Valerie Marden

In October 2002, Valerie was given a temporary assignment to work with the California Diabetes Program and after two days was offered a permanent position.  Having over a decade of clerical experience ranging from construction/labor fields to the legal arena, Valerie works as a part time Project Assistant performing a myriad of tasks that support each staff member and helps make the Program run smoothly every day.  Since the Program’s budget is limited, Valerie finds ways to be cost effective and provides solid input for decision making for the purchase of equipment, services, supplies, and has taken the initiative to apply the term to “go green” by handling the field staff’s expenses electronically without wasting paper or postage.

Because of her efficiency, Valerie is able to volunteer to take on additional responsibilities that challenge her abilities and add significant value to the Program.  Valerie volunteered to analyze usage data of the Diabetes Information Resource Center (DIRC), has provided critical input into the development of a more sophisticated permanent tracking feature, and came up with the idea of sharing usage data about organizations’ content to help them see the value in making sure their information is current.  Due to her expanded knowledge of the functionality DIRC, this responsibility has been added to her duties.  As back up Administrator to the DIRC Manager, Valerie has also volunteered to take responsibility for moving Web content from our Program’s site onto the California Department of Public Health’s Web site. 

Valerie has earned the support and respect of internal and external colleagues who have seen time and again that her skills can help them either start or complete a project as either the lead or in a supportive role.  Valerie finds satisfaction in contributing to the success of the Program’s mission and goals.

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