Circuit

OFPP nominee Denett meets 1/50th of the Senate
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), chairwoman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, remarked on the scant attendance — one senator besides herself — at the June 20 confirmation hearing of Paul Denett, the nominee for administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy. He would replace David Safavian, who was convicted last week on four felony counts of lying to investigators and obstruction of justice.

“I don’t want you to think that the absence of members this morning indicates a lack of interest in this issue by this committee,” Collins said to Denett after the one other senator present, Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), left the hearing room.

“Instead, it reflects confidence in you and your background, which is to your credit, and it also reflects very busy schedules and a Defense Authorization bill that’s on the floor. But believe me,” she added, in a somewhat firmer tone, “this committee will be watching you closely and working with you closely, and we need and expect leadership.”

Affirmation of Shea’s success at OMB
This month, Robert Shea, counselor to the deputy director for management at the Office of Management and Budget, won highest accolades from the Association for Federal Information Resources Management (AFFIRM) for his accomplishments in standardizing program management practices.

In giving him the 2006 Executive Leadership in Information Resources Management Award, AFFIRM cited Shea’s oversight of the government’s Program Assessment Rating Tool, a means of gauging program achievement. Shea has pushed for results-based management since serving as a staff member for the House Government Reform Committee in the mid-1990s.

Several other feds also earned kudos for their leadership skills:

White House officials vote VA most eco-friendly e-buyer
The Department of Veterans Affairs earned top White House honors for its eco-friendly computer purchases last year. The White House’s Office of the Federal Environmental Executive — not affiliated with former vice president turned greenhouse gas guerrilla Al Gore — named the VA and the Environmental Protection Agency the 2006 Closing the Circle Award winners in the category of federal electronics stewardship.

The VA was praised for its purchasing conscientiousness. A VA draft request for proposals referenced the soon-to-be-released Green Electronics Council seal of approval, which is a new voluntary manufacturing standard established to help buyers select environmentally sensitive monitors and desktop and laptop computers. Certified “green” computers are designed to last longer, be more energy-efficient and facilitate easier upgrades.

Wireless Foundation invites doggie to dinner
The wireless communications industry recognized several individuals — including a pooch — who used cellular phones to help save lives this year. The Wireless Foundation’s 12th Annual Achievement Awards Dinner at Union Station in Washington, D.C., June 19 honored seven wireless Samaritans. Wireless communications were used to help reunite Hurricane Katrina evacuees with family or friends and alert authorities about people in health emergencies and plane crashes.

Belle, a trained beagle, was one of the honorees. She dialed 911 on her owner’s Cingular Wireless phone to get medical help after the owner suffered a diabetic seizure. How did she do it? Belle retrieved the cell phone of her owner, Kevin Weaver, and — with her teeth — pressed 9, which was preprogrammed to dial 911. Paramedics were at Weaver’s Ocoee, Fla., home within minutes.

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