & Implementation (I&I) bargaining for over 20 agency changes and improvements including a major agency realignment, temporary building relocation, closed circuit TV expansion, gazebo relocation, career field position description conversions, and hosts of various policies and official procedures implementations. Resolved 100% of negotiated grievances in favor of the agency; drafted and processed just over 20 formal disciplinary actions, during tenure, including 4 removals of employees from federal service. Reduction in disciplinary actions by 50% in the previous year.

Orlando, Florida Area

• Provided full life-cycle Human Resources support to the Goodwill Industries of Central Florida team, comprised of over 1200 employees, servicing six (6) Florida counties. • Leading its HR, training, safety, payroll, and benefits teams, oversaw efforts to create an inclusive company culture, maintain compliance with applicable laws, policies, and procedures, and strengthen Goodwill's workforce.  Procured a more configurable and cost-effective Human Resources Information System (HRIS); reduced the need for robust IT support, removed 3 ancillary programs, and secured the payout of previous costly system; over 200K in savings to organization. Resolved 99% of employee relations issues within 3 months, improving workplace environment.

Bethesda, Md

Planned, developed, and administered the civilian labor-management and employee relations program for all organizational elements of the National Capital Region, Medical Directorate (NCR-MD), Defense Health Agency (DHA), in Bethesda, Maryland. Oversaw complex administrative and technical HR support for diverse employee groups, including medical, administrative, and technical professionals. Investigated, advised, and influenced leadership and other officials on effective implementation of labor management and employee relations policy, and appropriate compliance with governing laws and regulations.  Delivered first ever major contract for the DHA; supervised successful negotiations between the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), Local 1410 and agency: high-vis Collective Bargaining Agreement between the President's hospital and national organization.  Implemented first ever agency Labor Management Forum, designed to effect pre-decisional discussion between union officials and agency leadership for prevention of lengthy negotiations and potential impasse.  Saved employees affected by a Congressionally mandated major agency realignment; instrumental advisor in strategic planning and successful coordination of resulting reduction in force procedures involving alternative options to removal/terminations. Managed effective Worker's Compensation program; 8 injured employees returned to work in previous year, resulting in over $1 million savings in future lifetime compensation payments for the agency.  Saved thousands in travel funding for Army; hosted local instruction of Army Basic Labor Certification course when hiring freeze and budgetary constraints stalled offerings for developing LMER specialists; offered courses at no cost to local participants.

Dc Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Mastered performance of HR principles, concepts, regulations, practices and techniques regarding Employee and Labor Relations (ER/LR) functions for the District of Columbia, Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Represented the Agency in grievance matters and Alternative Dispute Resolution with labor unions, American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), Laborer’s International Union of North America (LIUNA) and United American Nurses (UAN). Served as technical advisor regarding disciplinary and adverse actions involving bargaining and non-bargaining unit employees. Ensured compliance with applicable laws, regulations and policies, by reviewing proposed and established guidelines from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), to include the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), and the Fair Labor Relations Authority (FLRA).

2420 S. Broadway St., Little Rock, Ar 72205

Represented clients in bankruptcy, taxes, real estate, criminal defense, domestic relations, labor and civil disputes. Achieved client 100% of petitioned in successfully litigated divorce; drafted and filed divorce decree and Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO); ensured next day notice and processing.Met 24-hour deadline to defend client who was denied compensation claim for third time. Authored and filed short-notice rebuttal brief to Arkansas Workers Compensation Commission.Negotiated a reduced tax repayment plan with Arkansas Internal Revenue Service, in defense of client with over 10 years in arrears, on employment taxes. Drafted and filed injunction brief to quash removal of tenants from illegally sublet premises, after discovery of fraud by owner.

3Rd Manpower Requirements Squadron, Scott Air Force Base, Il

Tasked to perform capability-based time engineered studies of substantive organizations for the Department of the Air Force. Served as a technical advisor regarding realignment of non-bargaining and bargaining unit employees. Charged with ensuring compliance by reviewing proposed and established guidance. Performed a wide range of duties that included: providing a comprehensive review amid negotiations of the memorandum of agreement between study leads and target; conducting workshops with subject matter experts to determine work processes; interviewing employees via observation, questionnaires or timed motion trials to establish completion times for each process; reviewed, flowcharted and revamped job descriptions to best capture the correct and efficient methods; performed correlation and regression statistical analysis using Microsoft Excel to calculate how many positions needed to perform the functions of the organization. Prepared the presentation capturing the results and briefed the organizational leadership; trained the managers on proper implementation of newly gained or lost positions within the manpower and personnel systems. Prepared letters for dissemination to affected employees based on decisions as a result of reorganization or realignment in accordance with applicable laws. Studied an Air Force Major Command Intelligence organization consisting of over 15 separate sections identified for review; study garnered over 8 additional positions for organization.

375Th Mission Support Squadron, Scott Air Force Base, Il

Promoted to supervise 3 large sections of the Scott Air Force Base Military Personnel Flight, servicing a population of over 63,000. Tasked with the management of the Promotions & Special Actions, Reenlistments, Casualty Affairs, Performance Evaluations and Customer Service departments. Duties and responsibilities included: resolving conflicts between employees and supervisors; coordinating workshops and advisory sessions with managers to promote employee career development and efficient management of performance evaluations. Provided advice and guidance on problems presented by employees and/or managers for resolution. Analyzed proposals to determine impact and possible ramifications of decisions related to employee programs. Recommended a course of action and wrote decision letters for the deciding officials. Prepared and processed disciplinary actions on behalf of supervisors: drafted letters of reprimand, investigation reports, created unfavorable information files and initiated involuntary separations. Established programs to assist in prevention and resolution of equal opportunity and treatment among supervisors and employees. Implemented an automated suspense and tracking system providing early notice of evaluations coming due to frontline supervisors; improved on-time rate by 50%. Instituted monthly supervisory training sessions--educated over 100 supervisors and managers on best practices for writing evaluations. Determined need and made referrals to proper agencies for issues that required external remedies. Administered the Casualty Affairs Program; provided 24-hour on-call assistance to family members of deceased or missing personnel. Oversaw preparation of related reports and documents; assembled family notification teams. Assisted next of kin with collection of death gratuity, social security, veteran entitlements, government and commercial life insurance benefits. 

Manpower & Programs Directorate, Bolling Air Force Base, Dc

Programmed, allocated and managed manpower resource requirements for three direct reporting units of Headquarters Air Force, Office of the Secretary of Defense and Joint Chiefs of Staff. Analyzed and evaluated programs for balance and sufficiency to execute assigned missions via the Manpower Data System. Created strategy for identifying Future Years Defense Program requirements. Interpreted policy and guidance of the Department of Defense Planning, Programming, Budgeting Execution process for over 21,000 military and civilian requirements impacting an excess of $1 billion in Total Obligation Authority. Made critical recommendations to Headquarters Air Force, Field Operating Agencies, Direct Reporting Units and Air Force Elements advocating prudent resource utilization. Administered commercial activities programs; oversaw and conducted competitive sourcing studies to include consulting on development of most efficient organization for competitive bid. Led successful manpower study of Secretary of the Air Force General Counsel office; study garnered 13 sorely needed positions. Expertly managed manpower resources for the Air Force Balance the Books initiative; critically evaluated and removed more than 1400 manpower authorizations/positions; saved Air Force over $70 million. Assisted in developing Civilian Employment Plans for newly established Headquarters Air Force Portfolio organization.

Performed human resource functions as an enlisted member of the USAF. Created, maintained, and annually audited personnel records. Prepared and processed documentation for administration of quality control programs. Reviewed personnel records; interviewed individuals to ensure accuracy of information. Managed Air Force retention programs; assisted military personnel in making career decisions in promotion, reenlistment, education and professional enhancement; advised and counseled on personal affairs matters to include life insurance, family member benefits and entitlements. Organized and compiled supervisor management data; submitted efficiency reports to ensure accurate evaluations were being conducted. Performed casualty notification to next of kin family members of deceased military personnel.

J.D., Law

Activities and Societies: Delta Theta Phi Law Fraternity International; American Bar Association Law Student DivisionDean's List, Fall.

M.A., Human Resource Management

GPA: 3.78

B.S.B.A, Human Resource Management

Graduated Cum Laude

Education record

Education record

Admitted 2011