[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 58 (Friday, April 15, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E487]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     CONGRATULATING SUE WOODRUFF ON THE OCCASION OF HER RETIREMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 15, 2016

  Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Sue Woodruff 
on the occasion of her retirement, and to thank her for her 42 years of 
service to Fairfax County.
   Sue began her career with Fairfax County in 1973. Since that time, 
she has served in a variety of positions and departments including the 
County Executive's office, the Consumer Affairs division and the former 
Department of Social Services; however, she has spent the majority of 
her career in the Department of Human Resources (DHR) where she has 
served admirably for the last 35 years.
   Sue joined the DHR in 1981 as a personnel analyst and from 1986-2002 
served as the employee relations division chief. In this position, Sue 
was responsible for supervising employee relations, including personnel 
policy development, grievances, internal communications, award 
programs, the Employee Assistance Program, and drug and alcohol 
testing. She also served as the agency's liaison to the Fairfax County 
Employees Advisory Council and the Civil Service Commission.
   She was promoted to assistant director for DHR in 2002 and served in 
that position for 6 years. Her responsibilities included overseeing 
compensation, employee relations, and work force planning. Due to her 
expertise, Sue led the review of the Pay for Performance System. She 
convened a group of human resources professionals, budget analysts, and 
employee advocates to explore possible enhancements. This commission 
identified a number of areas that could be improved and made 
recommendations, including the addition of an extra level or ``fifth 
bar'' to be used in employee evaluations and adjustments to performance 
awards. These changes resulted in a more consistent and fair employee 
evaluation process. During this time, Sue also served on the 
legislative team and co-led the management team setting the strategic 
direction for the agency.
   Most recently, Sue has served as the director of the Department of 
Human Resources (DHR), a position the Board of Supervisors appointed 
her to in 2008. She has continued to strive to improve Human Resources 
operations and ensure that Fairfax County has the policies and programs 
in place to attract and retain a superior workforce. The world-class 
services provided by Fairfax County government are in no small way due 
to Sue's efforts to build, train, and incentivize the dedicated civil 
servants who work for the County.
   Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in congratulating Sue 
on the occasion of her retirement and in thanking her for her decades 
of dedicated public service. Fairfax County is often cited as being one 
of the best places in the country in which to live, work, and raise a 
family, and Sue Woodruff has contributed immeasurably to this success.

                          ____________________