October 5, 2007
SPA’s Roger W. Jones Award goes to Musumeci, Potter
From left: Robert Tobias, director, SPA’s Key Executive Leadership Programs; John Potter, CEO and postmaster general, U.S. Postal Service; Mark Everson, president and CEO, American Red Cross; William LeoGrande, dean, SPA; MaryAnn Musumeci, director, James J. Peters VA Medical Center—Bronx (Photo by Bill Petros)
A distinctly Bronx flavor permeated the Abramson Family Recital Hall stage Thursday night during the Roger W. Jones Award for Executive Leadership event at the Katzen Arts Center.
The award, which recognizes public servants in the federal government whose careers are marked by extraordinary effectiveness, went to New Yorkers from the venerable borough, and each acknowledged their roots while accepting the award on behalf of the men and women who work for and with them.
MaryAnn Musumeci has worked at the James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center—Bronx for 36 years, the last 13 as director. A nurse by trade, she runs a facility that sees 21,000 patients a year and has a staff of 2,000—86 percent of whom are women or minorities.
“You can take the boy or girl out of the Bronx, but you can’t take the Bronx out of the boy or girl,” she said. “The Bronx VA is the melting pot of New York City. Once you’ve worked or lived in the home of hip hop, salsa, and the New York Yankees, where you can find the best Chinese takeout in the world, you’re blessed to see what America will soon look like. I feel the VA family is extended. The United States’ veterans that we [care for] are part of our family. I’m so proud to work in the VA—even though they don’t pay enough money.”
After the laughter died down, the evening’s other honoree, U.S. Postmaster General John “Jack” Potter, accepted his award.
“I am up here not because of me, but because of the postal team 700,000 strong,” he said. “It’s our carriers that are the face of the postal service. I am a cheerleader for all 700,000 of them. We’re proud of the fact that we’re the most trusted entity in the federal government. Our customers come first. We do it as a team, from top to bottom.”
The night’s keynote speaker, Mark Everson, is the new president and CEO of the American Red Cross. He’s had a long and distinguished career in civil service, including a stint as director of the Internal Revenue Service.
“I told my teen-age daughter that I was going to run the Red Cross and she said, ‘Now people will like you.’” Everson said. “It has been a change.”
On the Jones Award’s 30th anniversary, Everson recalled the first winner, Norman A. Carlson. Director of the Bureau of Prisons when he was recognized by the then School of Government and Public Affairs in 1978, Carlson was somewhat of a mentor to a young Everson.
“He was and does remain my model for a federal executive,” Everson said. “He had a passion for the mission. Norm embodied all the qualities of an effective leader. He had absolute integrity and total independence. He always did the right thing without regard to the political process. He was tough when he needed to be, but absolutely supported his people when they got into a jam.”
In Musumeci and Potter, Everson sees many of the same qualities.
“MaryAnn, there is no better definition of service than to be a nurse, both in the technical care they provide and in the comfort they provide,” he said. “I admire what you’ve done with your life.
“I’ve gotten to know Jack recently,” Everson said. “He is a dogged, effective executive. You do not wrestle one of the biggest bureaucracies to the ground without being a dogged, effective leader.”
