M M.'
*'’0* f*
Page 22 Portland Observer JUNE 22,1989
C
areers With The
Oregon Department
of Transportation
Kevin
Kevin is the first b lack m an a g er in th e h isto ry o f O regon S tate P a rk s a n d R e creatio n . He is th e assis­
tan t p a rk m an ag er fo r the R o o ster Rock D istrict in th e C o lu m b ia R iv er G orge.
Kevin is in ch arg e o f 10 p e rm a n e n t an d 25 seasonal em ployees an d helps m anage o p e ra tio n s fo r 2 “
sta te p a rk s , consisting o f o v er 6,500 a c re s, in M u ltn o m ah . H ood R iver a n d W asco co u n ties.
"B reath tak in g ." K evin says o f the G orge.
His fav o rite spots? Benson S tate P a rk is sto ck ed w ith tro u t. B rid a l Veil. H o rsetail a n d L ato u rell falls
all m ake for a good h ik e, he says. T h e Vista H ouse at C row n P o in t a n d P o rtla n d W om en's F o ru m S tate
P a rk a re scenic la n d m a rk s on th e H istoric C olum bia R iver Highway.
T h e R o o ste r R ock S ta te P a r k d is tric t h as 20 m iles o f h ik in g tr a ils , th re e c a m p g ro u n d s a n d 787
p icn ic sites.
"It's m ore th a n an e ig h t-h o u r jo b ," said P ric e , who began his c a re e r at E m ig ran t S p rin g s S tate P a r k ,
n e a r P e n d le to n . Kevin was th en in ch arg e o f a ju v en ile school w o rk crew . He was la te r p ro m o te d to P a rk
M anager A at C ham p o eg S tate P a r k , in ch arg e o f th e ju v en ile crew from th e M acL a re n Schoo, fo r Boys.
His advice fo r m oving up? "Ask fo r resp o n sib ility , ta k e th e in itiativ e in tre a tin g o th e rs like you w ant
to be tre a te d , an d v o lu n te e r fo r assignm ents th a t let you w o rk w ith people o r budgets," said Kevin.
Dee Jones
Solving people p ro b lem s is not new fo r Dee Jo n e s, recen tly p ro m o te d to th e p o sitio n o f S e n io r Right
of Wav Agent in Salem . Dee a p p ra ise s, negotiates for, a n d a cq u ires p ro p e rty needed for highway c o n stru c tio n .
W hat does she like best ab o u t h e r jo b ? "P ro b lem solving," said D ee, such as e lim in atin g th e ste reo ty p e
o f sta te right of way agents alw ays 0642787199
~
y.
"O ur m ission is to m ake people w hole," she sa id , citing a case th a t a fellow agent w o rk ed on. A Salem
fam ily was being re lo c ated from a ru n -d o w n re n ta l house. T hey w ere e n title d to a re n t su b sid y as p a rt of
th e ir relo catio n b en efits. W orking with the fam ily, th e agent used th e su b sid y to p u rc h a se a m obile hom e.
"T hat fam ily now has a hom e o f th e ir ow n. We can 't alw ays do som ething like th a t, but we can e x p lo re every
fa ir a n d allow able a lte rn a tiv e to m inim ize o r negate o u r im pact on people's lives," Dee said.
Dee's biggest challenge? She will m anage right o f way n eg o tiatio n s on a p ro je c t to m o d ern ize the
O regon C oast Highway from L incoln B each to F o g arty C re ek . T h e p ro je c t will involve a b o u t 100 n eg o tia­
tions an d is expected to have a significant im p act on to u rism a n d econom ic d ev elo p m en t.
In h e r positio n . Dee h a n d le s the m ost d ifficu lt n eg o tiatio n s, keeps p ro je c ts on sch ed u le , assigns w o rk ,
an d fu n ctio n s in a teach in g a n d su p p o rt role fo r o th e r agents.
Joe Flowers
"T hey're asking to conn* to w ork," said Max R uff. D istrict M anager at C h am p o eg S ta te P a r k . He was
talk in g a b o u t th e M acL aren ju v en ile crew a n d the w o rk o f th e ir su p e rv iso r, Jo e Flow ers, a n ew ly -ap p o in t­
ed P a rk M anager A. Flow ers was a Highway Division m ain ten a n ce w o rk e r w ith 0 1 ) 0 T b efo re his
p ro m o tio n . Before th a t, he ra n his own c o n tra c tin g com pany fo r six y e ars.
R uff says Joe's ex cep tio n al ab ility to get people to w ork to g e th e r as a team is tin* key to his success. He
uses th at talen t off the jo b as well. Jo e's ju v en ile crew recen tly took first place in a co n test to raise fu n d s fo r
a b u sed c h ild re n .
"Joe is fair, cre ativ e an d c o n ce rn e d ," said M acL aren School officials, T hey also gave Jo e high m ark s
fo r his positive im pacts on young people as a role m odel.
W hat does Jo e find most satisfying? G iving th e y o u th s on his crew a positive a lte rn a tiv e . T eaching.
Allowing them to m ake re stitu tio n . P u ttin g in a good w ord for those who e a rn it.
Jo e got his shot at the p a rk m an ag er jo b th ro u g h a special O D O T o n -th e -jo b -tra in in g p ro g ram
designed to give em ployees a ch an c e to achieve th e ir full p o te n tia l on a jo b at a h ig h er level. T h e p ro g ra m is
m anaged by th e O D O T Civil Rights Section an d focuses on m inority an d fem ale em ployees.
A Number of Careers
T h e O regon D e p a rtm e n t o f T ra n s p o rta tio n consists of six divisions. T h e largest a re Highway, M otor Vehicles, am , the P a rk s a n d R e cre atio n d iv i­
sions. O th e rs in clu d e the P ublic T ra n s it. A ero n au tics am i C e n tra l Services divisions.
O D O T h ires m an a g e ria l, p ro fessio n al, tec h n ic al, skilled c ra ft, e n try level, an d clerical w o rk ers in a v ariety o f fields. T hey in clu d e e n g in eerin g ,
m o to r vehicle re p re se n ta tiv e s, m a in te n a n c e , e n v iro n m e n ta l, public a ffa irs, p lan n in g , finance a n d a cc o u n tin g , p e rm its, w eig h in asters, heavy e q u ip m en t
o p e ra to rs and m ech an ics, a d m in istra tiv e services a n d hu m an services.
To find out a b o u t em p lo y m en t o p p o rtu n itie s w ith OD O T, w rite to O D O T Civil Rights S ection. 105 tr a n s p o rta tio n B uilding, S alem , OR 97310. o r
cal, 378-8077.
The Oregon Department of Transportation is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
¿is