Category C: Managers and Executives GS-15 and Above

Sande Jones
Veterans Service Center Manager
VA Regional Office
Waco, Texas

Since her arrival at the Waco VA Regional Office in 2003, Ms. Jones has continually demonstrated her enthusiastic commitment to building and maintaining a diverse, high-performing workforce. She has developed a unified team spirit in the Veterans Service Center, where her vision of fairness, respect, appreciation, and valuing of individual differences is thoroughly communicated and shared.

Ms. Jones’ division leads in establishing the focus at the Waco Regional Office on the hiring of minorities, disabled veterans, other individuals with disabilities, which has contributed significantly to the development of a diverse workforce.

Representatives from Ms. Jones’ VSC Division, working effectively with employees of the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) Division and Human Resources Management (HRM), have made significant contributions to developing long-term partnerships with community organizations, to reach out to minorities, women, veterans, and individuals with disabilities, during major multicultural job fairs.

In numerous situations that could have led to grievances or formal EEO complaints, Ms. Jones has overcome employees’ concerns, through careful analysis of the facts, and finding and developing areas of common interest and agreement in her efforts to create and maintain a flexible and supportive work environment.

Sande Jones with Gordon Mansfield and Paul Hutter