Longevity Consistency Accuracy Dedication Knowledge
Administration
By: Megan Linnell
President/CEO, Vice-President of Finance, Administrative Assistant to the President/CEO, Bookkeeper and Network Administrator…these are some powerful words! Can you imagine an organization without these titles? They take care of the money, bills, budgets, network, communications, decisions, leadership, direction and much, much more! I can think of one word that sums it all up; RESPONSIBILITY.
Longevity
President/CEO Tom McBride has worked as Residential Manger in the Living Units, Evening Supervisor, Director of Community Relations and has been the President/CEO since 1993. Tom provides leadership and direction for the Vice-Presidents, Department Directors and staff. He reviews and administers the agency’s programs and consults with the Board of Directors in order to establish and maintain the highest quality of service to our clients and their families.
“The staff of this agency, the board members, foundation board members, and volunteers work from their hearts and it so incredibly evident in our program.” - Tom McBride
Tom goes on to say, “All-in-all our department supports on-going programs and monitors trends to what is needed in the state. Each person in this department does their level best to be a part of this well schooled and experienced Integrated System of Care that is Epworth Village.”
Tom is very active in State Legislature. When it is in session his schedule really has to be pretty fluid so he can get to Lincoln in a hurry if he needs to. There is a great deal of legislative type work done in the off-time of sessions as well.
Tom states, “It gets very time consuming when you have a couple of data projects going on at the same time, contract negotiations, preparing with a couple of other agencies some legislation to submit next session, trying to allocate resources to who-needs-what-at-what-time, addressing staffing issues, basically trying to stay two steps ahead of how outside influences will affect us. I don’t get out and about nearly as much as I used to and that is a source of frustration to me.”
What makes Tom want to get up and come to work every day? He simply says, “The people who work here and what they all do so well.”
He goes on to say, “Every day of every year this agency is working to improve the quality of life of people who were desperately missing that. In the past 23 years seeing how wonderfully this program has grown and the reputation it has achieved is phenomenal. I love to see the positive changes in the kids and families but I especially love working with what I firmly believe is the greatest bunch I have ever had the honor of being a part of.”
Consistency
Angie started in August 1997. She started on overnights at Stevens. She did that for about two months and then moved to Mills. She became a shift leader in June 1998. Between the two, she worked in the RTC level of care for four years. Angie then worked at Coleman Tx Group Home for four years before moving into her current position; Administrative Assistant to the President/CEO.
Here are a few of Angie’s job duties; provide direct administrative support for the President/CEO, give presentations to the public about the agency and its mission, complete surveys, questionnaires and other special projects as directed, help maintain the smooth overall function of the agency, coordinate cross-agency compliance with The Joint Commission standards and oversee preparedness for unannounced Joint Commission audits, serve as liaison between all agency committees and the President/CEO, and compile and interpret statistical data critical to the current and future operation of the agency.
Angie adds, “I also serve as an Epworth Village representative on associations that address behavioral health issues in the state and fill in for Tom when he can not attend the association and coalition meetings that he usually goes to. I coordinate licensing inspections too.”
“The staff here is a part of why I like my job. Overall, staff here care about one another and are supportive of each other.” - Angie Walker
A typical day for her varies quite a bit. Angie explains, “Some days I spend time gathering internal data for reports that are used to benchmark how we are doing both internally and compared to other agencies like ours. Other days I attend meetings regarding behavioral health issues. Sometimes I have to research information for Tom. It just depends what’s going on.”
Accuracy
Epworth was blessed to gain Pam Phillippe in 1988 as Business Manager with the title eventually changing to Vice President – Finance. Pam is responsible for the effective and efficient management of the assets and liabilities of the agency in an expedient manner that maintains a favorable cash-flow position. Pam is also responsible for the accurate reporting of the financial status of the agency. Pam expands on these duties by saying, “I spend time on the phone or by email each week with lead agencies or insurance companies or school districts or HHS to ensure that payments are coming in. Each month I have financial statements to prepare. I monitor cash flow, do cash flow analyses, follow up on unpaid claims, make bank transactions, code invoices for payment, do payroll tax calculations and reports, USDA monthly and annual reporting. There are IRS and State of Nebraska documents to deal with. I prepare the annual budget, make preparations for the annual audit, provide an annual NDOE rate calculation and whatever else might require some ‘numbers crunching’. I also have outside civic obligations such as Leadership York Committee, Rotary Club secretary, Chamber Executive Board member and Chamber Ambassador.”
“I know that I am surrounded by family when I get to work each day. It is my Epworth Village family that has been here for me for the past 22 years.”
- Pam Phillippe
Pam would like you to know that there are some pretty amazing and dedicated people in her department. “I would like people to remember to appreciate the support work that goes on behind the scenes in our department. She explains that these are people who take a vested interest in what they are doing each day. “It is not just a paycheck for them, they enjoy what they are doing, they believe in what they are doing and they are good at what they are doing.” Pam believes they do such a great job providing the support in the background therefore the rest of the staff can carry on the important job of working with the kids each day.
Dedication
RaNee Buller came to Epworth Village in 2009 to serve as the Bookkeeper. She is responsible for; accounts receivable, accounts payable, bank reconciliation, assisting in payroll processing, all report maintenance, reviewing vendor invoices for authorization and accuracy, recording vendor invoices and any prepaid checks, paying invoices as directed by the Vice President - Finance, filing invoices, depositing receipts on a daily or as needed basis, recording deposits and updating balances, recording all donor receipts and printing monthly reports for the Vice President - Finance, remitting client billings to the proper funding sources at the end of each month of service, maintaining petty cash fund and issuing receipts for all monies received and paid out, maintaining clients’ personal accounts on a weekly basis, paying out CHIPS funds to cottages on a monthly basis, maintaining the postage meter fund, submitting monthly--total head count sheets received from the cottages and the kitchen to the Vice President - Finance for USDA reimbursement report, maintaining the check register; recording deposits and disbursements from all sources; filing checks, and reconciling bank statements.
“Having a great place to work at everyday and all the friendly people that I work with plus I enjoy my job makes me want to come to work everyday.” - RaNee Buller
“A normal day, if there is such a thing, would be paying bills, doing billings for different services for the clients, accounts receivables, checking weekly ledgers from the group homes, and whatever else gets asked of me. Everyday is always different so really there are no ‘normal’ days.” says RaNee when asked what a ‘normal’ day in her department looks like.
Knowledge
Mary Schaf has been with Epworth Village since 2007. Mary is Epworth’s Network Administrator. This title comes with a lot of responsibility and knowledge. Solely, Mary takes care of all communications within the Network.
Did you know that we have two domains with one at Central and the other at EVLC? Our Group Homes and IHSS office are called Satellite locations and are connected to us. In total, there are nine separate networks within Epworth Village. In addition to that, we have a total of 142 computers/laptops that are connected to the network and accessing data/email/printers at any given moment.
It is the responsibility of the IT Department to keep the data/phone communication flowing between all the networks. If something goes wrong or off-line, it is the IT Department that gets it going again.
“I could not do my job without the help of the Maintenance department for wiring/phone connectivity issues, their general knowledge and advice on how things are set up, and their willingness to carry and move things around for me.” said Mary.
Mary says that each day is different as she receives calls that could include asking for her help on matters concerning printers, computers, applications, phones or frantic calls when things are going wrong. What she has planned for the week and what actually gets done are two different things. Needless to say, Mary stays very flexible.
When asked “What makes you want to get up and come to work each day?” Mary answered, “I really love my job!! I know I say that a lot but it’s true. I gain a lot of satisfaction knowing that I’m responsible for the Network and that I’m capable in my duties to keep everything going. I am also truly humbled by the people that work here. I have never met a more caring and encouraging group of people.”
“When I’m working, I feel that I’m surrounded by family … A very kind and good family.” – Mary Schaf
Longevity Consistency Accuracy Dedication Knowledge