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VOLUME 7 WINTER 2018 WINTER 7 VOLUME FEATURE: LOOKING AHEAD FOR TALENT YEAR IN REVIEW: 2017 DOING GOOD: SERVING WITH ENCOURAGEMENT COOL TOOL Well before the first snow fall, 20 the AOC prepares for the winter months. In This Issue 1 ARCHITECT’S NOTEBOOK YEAR IN REVIEW: 2 FEATURE Highlights of the AOC’s important work in 2017. Looking Ahead for Talent 7 YEAR IN REVIEW 7 2017 13 DOING GOOD Serving with Encouragement 16 THEN & NOW DOING GOOD: Capitol Building LaTisha Williams finds Superintendent’s Office and gives encouragement by serving with her 18 EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT community church. Anthony Carlyle 13 20 COOL TOOL Ditch Witch 16 THEN & NOW: A look back at the U.S. Capitol’s baking operations during the Civil War. COVER: A view of the U.S. Supreme Court lions. Photo by Susanne Bledsoe ARCHITECT’S NOTEBOOK A Washington Connection Left, middle photos by Chuck Badal; Right photo by Susanne Bledsoe ven after working with this agency for more to take the oath of office in the U.S. Capitol’s Old than 20 years, I continue to discover little Senate Chamber hangs a “porthole” portrait of George surprises in the buildings, grounds and art cared Washington by Rembrandt Peale. Efor by our employees. This portrait was created in 1823, then purchased in I was recently walking in National Statuary Hall’s 1832, the centennial of Washington’s birth, for display upper gallery and stopped at the “Car of History” clock in the Old Senate Chamber. On the lower part of the by Carlo Franzoni where I saw a small bust of George frame, a stone sill is engraved with “PATRIAE PATER,” Washington carved into its marble chariot. Washington’s meaning “Father of His Country.” profile faces the front of the vehicle while Clio, the muse The second George Washington piece I have a of History, stands above looking out over the room. connection with has spent much more time with me. I I’ve walked under that chariot thousands of times see it on a daily basis as it hangs in a corner of my office and never knew the bust of Washington was there. This opposite my desk. got me thinking…Washington created this capital city, This pastel portrait by William Dunlap in 1783 is picked its location, laid the building’s cornerstone and one of the oldest works of art in the U.S. Capitol. It is he rises into the heavens in Constantino Brumidi’s a unique depiction drawn from life showing General “Apotheosis” under the Capitol Dome, but where else Washington in his blue and buff military uniform. In does he show up? 1940 it was bequeathed to the Congress in a will and There are more than 30 pieces of art in the U.S. Capitol accepted by the Joint Committee on the Library. It has that feature or include his likeness. He appears in sculpture hung in the Architect of the Capitol’s office ever since, and paintings throughout the building from large spaces, except when on loan for exhibition. like the Rotunda and committee rooms, to places more As I walk the U.S. Capitol corridors, my eyes and off the beaten path including a stained-glass window in thoughts are often looking for my next surprise. t the Congressional Prayer Room, a bronze doorway in the Senate wing and a stairwell in the House wing. Two of the art pieces in the building featuring Washington have a special connection to my time serving as Architect of the Capitol. The first of these pieces was present during my Stephen T. Ayers, FAIA, LEED AP swearing-in ceremony. Directly above where I stood Architect of the Capitol THOLOS • WINTER 2018 1 Photo by Dewitt Roseborough 2 THOLOS • WINTER 2018 FEATURE + DOING GOOD LOOKING AHEAD FOR TALENT WRITTEN BY FRANKLIN BRADLEY AND ERIN COURTNEY FINDING THE NEXT WIN PHOTOS BY CHUCK BADAL HIS PROGRAM FAR EXCEEDED WHAT I EXPECTED,” SAID SUPPLY “ MANAGEMENT OFFICER PAUL VENTURELLA. HE WAS SPEAKING OF THE PILOT PROGRAM TO HAVE COLLEGE STUDENTS EARN CLASS CREDIT WHILE APPLYING THEIR SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE AND TSKILLS TO ADVANCE THE WORK OF THE ARCHITECT OF THE CAPITOL (AOC). THE FIRST STUDENT IN THE PROGRAM, MARY DELANEY, ALSO SAID THE INTERNSHIP EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS, “IN MY FIRST PROJECT ALONE, IT TRULY FELT LIKE I HAD DONE MEANINGFUL WORK.” THOLOS • WINTER 2018 3 FEATURE Supply Management Officer Internships, by definition, are professional apprentice- Paul Venturella reviews records ship experiences that give students the opportunity to with intern Mary Delaney. gain practical experience in a professional environment. It is the opportunity to expand horizons and apply classroom knowledge in the real world. Yet we know that not all internships are created equal. The AOC strives to make the intern experience substantive, challenging and rewarding. And that same philosophy was evident during the piloting of the AOC’s new work-for-credit intern program in the House Office Buildings. Delaney, a finance major, was selected to work in the Inventory Management Branch in the House Office Buildings, where Venturella is the supervisor. Along with his employees, Venturella manages the supply chain for the jurisdiction to ensure it has the parts and supplies necessary to do its work. They operate behind the scenes, but Venturella knows their work is essential to the success of frontline employees, “If it takes a shop less time to get the supplies they need, they have more time to serve our customers and can serve them better.” “We are always working to make our shop more proactive,” he said. But, just one unforeseen event can delay those efforts. “If there’s flooding, we can’t wait to order the supplies needed to clean that up and make the repair.” Venturella needed someone who wouldn’t be taken off task by emergencies, could work independently and was driven to deliver. “We have a lot of hard-to-fill positions,” said Talent Acquisition Program Manager Lisa Maltbie. “Talent acquisition is a way of both expediting the hiring process for them and being more strategic. We look ahead at the long-term needs of the agency and we identify likely sources of employees to meet those needs.” This led her to a job fair at Catholic University, where she represented the AOC with House Office Buildings Assistant Superintendent Dan Murphy. They learned that practical experience is a graduation requirement, for which the university gives students course credit. Interested in opportunities to grow her knowledge of business and help her narrow — or expand — her “ IF IT TAKES A SHOP LESS TIME TO GET educational pursuits, Delaney’s academic advisor suggested she explore and apply for an internship with THE SUPPLIES THEY NEED, THEY HAVE the AOC, which she did. MORE TIME TO SERVE OUR CUSTOMERS After she was selected, and reported to her first day of AND CAN SERVE THEM BETTER.” work, Delaney admitted that, “It was a little intimidating walking past the big Dome in the morning.” However, when she got to her desk, her colleagues put her at ease. “Everybody was so nice, and they all know and support 4 THOLOS • WINTER 2018 each other. It was a good, positive culture.” She also major and two minors, Delaney also enjoys hurling. credits her supervisors and colleagues for helping her “It’s an ancient Irish game, called the fastest sport in make the internship at the AOC her own. the world, because you’re constantly running full speed,” The feeling she had, standing in the shadow of the she explained. U.S. Capitol, didn’t leave Delaney, though. “It was When she got her first assignment, as she does in constantly on my mind: do the best that I can.” a hurling match, Delaney hit the ground running. On Venturella still wasn’t sure what to expect. “I thought her second day, Murphy stopped by her desk. “She that she might complete one project,” he said. He tasked already had a spreadsheet that analyzed the cost of each Delaney with creating a more efficient process for purchasing action for one service,” he said. “We could procuring replacement parts and services for the House immediately see if each one was worth it.” heating and cooling systems. Perhaps Venturella would In that first project, Delaney was able to bundle have had higher expectations if he had known that in separate purchases of the same service into one contract, addition to doing the work required for her finance eliminating processing time for each transaction and “ TALENT ACQUISITION IS A WAY OF BOTH EXPEDITING THE HIRING PROCESS FOR THEM AND BEING MORE STRATEGIC. WE LOOK AHEAD AT THE LONG-TERM NEEDS OF THE AGENCY AND WE IDENTIFY LIKELY SOURCES OF EMPLOYEES TO MEET THOSE NEEDS.” Intern Mary Delaney learns about an air handling unit from Air Conditioning Equipment Mechanic Worker Valarie Buggie to better understand the parts and services required by heating and cooling systems. This knowledge helped her write a contract that maintains service levels and saves time and money. THOLOS • WINTER 2018 5 FEATURE “ WHEN I SAW THE REPLIES TO THE CONTRACT FROM SUPPLIERS IN MY INBOX, IT WAS FULFILLING. I DID MY BEST WORK ON THIS. I HAD STARTED FROM SCRATCH. IT TIED TOGETHER EVERYTHING I HAD BEEN WORKING ON.” Assistant Superintendent Dan Murphy shows Mary Delaney around the Rayburn House Office Building. Delaney’s speed and drive to succeed ensured she met every goal, and now Murphy is looking ahead to the next win. saving Venturella’s shop 100 labor hours every year. Despite never being exposed to federal contracting, INTERNSHIP PROGRAM Delaney was able to successfully draft a statement of work for a contract.

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