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Edward A. James
2001 Managerial Engineer of the Year

Edward A. James is a program budget coordinator for engineering and recreation on Region 5's public use and facilities staff in Vallejo, CA. Ed has consistently exhibited leadership qualities for managing people and programs through his aptitude for juggling responsibilities for a variety of tasks, persuading partners to accomplish Agency goals, mastering and sharing new technology and incorporating it in program planning, and initiating innovative solutions to better align program and fiscal capabilities.

Dual responsibility for Region 5's engineering and recreation programs keeps Ed busy in three regions, three forests, and in Washington Office (WO) Engineering covering road, campground, boat ramp, and resource-related projects. He helped plan and implement on-the-ground burn rehabilitation projects to protect a local community from the Big Creek Fire. He was the team leader of large value analysis projects involving a major recreation area complex, an airtanker facility, and a fueling project. The WO selected him to present a program at the National Scenic and Long Distance Trails meeting. On a WO detail, Ed initiated a process to use USDA Forest Service funds to complete Emergency Relief Federally Owned (ERFO) projects until Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) funds became available.

Ed's outstanding ability to manage and plan multiyear, large, complex programs worth nearly $100 million was recognized with a Quality Step Increase and selection as the Regional Office "Top Supporter" for fiscal years 1996 and 1999 by the Forest Engineers. He was recognized previously as 1999 Managerial Engineer of the Year, and in 2001 he received two additional citations for extra effort in program management. Region 5 also awarded him a certificate of merit for his work on the Timber Sale Program Information Reporting System (TSPIRS) Implementation Team and another for work on the Development and Budget Program staff for the Budget Formulation and Execution System (BFES) implementation.

By working closely with the regional INFRA coordinator and deferred maintenance data stewards and serving on an Agency task force to develop a method for computing historical road costs, Ed is helping to attain USDA Forest Service goals for improved financial health. He is recognized regionally and nationally for his leadership in developing and implementing the Budget Formulation and Execution System (BFES) and Primary Purpose definitions for the roads budget line item (BLI) and other critical national issues. Under Ed's management, Region 5's Capital Investment Process, in which panel members serve as advocates for forest projects and evaluations, he worked to advise the forests of their projects early in fiscal year (FY) 2001. As a result, Region 5 spent or obligated 97 percent of its Title IV Wildland Fire Emergency Appropriation funds and awarded all Title IV planned projects in FY 2001. The region also spent or obligated 99.8 percent of its Title VIII Land Conservation, Preservation, and Infrastructure Improvement funds in that fiscal year.

During his time with the Sierra National Forest, Ed gained recognition as the task force leader for completing National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements for reissuing several Special Use Permits and for an extended detail as acting district ranger on the Mariposa Ranger District. He received two certificates of merit, one for his performance as Supervisor of the Year and another for his role as Organization Review Team Leader in FY 2001 in a Roads Program Review on the Stanislaus National Forest, and as a member of the Los Padres General Management Review (GMR) Team.

Ed also earned a certificate of merit as the assigned manager for the Fresno Airtanker Base Project, in which he was asked to resolve an impasse among the three partner agencies. He coordinated efforts with the agencies, the design team, and a female civil engineer to improve the working environment and refocus project efforts. In a letter to the Sierra National Forest Supervisor, Charles Horel, Chief Engineer for the California Department of Forestry (CDF) commended Ed's effort "as the single greatest reason for the project design being completed on time and within budget," through exhibiting exemplary conduct and outstanding skill "in handling pressure to produce a quality project . . . under challenging circumstances" and exercising "his ability to organize and to communicate effectively both orally and in writing."

His experience with managing the Fresno project provided Ed with insight into the logistics of fire operations from dispatch, crew support, and aircraft operations vantage points. He continues to put that experience to good use on the fireline, at fire camp, and most recently, on the expanded dispatch team.

Ed received a certificate of appreciation for his role in constructing new forest facilities to accommodate the full spectrum of employee diversity. He helped define Region 5's goals in the area of diversity and affirmative action. Under Ed's supervision, two employees with disabilities were awarded certificates of merit for the quality of their project support. Every team that he assembles is comprised of men and women of diverse ethnic backgrounds and includes people with disabilities. Ed has created detail opportunities for women, as well as securing a position for an African American female. He also supervises and mentors an Asian American female and a GS-11 Department of Defense female employee. Ed personally arranged for Lotus spreadsheet training and a full-time interpreter for a hearing-impaired Sierra National Forest employee through an adult education program.

Region 5's management team selected Ed for collateral duties as supervisor of the Universal Access Program Manager for 4 years. He supervised and mentored the program manager, helping her to overcome conflicting priorities and to establish a rapport with all 18 forests in Region 5. This led to her success in developing, designing, and launching the regional access program. Effective teamwork resulted in Region 5's strategy to make all programs and facilities accessible by creating Forest Transition Plans (legal documents outlining each forest's plan to comply with Federal laws) and Forest Action Plans (for long-term, 20-year scope). To ensure the Universal Access Program's viability and longevity, Ed initiated the development of a funding strategy to complete Forest Transition Plans and to earmark accessibility as a Capital Investment Fund emphasis item.

Ed's commitment to quality program management and to creating opportunities for employees to achieve their full potential is well known. He has demonstrated this commitment by doing the following:

• Using his assignment as supervisor and mentor to an employee assigned to a 2-month National Park Service Team Leadership Program to successfully encourage the employee to participate in and enhance her career development.



• Supporting his primary assistant in advancing her career to a more responsible budget position by writing a letter of recommendation to the National Park Service when she was displaced by a regional office move.



• Arranging annual details for forest employees to the regional office to work on the program management staff to provide a positive work experience for employees and to enhance their career development.



• Encouraging his current staff to take full advantage of workshops to improve their software mastery and to share that knowledge at the forest and regional levels.



• Cochairing a Region 5 joint meeting of the Forest Engineers and Recreation Staff Officers to foster teamwork between the program areas that hosted 85 attendees.

To reinvigorate a stalled Engineering Skills Plan (ESP 2000), Ed volunteered to write the regional office section. He crafted a product that set a standard for the five provinces and ultimately led to full approval by the Regional Forester's Team. Deputy Regional Forester Jim Lawrence cited it as one of the best efforts in reviewing both USDA Forest Service organization and skill needs for the 21st century.

The USDA Forest Service is not the only recipient of Ed's efforts. For his community service during Portfolio Day at Clark Junior High School, he received a certificate of appreciation. From the Indiana Institute of Technology, Ed received the Scholar/Athlete Award and Most Valuable Baseball Player and was welcomed to an honorary engineering fraternity for scholastic achievement.

Ed takes pride in volunteering as a former coach to his daughter's highly successful fastpitch softball team and assisting with his son's basketball, baseball, and soccer teams as scorekeeper, concessionaire, and field marshal. Ed is the treasurer for his son's Cub Scout den and has planned and led several badge activities and outings. Ed and his family attend the U.S. Coast Guard Training Center Chapel in Petaluma, CA, where his wife is employed as chapel musician.

As a firm believer in keeping his knowledge current, Ed serves as an officer of the Fresno, CA, branch of the American Society of Civil Engineers. In 1995, he was the keynote speaker at the Fresno State University Engineering Banquet. He is a registered Civil Engineer in the State of Utah. Ed continues to attend a variety of classes and seminars including a management policy seminar, a National Forest Lands Program correspondence program from Colorado State University, and a class in timber design. He continues to refine his technology skills for better delivery of his lively trademark presentations chockfull of visuals, graphics, and sound applications.

Ed James has earned a reputation in the USDA Forest Service and among other natural resource agencies for his willingness to exercise leadership in resolving challenges in multiple arenas, in achieving engineering excellence through managing resources, and in initiating strategies to develop the full potential of employees and partners at the local, regional, and national levels.

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