PMA members elected five members to our National Board of Directors this year. They will serve a two-year term beginning on July 1, 2022. Voting ran from May 10 - 20, 2022, and was open to all active IRS members. Each candidate was asked to submit a statement to aid voting members in their decision making. You can review those statements below, presented in alphabetical order by candidate last name.
I have served on the National Board for over 12 years, serving a portion of that time as the National Vice President and serving as the President on two different occasions as needed. As a board member, I have devoted myself to improving the services we provide to the members and increasing our membership. Until the last year, I served as the new member coordinator, receiving applications, sending out packages and discussing new and old chapter activities, as well as maintaining the PMA National Web Page. I wish to continue to serve all members and looks for new ways to benefit our members during these challenging times. I have also served as the Kansas City/St. Louis Chapter President for over ten years, during which the chapter had become the largest and most active chapter in PMA. I believe a strong chapter base will help PMA continue to grow and become even a stronger voice in making a difference for our members and continue to work on developing new chapters across the country.
I have been management for most of my 40 years with the IRS, serving at all levels below the executive level in both campus and headquarters. Throughout my time in management, my focus has always been on my employees and serving their needs. I make it a high priority to help employees with their professional development and are most proud of the many of folks in all levels of the organization that I have played a part in their success. As a local chapter President, I continued that focus, by developing several programs to expand the members opportunities and skills. I hosted monthly webinars and developed several “lunch and learn” topics during my time as president.
With another two years as a board member, I will continue to work for the current members and look for new ways to grow the membership.
I am interested in serving you on the national board for PMA. I have worked for the IRS for 18 years. I am a Leader. I have been a manager for 10 years within IRS and an additional 10 years outside Government and within the community. I now work as a Labor Relations Specialist with HCO in an attempt to share what I have learned as a manager while continuing to mentor and support managers within the campus.
I am a communicator. I have a communication degree and use this to assist in several capacities such has conflict resolution and education in verbal and written communication skills. I know many people in my capacity as instructor, mentor, board member, manager and LR Specialist. I am in the Campus wide Interview Cadre locally and assist with writing resumes and mock interviews. I joined PMA early on in my leadership career and have always seen the value in being a member. Wanting to give back to PMA I have served on the local board of the Heartland PMA chapter for approximately 5 years and recruited several new members. I have served on the National PMA board for the last two and a half years and the last six months served as National Secretary. It has been my pleasure and privilege to have the opportunity to mentor and support upcoming leaders within the IRS and those future leaders within the community by listening to needs and providing resources, educational opportunities and mentoring advice. I participate with the local PMA chapter by attending interview sessions to the local Montessori, technical schools and high schools to review resumes, practice interviewing while mentoring young people on how to carry themselves and communicate effectively with future employers. I am passionate about the PMA motto, “helping the leaders of today help the leaders of tomorrow."
I am continuing my education by taking college classes in Social/Organizational Psychology and have written and presented programs on bias and toxic communication which creates division, conflict and chaos within the workplace. I wrote a presentation called The Triangulation Trap. This is a toxic/manipulative form of communication. I provided tips on how to recognize it and the tools to avoid it or manage the toxic conversation.
I am a people person and can quickly get to the heart of a situation to help others see their strengths and overcome their weaknesses. This is especially important for managers and those interested in leadership roles to help them prepare and grow in their leadership roles. One of the greatest joys is watching someone that we as an organization supported and mentored, rise to a successful level of leadership and go on to inspire others. The support doesn’t stop there. PMA does this for their membership day in and day out.
I am a servant leader. As a current PMA local board member, I have the opportunity to observe the issues and challenges we face as leaders. Then I can use these observations to network, collaborate and research, the tools and opportunities to help develop stronger leaders. I also enjoy participating in the charity drives to bring hope and support to those in need. I quietly affiliate myself with Mother’s Refuge which is a home for very young ladies who are pregnant and homeless. The local PMA chapter has sponsored donation drives to assist them with their physical needs. In addition, I share information with the director of Mother’s Refuge such as, our Pathways program. Pathways gives high school students opportunities to work part time for the IRS. This work experience would allow these young mothers to gain confidence and help them seek financial independence.
I facilitate learning opportunities. I set up lunch and learn sessions to allow the Deaf and Hard of Hearing employees to share with leaders their culture and etiquette. This gives them a voice and venue to be heard and seen and provide management with insight on some cultural misunderstandings. I arrange for speakers, such as social workers from local battered women shelters, to visit the Campus annually. This teaches management to recognize the signs of domestic abuse and how to support employees suffering from abuse. I set up a virtual presentation using PMA grant funds to teach managers how to manage toxic people effectively. Leaders supporting leaders, whether they be local high school students or mature seasoned employees who never realized their own potential for leadership or experienced managers who need the most current up to date information. That is what I seek to provide in this role.
I believe PMA is a vital resource for leaders and would like to see it maintain strength and relevance for IRS leaders. We have an opportunity to improve the lives and working conditions of current leaders through emotional, physical (in the case of disasters) and educational support. I would love the opportunity to continue serving PMA in this capacity to continue to expand my skills as a servant leader.
My name is Pamela McBride, and it would be my honor to serve on our Board of Directors for the Professional Managers Association. My professional and personal background has equipped me to help lead the association and advocate for our members, and I am more than willing to roll up my sleeves and get the work done.
In my perspective, all of us deserve to work in a respectful, fair, and inclusive workplace that honors all types of diversity. My vision for being on the board is to ensure that we are all beneficiaries and leaders in this pursuit. Specifically, I want to help create a sense of belonging where we all can develop to our full potential. Here are some examples of how I have actively done so since I came to IRS in 2010.
In my current position, as the senior advisor to the W&I Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, I successfully manage the workload and quality assurance of a team of Equal Employment Opportunity specialists and program analysts. I am incredibly proud of establishing, implementing, and managing the W&I Diversity and Inclusion Program.
I have intentionally contributed to IRS projects, programs, and initiatives that improve the workplace for managers and employees in many capacities, at multiple levels, and in various organizations.
For example, I have served on multiple projects with Service-wide impact, such as Diversity in Leadership: Making it a Practice Project Team and the Kansas City Workforce Inclusion Initiative Steering Committee. Additionally, while working as the W&I veteran employment coordinator, I helped establish the national program. Finally, I served as the co-president of Military Outreach for Services Employee Resource Group for two years.
My experience as a manager includes an 18-month detailed position as a senior manager in CARE, an 18-month detailed position as a frontline manager in National Headquarters EDI, and five years as a Well-Being program manager for the Department of the Army.
I take leadership and professional development seriously, I love to learn, and I love to teach. I am a graduate of the W&I Senior Manager Readiness Program, the IRS Leading Leaders Readiness Course, and the Federal Executive Board Leadership Government Program. I also have a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Spanish and a master’s degree in Community Counseling. In addition, my excellent communication skills serve me well in delivering training, presentations, and briefings.
Finally, I am proud to be a 32-year Army spouse, a mom to two adult children, and a dedicated member of my community.
I am pleased to provide you with this statement of interest as evidence of my capability and willingness to exceed our director’s goal to “set policy and make decisions in the best interest of the collective organization.” I hope you will elect me to be a member of our National Board of Directors.
Hello, everyone, thank you in advance for your consideration of my statement of interest for the PMA Board of Directors position. As a Senior Diversity and Inclusion Specialist in the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI-HQ), I’m committed to leveraging diversity and inclusion in our workplace as it is critical for our mission, our workforce and our customers. My commitment to you is to represent you by strongly defining and monitoring our organizational performance and the long-range direction of our association. I will also focus on effectively enhancing our diverse leadership across the agency. I began my IRS career over 35 years ago, climbing the IRS career ladder in various positions at the Austin Campus (seasonal clerk, tax examiner, and contact representative). I held full-time leadership positions with NTEU (Chief Steward, Executive VP and President, 1997-2003) which contributed greatly toward building my strong negotiation and diplomacy skills. I served over 14 years as a front-line and department manager in W&I and SBSE; I have in-depth knowledge of management principles and techniques in the IRS culture and am dedicated to the professional development of strong future leaders for our organization. In 2009, I was detailed to HCO for three years; I started and managed the Wounded Warrior Intern Program and assisted with the stand-up of the IRS Veteran Employment Program Office. This experience in recruitment of veterans for the IRS provided strong recruitment skills for encouraging membership in PMA.
In 2013, I joined EDI-HQ as a Special Emphasis Program Manager, collaborating with senior leaders in the agency as well as Treasury and other agencies on diversity and inclusion initiatives. I’ve hosted observance events servicewide as well as providing numerous sensitivity awareness sessions live or via SABA for the LGBTQ Program. I have strong communication (written and verbal), mediation, and facilitation skills. I provide clear guidance and support in my facilitation of LGBTQ transitions in the workplace (working closely with employees, managers andexecutives in different business units) to avoid hostile work environment situations. As a mediator in the ADR Mediation Process, I have resolved numerous formal/informal complaints to avoid/decrease formal EEO cases against IRS. I led a cross-functional team of leaders and developed the Gender Neutral Language Resource Guide for the IRS. I was a contributor to high-level annual reports such as the Treasury One and MD-715 Reports. My experience in EDI has indeed sharpened my knowledge and skills in strategic thinking, public speaking and problem solving.
On a personal note, I’ve been married for over 44 years and am very proud of my two sons and seven grandsons. I enjoy opportunities to make a difference and I constantly encourage IRS leaders to have a voice at the table. I hope I get to use my voice on your behalf as a member of the PMA Board of Directors.
I am a Senior Policy Analyst management official within the International office of the Large Business & International Division (LB&I), where I have worked on various international tax matters impacting individual filers since January 2005.
Prior to joining International, I held various senior manager positions within the IRS, including Territory Manager for Stakeholder Partnerships, Education and Communication (W&I SPEC), Team Leader and Acting Chief of the former Northern California District Office Research and Analysis office (DORA), and Revenue Agent Group Manager. I am a graduate of California State University, Sacramento, and my post of duty is in Fairfield, California.
After becoming aware of the positive work and increased impact the Professional Managers Association (PMA) has on management issues, I joined PMA in January 2004. I then became interested in playing a bigger role in PMA and was elected by our members to the PMA Board of Directors in 2011. In 2012, the PMA Board elected me to serve as the volunteer PMA National Treasurer. It is an important fiscal officer position I’ve faithfully executed, and for which I’ve been honored with the confidence of the PMA Board to be re-elected every two years since.
As a PMA board member, I attend regular and special board meetings prepared for a discussion and ready to make decisions on PMA policies, goals, and operational plans; I participate in various PMA activities (including workshops, virtual conferences, PMA Chapter meetings), and I actively support our PMA strategies and programs.
As the PMA Treasurer, I review, approve, and track our annual budgets; I review and approve al investments, disbursements, and movement of such funds; I ensure that all PMA obligations are handled in a manner authorized by the Board; and I oversee the maintenance of PMA’s investments and accounting system via thorough reviews of PMA’s periodic financial reports.
My main interest in staying involved as a member of the PMA Board of Directors is focused on a desire to continue the growth in PMA’s membership and the expansion of PMA’s relationship with the Service, in particular PMA’s communications and participation in issues affecting managers and management officials.
Considering the Service’s continued restructuring and changes in leadership, PMA discussions with IRS executives at all levels is essential in helping shape the Service’s view of how managers, management officials, and NBU employees will be supported during these transitions.
With your vote to the PMA Board of Directors, I will continue to help PMA grow, advocate on behalf of our interests before the Service, increase its impact on issues affecting managers and management officials, continue its dissemination of information to keep our membership aware and well-informed on issues affecting us, and maintain it financially secure and able to carry out its mission.
