Government Client Testimonials

“The impact of the workshops has also paid off in the long term. There are fewer situations which escalate to a formal grievance. We believe that this is due, in large part, to the communication skills that you and your associates teach.”

Judy Welcker
Training Officer
USDA/National Finance Center

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“Course evaluations continue to demonstrate that our employees appreciate the opportunity to participate, and are walking away with a renewed awareness and respect for the importance of diversity in the workplace.

Your continued work with our Champions Group empowers our employees to become true agents of change for the Center. This group has made numerous strides in improving communication among our 1700 employees, supervisors, and managers.

I was impressed with your workshop facilitators, who were able to provide an atmosphere that was safe for revealing true emotion and free expression of ideas. The teamwork exercises managed to pull all 25 very diverse individuals in my class into a single team.”

Donna S. Maeder
Equal Opportunity Specialist
USDA/National Finance Center

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“While all of the C. Harris and Companies training has been outstanding, perhaps the greatest success in our two and one-half year relationship is the 3-day “Diversity Strategies that Pay Off” training conducted over the past 18 months.

I appreciate the fact that you and your highly skilled trainers took the time to really get to know our agency and then worked very closely with us to design a diversity training program that suited our particular needs. I have been particularly impressed with your trainers’ skills and professionalism in dealing with sensitive issues surrounding race, gender, and equal opportunity. A number of employees have commented that the C. Harris Companies diversity training was the best they have attended. I attended one C. Harris Companies diversity training session and I concur with my employees’ assessment.

Your work with the Center has been a factor in creating a unified, productive, and positive workforce and work atmosphere. C. Harris Companies helped us establish a structure that supports the development of ideas and programs that encourage communication, cultural diversity, and cooperation.”

John R. Ortego
Director
USDA/National Finance Center

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“Your team building work with our senior staff was highly successful. Success in that effort lead to an agreement to have C. Harris and Companies train some 400 managers, supervisors, and other employees in effective communication skills.”

John R. Ortego
Director
USDA/National Finance Center

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“Your workshop on ‘Anger Management, Sexual Harassment, and Discrimination Complaints’ with Kevin McNulty was outstanding and well received by the participants. Your well organized agenda and dynamic delivery received excellent workshop evaluation ratings.”

Barbara J. Hall
Diversity Manager
Energy Information Administration
U. S. Department of Energy

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“Your “Position Yourself to Win” workshop was very well-received!

We appreciate the homework you did in preparation for your workshop. You asked all the right questions. You thus became fully informed about the organization in which you were coming to facilitate your workshop. And the critiques were glowing: 9.84, on a 10-point scale. The comments we were most interested in were those that indicated real changes, i.e., those in response to “How will you apply the learning of this workshop to improve your effectiveness or to make yourself more marketable?” Just a few of those answers:

• To constantly try to learn more and grab all the opportunities offered to me
• I will improve my job by keeping a positive attitude in the workplace
• To become more patient and open to changes and new ideas in the workplace

People want and need to be enthused, empowered, capable of being fulfilled by their jobs. In my mind, workshops like “Position Yourself to Win” is one way to get there.

Terry L. Chopin
Equal Employment Manager
Department of the Army
New Orleans District, Corps
Of Engineers

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“Your seminar entitled, ‘Communication That Works’ was very informative as well as stimulating. The participants’ evaluation of your seminar was outstanding

‘Cathy Harris was Dynamic!’
‘Cathy Harris was wonderful!’
‘The speaker kept your attention and class participation.’
‘Ask Cathy Harris to return next year; Best year yet!’
‘This workshop conducted by Cathy Harris was excellent!’
‘Hope she’s here for the next Conference.”

Lisa F. Spurlock
Workshop Coordinator
EEO Leadership Conference
Federal Executive Board

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“I am getting steady positive feedback about your flexibility as an expert presenter. EIA employees were impressed at your fluidity to cover the following three sessions: Communication That Works, Relationships for Building Trust and the Multiple Perspectives Discussion facilitated by you between our Administrator, Deputy Administrator and employees. Your dynamic ability to educate skeptics has really paid off. Participants accepted your validity about the value of respecting differences and more importantly, they are actually showing signs of applying this information into their day to day work.”

“Feedback on our evaluation forms rank you in the category of outstanding. You have convinced participating employees that diversity is not “soft stuff” but essential in determining how we do business.”

Barbara Hall
Diversity Manager
Department of Energy

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“Your seminar was enlightening in that it helped us to concretely identify the characteristics of a successful team and it allowed our employees to ‘rate’ where they felt we were on each of those characteristics. It also demonstrated the importance of creating an environment in which people feel comfortable enough to communicate openly, and to learn to cultivate the strengths that can result from the differences in our talents, styles, skills, and backgrounds.

This type of interaction will allow for greater openness, better communication, and forge a stronger bond between all of us.

The staff will continue to strengthen and expand upon the foundation that was laid at this seminar.”

Ellen M. Hazeur
Clerk, First City Court
City of New Orleans, Louisiana

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“I am getting steady positive feedback about your flexibility as an expert presenter. EIA employees were impressed at your fluidity to cover the following three sessions: Communication That Works, Relationships for Building Trust and the Multiple Perspectives Discussion facilitated by you between our Administrator, Deputy Administrator and employees.”

“Your dynamic ability to educate skeptics has really paid off. Participants accepted your validity about the value of respecting differences and more importantly, they are actually showing signs of applying this information into their day to day work.”

“Feedback on our evaluation forms rank you in the category of outstanding. You have convinced participating employees that diversity is not “soft stuff” but essential in determining how we do business.”

Barbara J. Hall
Diversity Manager
Energy Information Administration
U. S. Department of Energy

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“They [participants] have learned to apply rules to advocate for changes which will make NFC a more inclusive work site.”

Judy Welcker
Training Officer
USDA/National Finance Center

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“ Cathy Harris’ diversity initiative reduced the number of EEO complaints by 30 percent and saved us over $880,000 in administrative costs.”

Gary Thornton, EEO Manager, USDA

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“I am writing to tell you how satisfied my employees have been with the first presentation of your Conflict Resolution workshop held last month for union representatives and front-line managers. They rated your session a 9.82 out of a possible 10 on the evaluation. That is just outstanding.

Both sides have told me that the workshop was the first time they began to view each other as peers rather than adversaries… they feel a positive shift – that the training gave them a chance to see another side of their colleagues… It enlightened them to look at the overall work relationships in a different way.

Certainly the experiential and non-confrontational techniques of your program added to its effectiveness. The non-traditional setting really worked, so the groups could progress on significant and real issues they now face in the workplace.

In summary, we found your Conflict Resolution workshop extremely valuable and we strongly recommend it to any company that wants to strengthen the bonds among their team members.”

Philip Holland
Postmaster, New Orleans
United States Postal Service

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“Thank you for the fine workshop “Communication that Works” that you presented 20 times for the National Finance Center/USDA during the month of September. The National Finance Center/USDA’s strongest endorsement of the quality of your work is that we scheduled 10 more workshops. What has brought you back is our employees’ satisfaction. They appreciate your guidance to improve their communication in professional situations, especially with sensitivity for persons who are different from them.

They told me you encouraged them to open up and communicate more effectively. They said the practice you gave them will allow them to resolve issues in their work setting before they escalate to conflict.

Comments on the evaluations indicate that your audience could relate well to you. You were funny, down-to-earth and communicated in ways to reach both the staff and management levels of the organization. An overwhelming majority of the employees recommended that the workshop be attended by all other employees and supervisors.

Gary A. Thornton
EEO Manager
USDA/National Finance Center

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“Cathy Harris’ diversity initiative reduced the number of EEO complaints by 30 percent and saved us over $880,000 in administrative costs.”

Gary Thornton, EEO Manager, USDA

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“Cathy Harris’ workshop has given me both techniques and a common understanding of diversity, which will help me do a better job in today’s world of constant change. What I liked best was the hands-on interaction in groups.”

Anne M. Lee, US Department of Veterans Affairs

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“As a result of this workshop, I will try to create an environment where employees feel free to communicate.”

Unsigned participant comment

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"The workshop promotes self development through problem solving and learning activities. Transformational leadership theory and skills are what I will implement first."

Colonel John LeCour,
Orleans Parish Criminal Sheriff’s Office

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“Here at the USDA National Finance Center, we believe that your “Diversity Strategies that Pay Off” workshops have significantly improved the organization culture.

After each Diversity workshop, the feedback was very positive. We received e-mail messages and were frequently stopped in the halls with praise for the program. One participant said, “This class is for all my co-workers, my bosses – everybody … it showed me how to actually do what I needed to improve my ability to connect with others.”

By applying the techniques taught in the workshop, managers and staff now use their time more proactively by addressing diversity issues when they first occur. Before, time had to be dedicated to revisit an escalated situation because team players failed to address differences.

The impact of the workshops has also paid off in the long term. There are fewer situations which escalate to a formal grievance. We believe that this is due, in large part, to the communication skills that you and your associates teach.

They have learned to apply rules to advocate for changes which will make NFC a more inclusive work site.

July Welcker
Training Officer
USDA/National Finance

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“Our employees believe in coming to your training because you have proven your sincerity in advancing diversity. You have also shown your commitment to providing an exceptional level of customer service to your clients.

You took the time to really learn about our agency before the workshop. You masterfully addressed our needs specifically.

The design of your workshop made participating Council members look within ourselves. It made us aware of many different aspects of diversity and that we each have to take responsibility for our own beliefs and actions. For many of us that included some rude awakenings to look at nonproductive behaviors and realize, “Oh, that’s me!”

Your workshop opened a new level of discussion about what changes the Diversity Council needed to implement.

Thank you for the extended customer service you have offered as a sounding board for me and others. This workshop helped to establish a structure for the development of ideas for the Council to address promoting cultural diversity and cooperation.

Barbara J. Hall
Diversity Manager
Energy Information Administration
U. S. Department of Energy/Washington, DC

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“Your approach has been well received by employees and very effective, but it is the extremely high quality of your trainers that makes the difference. Your ability and your trainer’s ability to create an open, non threatening environment where employees feel comfortable to discuss sensitive issues such as race, sex, national origin, etc., is far beyond that of other trainers. Almost all of the employees I have talked with about your training have expressed a similar view. You and your staff presented the most enjoyable and effective diversity training I have witnessed in my thirty-year Federal career.”

“The real test, of course, for any training is the result. To date, we have trained all of our managers and supervisors and approximately 500 other employees.” “The training has helped NFC achieve a significant reduction in informal and formal EEO complaints over the past three years.”

John Turner
EEO Manager
USDA/National Finance Center

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“ Cathy Harris’ Diversity Leadership workshop was invaluable in that it taught us that to be effective leaders, we must first understand what it means to be a good follower.”

Col. Mary Baldwin Kennedy
Orleans Parish Criminal Sheriff’s Office

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“The workshop promotes self development through problem solving learning activities.”

Col. John LeCour
Orleans Criminal Sheriff’s Department

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“I really enjoyed this seminar! I felt like you could see inside of our office, and read my mind. I learned so much that I could take back, I left very excited! Everything was helpful.”

Rita Pinero,
Jefferson Parish Employees Federal Credit Union

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“ Cathy Harris’ workshop has given me both techniques and a common understanding of diversity, which will help me do a better job in today’s world of constant change. What I liked best was the hands-on interaction in groups.”

Anne M. Lee,
U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs

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“I feel most compiled to share with you again my gratitude for all that you taught  us.   Your leadership seminar has helped me to find my identity and worth in my workplace.   I've  learned that it is O.K. to be "me" as long as I am true to myself and others......"To thine own shelf--  be true".    Thank you for your dedication and hard work.  You have made an everlasting mark on my life.    

Shanna Porter
Jefferson Parish Employees Federal Credit Union