COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

County Manager’s Office

DATE:

March 27, 2007

BOARD MEETING DATE:

April 10, 2007

SPECIAL NOTICE/HEARING:

None

VOTE REQUIRED:

Majority

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

John Maltbie, County Manager

SUBJECT:

Employee of the Month for April 2007

RECOMMENDATION

Honor Bill Smith as Employee of the Month for April 2007 and authorize the President of the Board to sign the commendation.

VISION ALIGNMENT:

Commitment: Responsive, effective and collaborative government

Goal 21: County employees understand, support and integrate the County vision and goals into their delivery of services.

BACKGROUND

The Employee of the Month program was established in December 1984 to recognize and honor County employees who consistently demonstrate an outstanding level of performance.

Our Employee of the Month for April 2007 is Bill Smith, a Deputy County Counsel in the Office of County Counsel.

DISCUSSION

Bill Smith has been an employee of San Mateo County since 2000 and currently serves as the main attorney for Child Protective Services (CPS). In that role, he is responsible for developing and implementing training for CPS social workers and supervisors. Bill came to the County Counsel’s Office with a wealth of experience which included service as a police officer in Chicago and 25 years as a Deputy District Attorney for the City and County of San Francisco where he tried a number of major criminal cases.

For the last several years, Bill has assumed the primary responsibility for coordinating the County Counsel’s representation of Child Protective Services in juvenile court matters. He has a played a major role in developing training programs for CPS social workers who have the challenging responsibility representing the department in child dependency cases. Bill recently designed and coordinated a comprehensive training program for CPS social workers and social work supervisors to help enhance their effectiveness in testifying. He planned and produced a detailed presentation, which formed the basis for two 3-hour classroom sessions given to more than 120 CPS workers and supervisors. Additionally, Bill planned and coordinated an individual mock testimony experience for each CPS social worker over six half-day sessions in January 2007. Bill worked hard to make the experience as realistic as possible and to ensure that feedback to CPS staff was as meaningful as possible. As a result of Bill’s efforts, CPS workers are more confident and effective witnesses.

Our County is fortunate to have Bill Smith as one of its outstanding employees.