Meetings
 
Agenda Item
Docket No. 13-423
 
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RE:
Advisory opinion regarding whether the post-employment restrictions will prohibit Ms. Diana Williamson's employment with a private company who may receive a contract with the Division of Administration.
Facts:
According to Ms. Williamson's advisory opinion request, she has been a public employee in a number of state agencies. From 1984 to 1997 she served as Executive Director in the Governor's Office of Indian Affairs. That position is the only position in which she served as an agency head. From 1997 until her retirement she states that she was not an agency head, nor did she supervise any employees.

From February 22, 2010 to May 15, 2011 she served as a Specialist with the Division of Administration/Office of Information Services (DOA/OIS). As a Specialist, she developed training for the new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. The DOA/OIS refers to the system as LaGov/ERP. It is a program that is being rolled out over time to state departments.

Ms. Williamson taught Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Real Estate, and Plant Maintenance for the DOA/OIS. Her supervisors during that time were Mary Olexy and Babs Myers.

From May 16, 2011 to September 11, 2011 Ms. Williamson worked a temporary job appointment in a separate DOA division as a Policy Planner 4 in the Human Resources Division.. It was her responsibility to review and update the Division's Emergency Management Program as she was a certified FEMA Professional.

On September 12, 2011 to June 22, 2012 Ms. Williamson was employed with the Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD). As a Project Specialist 5, Ms. Williamson worked as a liaison for department staff as they began working in the new ERP system. Her primary focus was in helping the Department adapt new business procedures compatible with the newly implemented ERP system. While with the DOTD, she worked through the agencies old procedures to see what was still applicable, what needed revision, and what needed to be eliminated. She states that she participated in business process mapping, quality review of final business processes and subsequent training of newly implemented business processes. Ms. Williamson never actually conducted any training for the DOTD because business practices were not approved before her retirement. The business processes that were mapped were specific only to DOTD.

Now that Ms. Willamson is retired she anticipates applying for a position to teach the Systems Applications and Products (SAP) system in LaGov/ERP's roll out to the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), as it is the next department in line to receive the system. She has never been employed by DEQ.

The modules to teach the LaGov/ERP system will be consistent for all twenty departments. She has previously taught the Human Resources component of LaGov for two years in 1999-2000. She also taught the Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivables for LaGov/OIS when she worked for them in 2010-2011. She states that she will not be assisting any private company on matters in which she participated within the past two years of her public employment. Further, she will not be working with any of her former agencies on a contract basis.

Law:
Section 1121B of the Code of Ethics states that no former public employee for a period of two years following the termination of her public employment shall assist another person, for compensation, in a transaction, or in an appearance in connection with a transaction in which such former public employee participated at any time during her public employment and involving the governmental entity by which she was formerly employed.

Recommendations:
Adopt proposed advisory opinion.

Assigned Attorney: Brent Durham
 
 
ATTACHMENTS:
Description:
2013-423 Draft Advisory Opinion
2013-423- Advisory Opinion Request
2013-423 Follow up (1)
2013-423 Follow up 2