Axiom Helps Wounded Service Members Return to Axiom Helps

A publication for
Axiom’s employees
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Axiom
Helps
Wounded
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Members
Return to
Work
Inside Th is Iss ue
8 ........Winning
8 ........Maj. Gen. Granger at Axiom
9 ........Confidential
10 ....Mt. Vernon Fun Fair
10 ....2006 All Stars
11.....Rebuilding Together
12 ....Contract Wins
12 ....Poetry Contest
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2 .......Employee Focus: Vickie Laperle
2 .......Axiom Named Industry Leader
3 ........Kevin Riley on Leadership
4 ........Axiom Promotes Five
4 ........Axiom Targets Level 3 CMMI
4 ........Osoba: Honorary All Star
5 ........ART for Health's Sake
6 ........Axiom Helps Soldiers
Kevin Riley
on Leadership
WINTER 2007
Employee Focus
By Laurie Conly
Vickie Laperle
Hard-working, organized, and no-nonsense by day, Axiom All Star
Vickie Laperle does have a light side. Vickie is the senior executive
assistant to Jean Storck, who handles the Health Plan Operations
Directorate and the Personnel Procurement and TRICARE
Management Activity (TMA) Operations Directorate in the Office
of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs (OASD/HA).
To keep Ms. Storck organized and on track with her two jobs, this
Axiom All Star is on the go all day.
“She’s a very busy SES (senior executive service), which makes me
very busy,” Vickie said. “I love working with her. I dread the day she’ll
retire.”
But when Vickie does get a chance to kick back and relax, she likes
to work in her flower gardens, play bingo, and gamble (slots only).
Last spring, she and her husband bought a Class A recreational
vehicle (RV) that sleeps six. They brought their dog, Mosey, and two
of their children—Laura, 18, and Michael, 19—on a trip that took them
to Alabama to visit Vickie’s mom and then to beaches in Florida and
North Carolina.
“That was the most fun,” Vickie said. “Next year we’re going for two
weeks to the Grand Canyon, just the two of us,” she said of Brian,
her husband of 23 years.
That is because they’ll have two graduations this year. Michael will
graduate from Advanced Technology Institute in Virginia Beach
where he’s studying to become an auto mechanic. “He is happy and
doing well. He loves it, and we are very proud of him,” Vickie said.
Laura will finish high school and head off to college. An ace student and a senior with a 4.08 grade point average (GPA), Laura
was named a Top Hawk at her high school (the hawk is the school
mascot). She is one of the top 50 students and has the highest GPA
in her class of 460. Laura’s dream is to become a neurosurgeon.
In preparation, she is taking the most challenging classes offered
in her high school, such as Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry
and English. She is also working as an intern at Mary Washington
Hospital on the pediatric floor. Her next rotation will be in the operating room, which she is very excited about.
Vickie and Brian’s elder daughter, Kristina, 22, was recently promoted
to office manager at an urgent care clinic in the area. “She is a very
dedicated and hard worker. Her dad and I are proud of her accomplishment,” Vickie said.
Brian, who works for Honeywell in heating, ventilation, and air
conditioning (HVAC), likes to rebuild old Jeeps as a hobby. His current project is restoring a 1942 Army Jeep that he plans to drive in
parades. He and Michael fixed up the Jeep Cherokee that Michael
drives now.
Brian and Vickie still like to spend time together going to the movies,
eating out, visiting flea markets, or traveling. They also love to entertain friends at home. Both are big Redskins fans.
Vickie gets her exercise walking a mile four times a week with a
neighbor. And her best day playing the slots? She won somewhere
between $300 and $400 in eight hours. She and Brian are “big
Nascar fans,” Vickie said. They’ve been to several races and even
have their favorite drivers: Vickie’s is Bobby Labonte and Brian’s is
Mark Martin.
Vickie has managed, in addition to her busy job, to add five new
contracts to Axiom’s total in the four years she’s worked for the
company. Her most recent win was a contract in the Office of the
TMA Chief Financial Officer that included six technical and administrative assistants. “I have the best admin staff working this contract,”
Vickie said. “They make my job very easy because of their hard work
and dedication to satisfying the client’s requirements.” Before joining
Axiom, she worked in the DoD contracting environment.
Vickie is a native Virginian, born at Alexandria Hospital. Except for
four years living in Ocean City, Maryland, she’s lived her whole life in
Virginia. Her brothers, Phil and Alan, don’t live nearby, but she sees
her sister Carol often. “We are very close—like best friends,” Vickie
said of her sister.
Brian also has family members who live in the area, so they are able
to get together several times throughout the year and on holidays.
Her dream vacation is to go to Hawaii or the Caribbean. “Maybe my
husband and I can do that in a couple of years,” she mused, “when
we celebrate our 25th anniversary.”
Industry Leader
By Frank Cumberland
Two Publications List Axiom Among Industry Leaders
Two industry publications,
Healthcare Informatics and
Federal Computer Week, have
noted Axiom’s climb to the top
tier of American business.
2
Healthcare Informatics recognized Axiom as one of
America’s top 100 companies
by revenue in the field of
healthcare information and
technology. The selection was
announced last June. Axiom
placed 78th on the list of leading national health information
technology (IT) firms.
Federal Computer Week
named Axiom one of the top
74 systems integrators supporting the federal government.
Axiom came in at 68th on this
prestigious list of IT leaders,
which was published in the
magazine’s September 4, 2006,
issue.
Axiom’s three partners, Ben
Hankins, Doug Peardon, and
Kevin Riley, expressed their
satisfaction with Axiom’s recognition. Doug Peardon said,
“Last year Axiom celebrated
our tenth anniversary. It is
wonderful to see the work
of so many wonderful Axiom
people translate into national
recognition for our company.
Healthcare Informatics and
Federal Computer Week are
reporting what our clients have
understood for years—Axiom
support is the best support in
the consulting industry.”
Kevin Riley added, “This recognition is a great way to
commemorate our first decade.
It is an inspiration as we begin
our next ten years of industry
leadership.”
WINTER 2007
View from the Top
By Frank Cumberland
Leadership Close-up with Kevin Riley
Axiom is committed to strong
communications across the
organization. We hold All
Hands meetings, publish the
Axiom Standard, and share
information through e-mailed
HR Updates and AxiomPoints.
Weekly operations meetings
provide the latest information
to everyone in the company
through our technical managers.
Still, we want to improve, so
we established this Leadership
Close-up column—to share
more and better information
about Axiom’s future with the
people who make Axiom run.
The Standard interviewed
Axiom partner Kevin Riley [chief
financial officer] recently in his
Falls Church office about our
company, our future, and his
perspective on leadership.
Axiom Standard: Can you tell
readers a little about your business background?
Riley: I’ve founded seven federal government contracting
firms during the last 30 years.
All went on to establish themselves as profitable, long-lived
organizations. I try to apply all
the lessons I learned over the
years to my role at Axiom.
Axiom Standard: How is the
Axiom enterprise structured?
Riley: Axiom is a private enterprise, owned in three equal
shares by me and my partners, Ben Hankins and Doug
Peardon. Although our titles
reflect specific roles—chief
financial officer in my case—in
reality, the three of us work in
one another’s areas quite well.
Axiom Standard: Where do you
see Axiom in the next five to
ten years?
Riley: First of all, I would say
that our basic business model
is founded on established business practices. We provide
great support for clients, and
the government’s need for
program management support in the years ahead looks
strong. Everything we do at
Axiom happens in accordance
with the planning that we have
been doing these past years.
I break a business down into
three core functions: operations, finance, and marketing.
Here again, our fundamentals
are strong, but we must be
extremely, extremely vigilant
as our company goes forward.
We must continue to focus our
operations squarely on meeting the mission of our clients.
Goodness knows, our clients
have a lot of things coming at
them—increasing responsibilities and declining resources, in
most cases. In the financial
area, we must become more
efficient every day—and that
means watching costs, being
competitive on the cost side of
our proposals, and keeping our
overhead expenses down. In
the marketing area, we’ve got
to be better, faster, and smarter
than the competition—especially in forming new, flexible
teams to bid on emerging
opportunities.
Axiom Standard: Do you see
any threats on the horizon?
Riley: Definitely. Businesses that
don’t assess threats go out of
business. And the threat assessment has got to be brutally
honest, never based on easy
assumptions. We look at both
internal and external threats.
Let me give you a couple of
examples.
We plan for contingencies
involving weather, loss of utilities or work space, even such
grim scenarios as a terrorist
attack. Naturally, we keep a
close eye on the competition
and trends in the marketplace.
We pay special attention to the
things that allow us to hire and
retain the best professionals in
the business, such as keeping
health premiums low for everyone at Axiom.
If you look at government contractors that fail, it is amazing
how often a scandal, ethical
breach, or misconduct is part
of the picture. Our clients have
an enormous responsibility to
serve the people of the United
States. I believe it is essential
that our personal and pro-
fessional conduct be of the
absolute highest standards. Our
clients have put their trust in us.
We must never lose their trust.
Axiom Standard: What advice
do you have for someone who
joined Axiom in the last year?
Riley: Have fun at your job
and support the heck out of
your client! Learn the ropes of
federal consulting—it’s a fascinating market and is key to
the safety and security of our
country. Learn more about the
ultimate mission your client supports—in other
words, if you are doing
administrative support for a client in the
TRICARE business, find
a way to visit a couple
of military hospitals
and clinics to learn
how they function.
It will improve your
ability to support the
client’s overall vision.
Finally, I’d advise our
new employees to
learn about the depth
and breadth of opportunities that Axiom
offers. As we grow,
doors open for our
people.
Axiom Standard: And
advice for our leaders
across the company?
Riley: Three things come to
mind: First, set the highest
standards for your people and
then exceed those standards
yourself.
Second, remember that Axiom
has enjoyed several years of
rapid growth and that the
secret to our success has been
strong, reliable leaders who
support our clients and take
great care of their teams at the
same time.
Third, strive for balance in your
personal and professional life.
Read widely. Keep your eyes
open for new possibilities—in
your own development and in
new business opportunities for
Axiom.
Helping leaders get the job done.
"...set the highest
standards for
your people and
then exceed
those standards
yourself. "
3
5
WINTER 2007
Axiom Promotes
Axiom has promoted a talented
group of managers to the executive ranks. The members of
this diverse group share three
essential characteristics: they
provide tremendous support
for clients, they are dedicated
to their Axiom teammates, and
they are leaders in pursuing
Axiom’s business goals. Axiom
wishes our new executives all
the best as they step into their
new leadership roles.
Derek Shields was promoted
to vice president for disability
management and quality-of-life
initiatives.
Charles Armstead was promoted to vice president for
health care management and
policy.
Janet Brown was promoted
to assistant vice president. She
will focus on supporting the
TRICARE Management Activity
(TMA) Office of the Chief
Medical Officer, Military Health
System (MHS) patient safety
initiatives and Axiom business
development opportunities.
Heather Ward
Doug Anderson
Heather Ward was promoted
to assistant vice president. She
will lead our client support and
business development efforts in
the overall TRICARE operations
arena.
Charles Armstead
Doug Anderson was promoted to assistant vice president.
He will focus on supporting our
Clinical Information Technology
Program Office (CITPO) clients
and on seeking new opportunities in the Department of
Defense MHS Small Business
Unit.
Derek Shields
Janet Brown
AXIOM Targets CMMI
Level 3 in 2007
®
By Kathleen A.K. Mullen
Axiom’s Keymind Division
is making the transition to
the Software Engineering
Institute’s newest model,
Capability Maturity Model
Integration (CMMI) and is working to achieve Level 3 of this
model. Keymind was assessed
at Level 2 against the older
(now retired) model Capability
Maturity Model (CMM) on
October 14, 2005.
4
Among the considerable differences between CMMI and
CMM is that CMMI permits two
representations: continuous
or staged. The staged representation is most similar to
the CMM in that it provides
a predefined sequence of
improvements that allows an
organization to compare itself
with others, using maturity
levels. The continuous representation allows for selection
of improvement areas (process
areas) that are most important to an organization, given
the organization’s business
objectives. Continuous representation allows comparison of
improvements by process area
rather than by maturity levels in
the achievement of capability.
If an organization also wants
a maturity level rating, the
appraisal can use equivalent
staging to translate the results
into maturity levels. Axiom has
decided to use the staged representation because a maturity
level is an important indicator of where the organization
stands compared with the
industry and because Axiom
has found it helpful to have a
predefined path for accomplishing process improvement
using the goals for particular
maturity levels.
for Levels 2 and 3 of the CMMI.
The CMMI model has two
new process areas at Level 2
that Keymind has to address:
1) Measurement and Analysis
and 2) Supplier Agreement
Management. There are 11 process areas at Level 3. Because
Keymind built its processes to
be at the organizational level
and because they laid the
foundation for Level 3 while
working toward Level 2, the
gaps identified so far have
been reasonable and will not
take much time to address.
With help from the Fraunhofer
Center for Experimental
Software Engineering (CESE),
Keymind has almost completed
a gap analysis between Level
2 CMM and Levels 2 and 3 of
the CMMI. While performing
the gap analysis, the process
improvement team (Kathleen
Mullen and Lindsey Swanson
of Keymind and Michele Shaw
of CESE) has commented on or
made suggested changes to
what are termed process assets
(e.g., process and procedures
documentation and templates)
affiliated with each process
area. There are 18 process areas
According to Axiom’s Process
Improvement Action Plan
and Schedule, Keymind is
targeting March/April of
2007 for a Standard CMMI
Appraisal Method for Process
Improvement (SCAMPI) Class B
assessment. The SCAMPI B evaluates several projects against
the model and performs a gap
analysis. No rating is given. If
all goes well in the SCAMPI B
evaluation, Keymind plans to
have a SCAMPI A evaluation in
mid-summer 2007. A successful
SCAMPI A will result in a rating.
"Keymind is targeting
October of this year
for a Standard CMMI
App raisal Met hod for
Process Improvement"
The Software Engineering
Institute developed the CMMI
to help software development organizations improve
and make their processes more
mature. It consists of five levels—Level 5 being the most
mature and Level 1 the least:
5. Optimizing
4. Quantitative Managed
3. Defined
2. Managed
1. Performed
As an organization progresses
to the next level, it takes on a
series of process tools, methodologies, and policies that will
help it stabilize and control its
processes. On average it takes
18 to 24 months to progress
from one level to the next.
WINTER 2007
Tom
Osoba
Honorary Axiom All Star
By Bruce Harma
When Tom Osoba, director
of the Contract Operations
Division at TRICARE
Management Activity in
Aurora, retired after 30
years of government service,
Axiom’s Bruce Harma decided
to honor this client for his
strong influence in directing the organization. At the
retirement ceremony, Tom
received not only a Defense
Meritorious Civilian Service
Medal from Brigadier General
Elder Granger (Now a Major
General), TMA deputy director,
and a TMA plaque and retirement certificate from Brian
Rubin, deputy chief of TRICARE
Acquisition Directorate, he also
received an Axiom commemorative coin from Bruce.
Following are Bruce’s remarks:
Thank you, General Granger
and Mr. Rubin for this opportunity to present a retirement
award to Tom on behalf of
Axiom Resource Management.
To Jeralyn [Tom’s wife]: It is
always a pleasure seeing you,
especially on this very special
occasion.
To Mr. and Mrs. Osoba [Tom’s
parents]: Welcome. We needed
this Chicago weather, so thank
you for taking it out here with
you. I guess you can tell your
son Tom has made quite a lasting and favorable impression
on all of us. You must be very
proud.
I have had the distinct privilege to know and work with
Tom for quite some time, first
as my boss when he became
the director of Contract
Operations, then later, as a
client. No matter the circumstance of our official reporting
relationship, one thing was
always very clear. This man is
a leader. He understands the
TRICARE program like no other.
He is widely respected and
carried a reputation for getting tough jobs done. He is also
a thinker, who, as one would
expect, left behind a mountain
of achievements here at TMA.
Your excellence and compassion will truly be missed.
Tom, you have always been
admired by Team Axiom.
Employees of Axiom are prideful in coveting the recognition
of an Axiom All Star Award.
Tom, many of those
who served you
over the years are
recipients of this
very special Axiom
recognition….You
certainly are owed
some credit for
motivating and
inspiring the
best in people.
On behalf of all our employees,
from this day forward, you too
are an All Star. Please accept
Axiom’s first ever “Honorary”
All Star Award. The inscription
reads: Thank you for all you
have done to lead us, inspire us,
and make us part of your valued team.
Tom, I do have one other thing
I would like you to have. By
the way, I am going to share
a secret. Tom threw away all
of his commemorative coins
when he cleaned his office.
Tom I am giving you this. Do
not throw it away. This is a ball
marker. You are to use it on a
golf course. Yes, going to the
golf course often is how you
must transition from “Tom the
Briefer” to “Parker’s Polish Prince
of Putting.”
Of course, it must
be big, because you are getting
old, and your eyesight is going.
Because you threw all your
other ones away, this single
Axiom commemorative coin
represents the very best one
you own. Remember that. If I
ever find this in the trash, you
are in big trouble! Here ya go!
Happy Retirement.
"Thank you for all
you have done to
lead us, inspire us,
and make us part of
your valued team."
– Axiom's Bruce Harma
ART for Health’s Sake
By Shannon Taylor
Put together Axiom health care program specialists, a Keymind
Division project manager, information architect, interface designer,
programmers, network engineers, and a security officer, and what
do they come up with? ART—the Assistance Reporting Tool.
This state-of-the-art, Web-based tracking and reporting system
improves case management for TRICARE Management Activity’s
(TMA’s) Communication & Customer Service (C&CS) Directorate. It’s
an easy-to-use, secure Web application that allows users to capture beneficiary queries and prioritize, sort, and track their current
caseload. The application also generates reports on all the key information captured. When users need help resolving a case, they can
securely share case information with other users in the community.
The tool, now used by the Customer Communications Division’s
Beneficiary Counseling and Assistance Coordinators (BCACs), Debt
Collection Assistance Officers (DCAOs), and other customer service
staff, ensures the privacy of beneficiaries’ personal information and
consolidates beneficiary case collection and customer service feedback for all customer service touch points worldwide.
TMA can use the ART tool to track trends and issues, which will help
them tailor their marketing and education efforts. ART was initially
deployed worldwide in 2004 and now supports more than 700
users with more than 106,000 cases. Today, TMA contract partners
and claims adjudicators are using ART as well. The addition of these
audiences to the system speeds up beneficiary claims processing
and allows all military treatment facilities (MTFs), regional representatives, and TMA users to refer cases with security guaranteed.
Keymind staff made sure the application met the Department of
Defense’s (DoD’s) security standards set in the DoD Information
Technology Security Certification and Accreditation Process
(DITSCAP), the requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act (HIPAA), and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation
Act, which requires that electronic and information technology be
accessible to individuals with disabilities.
The site was built using Oracle 9i and Microsoft ASP.NET technologies. Because of the volume of data and the number of users
worldwide, a main goal was to ensure that the application was
clean and easy to use. Keymind accomplished this by using clear navigation and color cues throughout the system as well as conducting
usability sessions with BCACs and DCAOs prior to launch. Keymind
built a training site to accompany the main site, allowing users to get
comfortable with the system without compromising the data on the
live site.
Keymind was also responsible for setting up the government servers
for development and staging environments. The team completed
security lockdowns for the operating system and the application
and documented the system before ushering it onto the government network.
Helping leaders get the job done.
5
WINTER 2007
Cover Story
By Derek Shields
Axiom Helps Wounded Service
In the early days of Operation Iraqi Freedom, coalition military
forces, during their lightning-fast advance from Kuwait to Baghdad,
became accustomed to ambushes by retreating Iraqi forces. Gunfire,
mortars, and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) were the most common threats.
From the beginning of March through the end of May 2003, 176
American military personnel died in combat. Another 597 were
wounded.
After the fall of Baghdad, insurgents avoided direct confrontations
with the better equipped, better trained U.S.-led coalition forces.
Instead, Iraqi insurgents and their non-Iraqi allies targeted support units and supply convoys. According to one source, roadside
improvised explosive devices (IEDs), RPGs, and car bombs accounted
for nearly 70 percent of the injuries inflicted from the summer of
2003 through the summer of 2005. During that time, nearly 13,500
American service members were wounded.
These wounded service members, some with multiple injuries, are
the result of a new kind of warfare. Many soldiers have suffered
wounds that would have been fatal in earlier combat situations but
CAP has long been the federal government’s largest provider of
accommodation services to federal employees with disabilities. The
CAP team provides individualized needs assessments and identifies
appropriate assistive technologies to allow individuals access to the
information environment and federal employment opportunities.
Axiom’s experts in reasonable accommodations help procure and
deliver these technologies. They then train government personnel in
managing their agency’s accommodations program effectively and
help them implement measures to expand employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
Through the CAP Wounded Service Member (WSM) Initiative, service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with injuries that
have caused vision or hearing loss, dexterity impairments, amputations, and communication and cognitive difficulties are able to
access these CAP resources. CAP Director Dinah Cohen says this initiative was created because, “We owe it to everyone who’s worn a
uniform and comes back wounded to do what we can to make sure
each has the highest possible quality of life.” To make this happen,
Ms. Cohen worked with her CAP staff and Axiom personnel to create three significant offerings.
Recovery and rehabilitation. CAP works closely with key staff
at medical treatment facilities (MTFs) to provide information and
assistive technology to wounded service members and their families. CAP introduces the assistive technology to service members
and provides individual accommodations to augment treatment
outcomes for wounded service members during their medical treatment and rehabilitation.
Transition. CAP forms partnerships with housing, education
facilities, and therapy departments throughout the Military Health
System to ensure access to computer and telecommunication systems. Wounded service members are thus able to send e-mail and
communicate with friends and family members, receive training on
assistive technology, and learn new information technology–related
skills.
they were
saved by helmets, body armor, advances in battlefield medicine, and
swift evacuation to a hospital. As a result, the survival rate among
American service members injured in Iraq and Afghanistan is higher
than in any previous war. This means that more service members
are coming home with grave injuries that will transform their lives:
damaged brains and spinal cords, lost vision and hearing, disfigured
faces, amputated limbs, and psychological problems, such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. The price of surviving the
wounds of battle can be measured in the months and sometimes
years that America’s soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen will spend
in rehabilitation and physical therapy.
6
With the steady return of large numbers of wounded service members, the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Armed Forces have
developed support programs to help severely injured personnel and
their families through recovery and transition. The DoD’s Computer/
Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP), with the support of
Axiom personnel, complements these programs by providing needs
assessments, assistive technology, and training to service members
throughout all phases of their rehabilitation.
Reemployment and vocational pursuits. CAP works with
federal internship coordinators and other federal agencies to help
reemploy all interested wounded service members. Whether the
service member stays on active duty, moves to civilian employment in a federal agency, decides on private sector employment, or
pursues other vocational goals, CAP is available to provide the necessary services and equipment.
To increase awareness of the initiative, CAP staff provided training
and executive briefings at several major MTFs, including Walter Reed
Army Medical Center, Brooke Army Medical Center, National Naval
Medical Center–Bethesda, and Naval Medical Center–San Diego.
Since the initiative’s inception in January 2004, it has provided more
than 1,000 pieces of assistive technology to improve the quality of
life of more than 320 service members at more than 20 MTFs and
military installations. In addition to providing support for individuals,
CAP also hosts events to inform military leaders and federal agency
managers of the wide range of employment services available to
those wounded in combat.
Last August, CAP and the TRICARE Management Activity (TMA),
hosted “From Deployment to Employment: A Training Forum
on Services and Employment of Wounded Service Members” in
Bethesda, MD. The overarching goal of the forum was to improve
the recovery, rehabilitation, and transition of wounded service
members by increasing collaboration and cooperation among
DoD agencies, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the
Department of Labor. By creating a forum for open dialogue among
these agencies and programs, attendees were able to share infor-
WINTER 2007
e Members Return to Work
mation and receive training on the services available to wounded
service members and their families.
The conference featured a keynote address by the Honorable
Dr. William Winkenwerder, Jr., M.D., M.B.A., Assistant Secretary of
Defense (Health Affairs), followed by a special general session panel
discussion moderated by Major General Elder Granger, Deputy
Director, TMA. The panel discussion highlighted the thoughts and
experiences of three wounded service members, and attendees
had the opportunity to ask questions and interact with the panel.
Attendees were honored with a luncheon speech by Colonel Fred V.
Cherry, USAF (Retired), president of Axiom’s CESSI Division. Breakout
sessions included workshops on traumatic brain injury, military support programs, VA benefits and services, vocational services, and
the CAP WSM Initiative. The CAP office was recognized for its role
in presenting the right content, offering quality speakers, and organizing the appropriate attendees to discuss direct care issues and
systemic challenges. Overall, it was a motivating, encouraging day,
according to attendees. CAP is developing an action plan that clearly
states recommendations and requirements for improvement in the
care of wounded service members.
CAP continues to pledge its commitment to support and improve
the quality of life of injured service members throughout all phases
of their recovery. The CAP program, in partnership with the worldclass MHS healthcare services, is helping service members move
beyond their injuries to find new opportunities in work and in life.
Axiom has other contracts that provide related support services. At
Walter Reed, we provide Microsoft certification training to service
members on medical hold. This program began in September 2006
and is about to graduate its first class. The goal is to provide new
skills to wounded warriors so they will be qualified for rewarding
employment positions when they return home.
The CESSI Division of Axiom supports the Department of Labor’s
Employer Assistance and Recruiting Network, better known as
EARN. A program of the Office on Disability Employment Policy
(ODEP), EARN works with the Labor Department’s Veterans
Employment and Training Service (VETS) to ensure hiring opportunities for veterans.
From helping service members rehabilitate and learn new methods
for interacting with computers and telecommunication systems, to
helping them with family and transition issues, Axiom is committed
to supporting wounded service members.
7
Helping leaders get the job done.
WINTER 2007
Your Company…Your Competition…Your Career…
By Dave Maurer
These are a few of the section
headings in what I consider to
be one of the great business
books in recent memory—
Winning, by Jack Welch.
As the advertising for the
books states, “Jack Welch
knows how to win. During
his 40-year career at General
Electric, he led the company to
year-after-year success around
the globe, in multiple markets,
against brutal competition.
His honest, be-the-best style
of management became the
gold standard in business, with
his relentless focus on people,
teamwork, and profits.”
I saw the author interviewed
on TV one evening (must not
have been baseball season)
and was drawn by his simple
approach to managing things
and leading people. In a nutshell it is: Understand your
mission, be sure you are supporting your values, lead from
the front, be honest, be candid,
hire and retain only the best,
and think strategically.
Sounds simple and reasonable,
but as they said in A League
of Their Own, if it were easy,
everyone would do it. It’s not
easy. Most of us know how
hard it is to act on all those
ideals as we try to make good
things happen in any of our
large client environments. We
are players in a game where
the rules seem to change without warning and the refs seem
to be looking the other way.
We get frustrated, cynical, and
down. But there is hope. We
are not alone. Plenty of our
clients feel the same way. They,
too, are frustrated. We can do
better. They can do better.
Welch devotes much of his
book to what he calls the “real
stuff of work.” My favorite section is “Your Company.” In it, he
takes the reader through the
key aspects of working successfully in corporate America.
He goes into detail on hiring,
managing people, terminating
people, managing change, and
handling crises. But he begins
the section with a discussion on
leadership. He offers his eight
rules, defining what leaders
do and what makes successful
leaders rarer than we would
like.
• Leaders relentlessly upgrade
their team, using every encounter to evaluate, coach, and
build self-confidence.
• Leaders make sure people
not only see the vision, they
live and breathe it.
• Leaders get into everyone’s
skin, exuding positive energy
and optimism.
• Leaders establish trust with
candor, transparency, and credit.
• Leaders have the courage to
make unpopular decisions and
gut calls.
• Leaders probe and push
with a curiosity that borders on
skepticism, making sure their
questions are answered with
action.
• Leaders inspire risk taking
and learning by setting the
example.
•
Leaders celebrate.
The solid leader knows what it
takes to lead a small team or a
large organization. Jack Welch
applied what he knew would
work in the long term and
was monumentally successful.
Others around us have done
the same and are finding some
level of success.
But some people just don’t get
it. They lead through fear or
intimidation. They fail to delegate or assume risk. They are
reluctant to recognize others’
achievements or the outcome
of good teamwork. They drain
rather than inspire. They criticize rather than energize, and
they brood alone rather than
engage their people to find
solutions and win–win opportunities. It can be frustrating to
watch and downright frightening to be consumed by it.
So what can we do as individuals? One, read this leadership
book (or one of several hundred others on the market).
Take away something you
didn’t know before, apply it to
your professional life, and see
what happens. Two, look at
those who report directly to
you. Are they supported, recognized, and inspired by you
and your leadership style? If
not, why not? Take some time
to read on the subject, apply
a new approach, and test the
results.
We should all grow as professionals, as managers, and as
leaders. The rewards are substantial. Whether it’s in profits,
more satisfied workers, larger
market shares, higher efficiency,
or a high-performance team,
everyone can win. Think of the
very best leaders in your lives
and do what they did. Think of
the absolute worst and avoid
their mistakes.
If you are a leader, identify
your style and be critical. How
can you improve? If you aspire
to be a leader, define the kind
of leader you want to be. List
those traits that inspire you
and take an inventory of your
own skills. Be ready when the
opportunity comes. There are
few greater privileges than
leading others in a common
cause. It’s not easy, but there
is help and there are plenty of
good examples to follow. All
we have to do is open our eyes
and our minds.
Dave Maurer is a vice president
with Axiom Resource Management,
Inc. He is a retired Army lieutenant
colonel who has served in multiple
assignments during more than 21
years on active duty. He has commanded troops and held several
senior staff positions. He has lectured
on negotiation skills and on leadership for the Project Management
Institute and for the Department of
Behavioral Sciences and Leadership
at West Point. He is a certified Project
Management Professional. Dave is the
proud father of three grown sons,
two of whom are active duty soldiers.
Major General Granger Visits Axiom
Major General Elder Granger, deputy director of TRICARE
Management Activity, visits Axiom headquarters. From left
are Frank Nelson, Dave Maurer, Kevin Riley, Ben Hankins,
General Granger, Doug Peardon, Frank Cumberland, and
Guy Strawder.
8
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1/2/07 6:37:25 PM
WINTER 2007
Mount Vernon
Community School Fun Fair 2006
By Maria O’Leary
Axiom sent a team of volunteers
to help with Mount Vernon
Community School’s (MVCS’s)
annual Fun Fair on Saturday,
June 17. The fair was a great
opportunity for the students,
staff, and community to get
together and have a good time.
Games, a dunk tank, and a
moon bounce added to the fun.
“The Fun Fair was a huge success,” said Mary Huber-Wilker,
an MVCS parent and volunteer
coordinator for the fair. “The
volunteers from Axiom are
wonderful people: they were
prompt, helpful, and most
important, a lot of fun. We hope
that many of them will want to
help us again next year. Thank
you again for all of your help in
making the Fun Fair such a great
success!”
Axiom volunteers were Sterman
Drain, Kevin Friel, Ben Hankins,
Gerald McCown, Chris Johnson
(Centre), Doug Peardon,
Glenna Tinney, and Jennifer
Wirschnitzer.
From left: Kevin Friel, Gerald McCown,
Sterman Drain, Ben Hankins, Dr. Lulu Lopez
(MVCS Principal), and Doug Peardon.
Dr. Lopez, MVCS Principal, nervously
awaits her fate in the dunk tank.
Ben Hankins patiently explains why he was first
in line to ride in the fire engine.
✩
✩
Axiom Congratulates Our 2006 All Stars
Fifty outstanding professionals—nearly 10 percent of our entire team—have been selected as Axiom All Stars for 2006. They
come from every part of the Axiom enterprise representing all geographic and mission support areas of our company.
Congratulations to this year’s list of superstars and best wishes for continued success.
Kevin Abraham
Herb Escobar
Tammy Arnold
Gretchen Fallon
Diane Boyd
Chris Fostel
Denise Brandt
Ashley Frazier
Tracey Brown
Felicia Fridie
✩
10
Neshun Carter
Danielle Gebhard
Dorian Channing
Trisha Glaser
Lisa Chiu
Pat Golson
John Courtney
Cori Hughes
Paul Degere
Cori Humphrey Richard
Kathy Ducharme
Lisa Kosh
Jennifer Eckel
Beth Laclede
Robbin Eubanks
Greg Lantier
Frank Little
John Russo
Gabriella Lombardi
Astrid Sharkus
Nina Mahen
Mark Stein
Chris Manning
LaTonya Strickland
Mollie Mullen
Dan Tebon
Eric Neuschaefer
Kwionna Townsend
Ann Nichols
Stephen Tucker
Lisa Pralle
Alida Vessey
Karen Rhodes
Walter Watanabe
Janelle Rich
Margo Weeks
Diane Richardson
Wendy Weil
Julie Robinson
Nekia Williams
WINTER 2007
Rebuilding
By Carrie Mellin
AXIOM Team Rebuilds Homes Together
AXIOM has been a part of
Rebuilding Together Alexandria
(formerly Christmas in April) for
the last seven years. Rebuilding
Together matches local businesses with homeowners who
are unable to keep up with
home repairs. For the fourth
year in a row, AXIOM had such
an overwhelming show of volunteers that we were given two
houses to fix up. For the first
time in three years, the weather gods smiled on the third
Saturday in April and gave the
Rebuilding Together volunteers
a beautiful, sunny day.
The team assigned to the first
house, led by house captains
Shawn DuGay and Ryan Cool,
set about trimming limbs in the
backyard, putting a safety rail
in the shower, and installing a
closet organizer and new closet
doors. Carmen Truesdale braved
the long climb up the ladder to
trim sagging tree limbs, while
others looked on and offered
moral support and advice. Clark
Bean tackled the installation of
the shower railing. With minimal
trips to Home Depot for extra
supplies, he was able to finish
all needed work. Pat Brown led
a team of three in adding closet
organizers and new closet doors
to one of the bedrooms. “It’s a
good chance to hang out with
your coworkers outside of work,
and it’s just very rewarding to
give something back to the
community,” he said when asked
why he volunteers every year.
The main task for the second
house, led by house captains
Doug Anderson and Rob
Wilson, was painting. Ben
Hankins, Laurie Cullen, John
Nogan, and Elisabeth Pimentel
took on the kitchen, washing
the walls and painting them a
sunny yellow. Charles Armstead
and Nelson Ruiz headed up the
team assigned to the exterior
of the house. With the help of
Robinson High School students
Christina Elder, Amanda Torres,
and Kenny Williams, fellow
Axiomites Fredrick Royer, Frank
Roth, and Minnie Burton scraped
off paint and repainted the
façade of the house and the
fence. Robinson students Famata
and Mariama Kabia got a head
start on painting one of the
bedrooms and handed off the
paint rollers to Doug Peardon
who led the afternoon shift.
Doug, Sterman Drain, Carrie
Mellin, and Beth Gill finished the
job. As Doug Anderson put it,
“Doug Peardon was successful
in getting paint on everyone he
worked with.” Diane Struck was
recalled from her gofer position
to help mop up the mess. Leslie
Mills did a stellar job entertaining
the homeowners.
By the end of the day, both
houses had been rejuvenated.
The homeowners were pleased
with all improvements and
Axiom had successfully finished
its seventh Rebuilding Day. Every
year the turnout for Rebuilding
Together increases. Maybe next
year we’ll tackle three houses.
11
Helping leaders get the job done.
WINTER 2007
contract wins
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Division of Reproductive Health
TMA Office of Resource Management (RM Web 3). Provide analytical, technical.
and the Global AIDS Program. Provide expertise and technical assistance in sup-
and administrative support for Web sites.
port of Modeling and Reinforcement to Combat HIV/AIDS (MARCH) training,
project activities, and evaluation in Ethiopia.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Airspace System Architecture and
Capital Investment Plan. Provide support to the System Engineering and Technical
Military Health System (MHS), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
Assistance (SETA-II) program.
(HIPAA) Electronic Standards Program Coordination and Assistance. Provide program management support.
Health Program Analysis and Evaluation (HPA&E) Directorate, TMA Privacy Office
Support (TMA Privacy). Provide analytical, technical, coordination, presentation,
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs) (OASD/HA), TRICARE
and general administrative support.
Management Activity (TMA), Office of Business and Economic Analysis (OBEA).
Provide services to support MHS-sponsored programs and working groups.
TRICARE Management Activity, Central Operations Office (COO). Provide
acquisition, contracting, program management, technical, budget, and general
Department of Defense (DoD), Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program
operational support.
(CAP). Improve accessibility for people with disabilities throughout the DoD.
Defense Medical Logistics Standard Support (DMLSS). Provide acquisition, contractCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Division of Reproductive Health
ing, program management, technical, budget, and general operational support.
and the Global AIDS Program. Provide expertise and technical assistance in support of Modeling and Reinforcement to Combat HIV/AIDS (MARCH) training,
Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO Admin), TRICARE Management
project activities, and evaluation in Guyana.
Activity. Provide administrative services, correspondence management, and overall
office support for PPMD, MPBO, MC&FS & PSCR&I, FO, PB&E, and HB&FP Divisions.
Military Health System; Enterprise Architecture, Integration, and Communications
(EAIC) Directorate (includes Enterprise Architecture [EA], Business Modernization
MHS, Office of the Chief Medical Officer (OCMO). Provide acquisition, financial,
Management Program [BMMP], and Integration and Communications [IC]). Provide
and program management services.
services to link information management and technology opportunities and organizations for the mutual benefit of DoD and non-DoD entities.
OASD/HA and TMA, MHS Conference. Perform studies and analysis services in
accordance with the referenced TRICARE regulations and policy directives.
Department of Transportation, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
(National Registry). Provide technical support in launching a National Registry of
Office of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs (OASD/HA), Health
Certified Medical Examiners.
Budget and Financial Policy (HB&FP), Clinical and Program Policy (C&PP). Provide
contract administrative support.
OASD/HA, TRICARE Management Activity/Health Program Analysis and
Evaluation (HPA&E) Directorate. Provide consultative, analytical, technical, coordi-
TMA Financial Operations Division, TRICARE Regional Offices (TROs). Provide con-
nation, presentation, and general administrative services to support HPA&E staff.
tract administrative and program management support.
Resources Information Technology Program Office (RITPO) under the authority of
Military Health System, Information Management (IM) Office/Information
the Information Management, Technology and Reengineering Office (IMT&R) in
Management, Technology and Reengineering (IMT&R). Provide technical, adminis-
the TMA. Provide technical writing expertise for DoD acquisition programs to sup-
trative, and program management support.
port the development and maintenance of documentation requirements required
by the DoD and MHS acquisition process.
TMA Pharmaceutical Operations Directorate (POD). Provide administrative, technical, and analytical support.
TMA/Resource Management Directorate services for Contract Resource
Management (CRM). Provide analytic, budget, and administrative support.
Communication and Customer Service Support (C&CS 3) project. Provide analytical,
technical, and administrative support for TMA and OASD/HA initiatives.
Department of Health and Human Service (HHS) U.S. Public Health Service
Commissioned Corps. Enable the simplification and expansion of current policies
and procedures in support of the officer evaluation system.
Composite Health Care System II, Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (CHCS
ID/IQ) (AHLTA). Provide the Army Medical Department with business process reengineering and improvement support and program management support for the
planning and integration of CHCS II. (Task 3).
TRICARE Online (TOL 3) Program Office. Provide program management and project management support.
Axiom Announces Poetry Contest
Do you have a scribe within you, a muse? Are you a closet poet?
Well, here’s your chance to share your inspired words with coworkers: the Axiom Poetry Contest! Write a poem of any style (quatrain,
diamonte, clerihew, or onomatopoeia) and length, and e-mail it to
[email protected].
We’re looking for your rhymes on any of three work-related topics:
• “Project” management versus “program” management
• The creative tension between ISO 5000 and CMM
(you may also use CMMI)
• Document storage and retrieval systems
Clinical Information Technology Program Office (CITPO). Provide comprehensive
program management support for acquisitions and contract management, budget
formulation and execution, project management and scheduling, risk manage-
Contest deadline is June 1.
Winning entry will be read at the Axiom picnic.
ment, process improvement, and training and implementation management in
support of AHLTA.
What is Axiom?
Axiom Standard Publication and Contact Information
Axiom is a professional consulting firm providing program
management, operational support, accessibility, management
training, and IT solutions. We deliver studies and analysis, marketing, distance learning, and Web support.
Creative Design and Production by
www.realimagination.com
Axiom helps leaders get the job done.
Published by
Axiom Resource Management, Inc.
Editing Staff
Frank Cumberland, Laurie Conly,
Laurie Cullen
Contact Information
Axiom Resource Management, Inc.
5203 Leesburg Pike
Suite 300
Falls Church, VA 22041
Tel: (703) 998-0327 x222
Fax: (703) 998-3778
www.axiom-rm.com