Black Belt
Cohort #76: Pacific Peak
June has been a busy month, and as we move full swing into summer, I want to congratulate June’s Cohort #76: Pacific Peak! If you are looking for a group […]
June has been a busy month, and as we move full swing into summer, I want to congratulate June’s Cohort #76: Pacific Peak! If you are looking for a group of people to bring great energy and vibes to the city, this is your team. They kicked off training with laughter and clapping to show their love and excitement for the work they do, and support for the Peak Academy.
Cohort #76 is not only made of passionate City and County of Denver employees, but five individuals joined us from around the country to gain new tools and learn about the commitment to innovation in the City of Denver.
They represented the following agencies and cities:
- Clerk & Recorder
- Community Planning & Development
- Denver Human Services
- Denver International Airport
- Department of Finance
- Office of Economic Development
- Technology Services
- Public Works
- San Jose, California
- Seattle, Washington
- Durham County, North Carolina
On the second day of training we were lucky to attend three unique Gemba Walks:
• The Office of Human Resources “Post to Fill Process”- where the spirit of continuous improvement is deeply engrained.
• Department of Finance Budget Management Office “Budget Process”- it is the height of budget season and BMO had our group of Black Belts join and provide analysis and outside eyes.
• Denver Office of Children’s Affairs “Healthy Meals Program”- we visited Harvey Park Recreation Center where the staff were excited to have Black Belts look at the process knowing that the program is growing. The Harvey Park team shared, “We are taking away the stigma from seeking a summer meal! It feels really good to be able to feed kids that are hungry”
By day two, the cohort was were consulting on each other’s innovations, by day three our friends from South Carolina had explored Denver’s great attractions and joined CCD employees in some kickball, and by day four Black Belt Dominic Diaz had taken up the challenge to submit and implement an innovation by the following week! He did just that and received his Black Belt at our Continuing Peak Education. Be on the lookout, Cohort #76 is going to do great things!
Innovate. Elevate. Repeat.
patricepeakacademy
Patrice Hawkins is a Process Improvement Specialist for the City and County of Denver with the Peak Academy. Before joining Peak in 2013, Patrice started her career with the city as a Supervisor with Denver Human Services, and became Manager of the Customer Service Team, supporting intake processes for food assistance, Medicaid, and critical risk teams. During her first two years with the Peak team, Patrice worked closely with her colleagues facilitating process improvement events and trainings with the Office of Economic Development, Denver Public Library, and Denver Parks and Recreation. Patrice rejoined the Peak Academy in early 2018 after completing her Masters in Social Work at New York University, where she specialized in policy, advocacy, and juvenile justice. She works to improve the daily experience for customers and city employees, and loves seeing the diversity of people, talent, and innovation in our city. Patrice grew up in Des Moines, Iowa and currently lives in Denver where she enjoys running, thrifting, and drinking too much coffee.
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