Tar Heel, N.C.

On Jan. 24, Administrator Paul Kiecker (left) presented an Operational Excellence coin to Supervisory Consumer Safety Inspector Cassandra Daniels, for her dedication to advancing FSIS’ mission and efforts to create a strong team. Daniels is a supervisor in the largest pork slaughter establishment in the nation, serves as the “go to” trainer for many new inspectors, and fosters an environment where the team is informed, engaged, eager to learn, feel encouraged and show enthusiasm for the food safety mission.

Photo by Deputy Chief of Staff Robert Witte, OA.

St. Pauls, N.C.

On Jan. 24, Administrator Paul Kiecker met with inspection program personnel at a turkey slaughter and processing facility. Kiecker and the team spoke about the importance of communication, reading Food for Thought each week to stay current on agency updates and initiatives, and participating in the monthly Employee Town Hall meetings. They also spoke about their career journey and how grateful they were to work for FSIS.

Pictured, from left: District Manager Todd Furey; Office of Office of Planning, Analysis and Risk Management Senior Data Analyst Jay Gallons; Kiecker; Food Inspectors (FIs) Crystal Robinson, and Dorothy Smith; Consumer Safety Inspector Aaron Lee; FI Rose Smith; Office of Policy and Program Development Staff Officer Tennetta Hazard; Supervisory Public Health Veterinarian Dr. Antonio Quinones.

Photo by Deputy Chief of Staff Robert Witte, OA.

Clinton, N.C.

On Jan. 24, Administrator Paul Kiecker met with inspection program personnel at a swine slaughter and processing facility, where they frequently work 11-hour days, 6 days a week (over 65 hours per week). Kiecker and the team spoke about their career journey, all the great people they work with in FSIS, and the flexible work schedules (see Notice 04-23) providing those employees who want to work less hours the opportunity to do so, while not changing anything for those who want to work all the overtime possible.

Pictured, standing, from left: Supervisory Public Health Veterinarian Dr. Adria Clay; Food Inspector (FI) Dedoria Jefferson; Office of Policy and Program Development Staff Officer Tennetta Hazard; FI Jonathan Rich; Consumer Safety Inspector (CSI) Richard Auger; FI Marthalene Corbett; Deputy District Manager Mark Roling; FIs Bessie Underwood and Kenneth Strickland; CSI Jeremy Faulkner; District Manager Todd Furey; Supervisory CSI Robert Mote; FIs Donteria Glover and Loretta Hall; Office of Planning, Analysis, and Risk Management Senior Data Analyst Jay Gallons; Kiecker; FI Kelsey Mendez.

Seated: FI Kafui D’Almeida.

Photo by Deputy Chief of Staff Robert Witte, OA.

Mount Olive, N.C.

On Jan. 24, Administrator Paul Kiecker met with inspection program personnel at a turkey slaughter and processing facility. After discussing internet connectivity, Kiecker and the team spoke about their career journeys, including promotions and moving throughout the nation to different positions and establishments to get closer to family back home and increase work-life balance.

Pictured, standing, from left: District Manager Todd Furey; Consumer Safety Inspectors (CSIs) Saritza Nieves and Alex Collazo; Office of Planning, Analysis, and Risk Management Senior Data Analyst Jay Gallons; CSI William Hoskins; Supervisory Public Health Veterinarian Dr. Michelle Herring; Frontline Supervisor Dr. Raul Frontera; Office of Public Health Science Senior Risk Assessor Dr. Sunil Kumar; Deputy District Manager Mark Roling; CSI Phillip Harrison; Office of Policy and Program Development Staff Officer Tennetta Hazard; CSI Selena Dixon; Kiecker.

Seated, from left: Supervisory CSI Pearl Fraley; CSIs Brian Hatcher, Brenda Holley, Richard Barden, Renajal Felder and Tai Ong.

Photo by Deputy Chief of Staff Robert Witte, OA.

Asheboro, N.C.

On Jan. 26, Administrator Paul Kiecker met with FSIS personnel at a cattle slaughter and processing facility. Kiecker and the team spoke about poor connectivity at the establishment and problems with shipping services. On the positive side, they discussed their career journeys and congratulated Food Inspector (FI) Shikira Smith on her recent promotion to be a consumer safety inspector.

Pictured, from left: Consumer Safety Inspector (CSI) Miljan Jemmott; Food Inspectors Vassana Morgan and Smith; Kiecker; Frontline Supervisor Dr. Anne Luedtke; Supervisory Public Health Veterinarian Dr. Marjorie Gurganus; Deputy District Manager Mark Roling.

Photo by Deputy Chief of Staff Robert Witte, OA.

Marshville, N.C.

On Jan. 23, Administrator Paul Kiecker met with inspection program personnel at a chicken slaughter and processing facility. Kiecker and the team spoke about the $1,000 referral award program (see Notice 55-22), flexible work schedules (see Notice 04-23) and the success of the tuition reimbursement program (see Notice 34-22). An FSIS employee there had already taken advantage of the program to get her college courses paid for by FSIS.

Pictured, standing, from left: Kiecker; Enforcement Investigations and Analysis Officer Robert Curran; Deputy District Manager Mark Roling; Supervisory Public Health Veterinarian Dr. Anthony Casacalenda; Consumer Safety Inspectors (CSIs) Larry Haygood and Joseph Morris. Seated, from left: Supervisory CSI Gloria Barrientos; CSI Selinda Barksdale.

Photo by Deputy Chief of Staff Robert Witte, OA.

Monroe, N.C.

On Jan. 23, Administrator Paul Kiecker had two meetings with inspection program personnel at a chicken slaughter and processing facility. Kiecker and the team spoke about the importance of communication to staying current with agency benefits, initiatives and priorities and the numerous employee-centered programs at FSIS.

Pictured, standing, from left: Frontline Supervisor Dr. Darryl Robinson, Consumer Safety Inspectors (CSIs) Paul Mah, Richard Mabo, Nathan Latchansingh, Billy Sowell, Jr., William West, Gary Zavasky, and Daniel Bennett; OPARM Applied Analysis Branch Chief Abby Gruber; CSIs Sylvia Rivers and Kanisha Coffey; Kiecker; Supervisory Public Health Veterinarians (SPHVs) Dr. Fawzy Wasif and Dr. Mesghina Ezaz; Deputy District Manager Mark Roling.

Seated, from left: Enforcement Investigations and Analysis Officer Dr. Caitlyn Switzler, CSI Adriana Johnson.

Pictured, from left: SPHV Dr. Mesghina Ezaz; CSIs Felicia Hickman, Thomas Gooden, and Robin Sale; Kiecker; CSIs Kareema Carter and Hysa Zan.

Photos by Deputy Chief of Staff Robert Witte.

Maxton, N.C.

On Jan. 23, Administrator Paul Kiecker met with inspection program personnel (IPP) at a thermal processing facility, where IPP frequently work 12-hour days, 6 days a week (over 70 hours per week). Kiecker and the team spoke about their career journey and the flexible work schedules (see Notice 04-23) providing those employees that want to work fewer hours the opportunity to do so while not changing anything for those who want to continue working all the overtime possible.

Pictured, from left: Deputy District Manager Mark Roling; Consumer Safety Inspectors (CSIs) Johnnie Manning, Christopher Jacobs, and Stephen Smith; Kiecker; Frontline Supervisor Dr. Anne Luedtke.

Photo by Deputy Chief of Staff Robert Witte, OA.

Long Beach, Calif.

On Dec. 28, the Long Beach circuit team celebrated 30 years of service from Consumer Safety Inspector (CSI) Samuel Robins. The team is very proud of such a big accomplishment and salutes him with a big thank-you.

Pictured around the table, from left: Frontline Supervisor (FLS) Dr. Faryka Rogers; CSIs Jason Morgan, Ashley Mason, Gilberto Flores, Lino Andrew, Samuel Robins, Alicia Pinto and Jordan Fisher-Davis.

Photo by a restaurant employee.

Washington, D.C.

On Jan. 11, the Enforcement Operations Staff (EOS) of the Office of Investigation, Enforcement and Audit (OIEA) held a conference at FSIS Headquarters and met with agency leadership. EOS is responsible for developing and executing agency-wide criminal, civil and administrative enforcement programs and activities.

Also participating were the USDA Office of the General Counsel’s (OGC) Marketing, Regulatory and Food Safety Programs Division management and staff, which represents FSIS in enforcement cases and other matters.

Pictured, standing, from left: EOS Senior Compliance Specialist (SCS) Dr. Denise Amann; EOS Director Scott Safian, EOS Compliance Specialist (CS) Dennis Thomas, EOS SCS John O’Shaughnessy, EOS Team Lead Troy Hambright, OIEA Assistant Administrator Robert Bane, OGC Attorney Thomas Bolick, EOS CS Lisa Schmittzehe, EOS CS Basem Elsayed, OGC Assistant General Counsel Sheila Novak, Administrator Paul Kiecker, EOS CS Ann Prevas, Deputy Administrator Terri Nintemann, OGC Attorney Tracy McGowan, EOS CS Elaine Hite, and EOS SCS Deena Ismail.

Seated, from left: OIEA Program Assistant Felicia Parker, EOS Management Asst Judy Akinola, EOS SCS Elizabeth Starrett, EOS Team Lead Dr. Ashley Etue, OIEA Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator Valerie Neris, and OGC Deputy Assistant General Counsel Carson Hawley.

Photo by Deputy Chief of Staff Robert Witte, OA.

New York, N.Y., and Washington. D.C.

On Nov. 29 in New York City, Office of Investigations, Enforcement and Analysis (OIEA) Assistant Administrator Robert Bane awarded Compliance and Investigations Division (CID) Investigator Nicholas Milo with an FSIS recognition coin (Empowered) for his outstanding contributions to public health. Milo, an investigator in the CID Northeast Region, conducted an investigation that resulted in a civil judgement and a $250,000 fine against a New York retailer who repeatedly sold uninspected and misbranded meat and poultry products to consumers in and around New York state in violation of the Federal Meat Inspection Act and Poultry Products Inspection Act.

On Jan. 11 in Washington, D.C., Bane presented Enforcement Operations Staff (EOS) Senior Compliance Specialist Troy Hambright with a recognition coin (Collaborative) and USDA Office of the General Counsel (OGC) Attorney Tom Bolick with a gavel plaque for their roles in the New York case.

Hambright and Bolick, along with Milo and the CID team, worked with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York to present the case evidence supporting the violations of FSIS statutes and to draft and negotiate the settlement agreement in the case. The $250,000 civil penalty obtained in the case equals the highest civil penalty ever imposed for such violations. The fine’s substantial amount was based on the firm’s failure to meet the terms of a prior civil agreement whereby the firm had agreed to comply with FSIS food safety laws.

Pictured, from left: Investigator Nicholas Milo and OIEA Assistant Administrator Robert Bane.

Photo by Northeast Regional Director Joseph Priore, OIEA.

Pictured, from left: EOS Senior Compliance Specialist Troy Hambright, OIEA Assistant Administrator Robert Bane and OGC Attorney Thomas Bolick.

Photo by Senior Compliance Specialist Deena Ismail, OIEA.