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    U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart Employee Spotlight: Plans/Management Analysis and Child & Youth Services

    Employee Spotlight

    Photo By Bardia Khajenoori | Michele Friedrich Management Analyst - Plans, Analysis and Integration Office... read more read more

    STUTTGART, GERMANY

    08.01.2024

    Story by Bardia Khajenoori 

    U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart

    Michele Friedrich
    Management Analyst - Plans, Analysis and Integration Office

    Q1: How long have you been in this role, and in federal service?
    A1: I've been with U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart since 2022. I have a combined total of 39 years of military and civilian service and retired from the Army as a signal officer.

    Q2: What are some of your responsibilities?
    A2: I manage several programs: process improvement, Installation Status Report [ISR; the Army's primary reporting tool for installation management] and readiness reporting, and I’m the garrison SharePoint administrator [organizational knowledge management tool].

    Q3: What does a typical day look like for you?
    A3: I spend most of my time on the computer managing the programs and projects. A typical day is usually from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with some remote work and some office work.

    Q4: How do you feel your work impacts the community?
    A4: My efforts support our ability to create shared understanding and the commander’s ability to understand the garrison’s state of readiness. The commander can make better decisions by having a clearer idea of where and how some areas could be improved, or which programs to establish as a best practice.

    Q5: What do you find most rewarding about your job?
    A5: The ability to live in Europe and the interaction with my fellow co-workers. I got a chance to grow up in Switzerland and both my parents came from this area, so living here in Stuttgart is like coming home for me. Also, the ability to easily travel to almost any European country within a few hours and experience a completely different culture is what I like best. To quote our garrison motto, I’m glad I live here!

    Q6: What kind of skills do you think are most essential to doing well in your job?
    A6: In the end, what we do here at U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart is all about interactions with people, so, people skills are what will make you successful. But it also helps to be able to think critically and analyze problems so that you can provide effective solutions to leadership for decision-making.

    Q7: How would you summarize your personality in one sentence?
    A7: Quirky, but can be serious if needed.

    Dimitrij "Mita" Troup
    Supervisory Program Specialist - Child & Youth Services (Kelley CDC II)

    Q1: What is your role?
    A1: I’m basically the liaison between all the caregivers/rooms and management, which means I’m partially in the rooms but also have management duties.

    Q2: How long have you been working in it?
    A2: I’ve been working in childcare since 1991, and for Stuttgart Child & Youth Services (CYS) since 2013, in almost every one of our facilities and programs.

    Q3: What does a typical day look like for you?
    A3: [Laughs] There is no ‘typical’ day in childcare, but it depends on whether you have opening or closing shifts. Throughout the day, I make sure that everyone is being taken care of: that caregivers can take their breaks, that the children are taken care of and that their rooms are within [child-to-caregiver] ratio, and checking staff/task lists.

    Q4: How do you feel your work impacts the community?
    A4: Early childhood care is very important because you want to be sure that your kids are in a safe environment, that they’re striving and continuing with their development. I think Stuttgart [CYS] especially has very good facilities, staff, and management, and we’re always here for each other and the community.

    Q5: What do you find most fulfilling about your work?
    A5: Working with kids and learning every day: both the kids and myself. There’s no day that I don’t walk out and haven’t seen or heard something new. I’m an educator, and if I help a child emotionally or intellectually, I see myself as a scaffolder, where I’m there to support them in achieving something for themselves.

    Q6: What kinds of skills do you think are most essential to doing well in your job?
    A6: There are a lot, but I think the most important skills are being observant and open. Observant in that as a caregiver, you have to pay attention and figure out, “What does that child need? Where are they thriving? Where are they not thriving so much, so I can help them?” And openness: when you work with different people, you have to be open to different ideas, open to dialogue and always continuing to learn.

    Q7: How would you summarize your personality in one sentence?
    A7: I’m always striving to learn new things.

    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 08.01.2024
    Date Posted: 10.24.2024 09:53
    Story ID: 483837
    Location: STUTTGART, DE

    Web Views: 21
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN