M Squared Supports NOLA Community Health Project

Posted in Community Involvement on February 10, 2012

M Squared Strategies is committed to helping communities in need; so when the Health Commissioner for the City of New Orleans requested our support in their effort to develop an improvement plan for community health, M Squared Strategies quickly responded. In early February, Selena Hunn and Nic Turrentine went down to the Big Easy to lead steering committee members in a Community Vision Session and Forces of Change Assessment.

The Center for Disease Control and the National Association for County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) endorse a framework for carrying out a community health improvement plan through a series of assessments, known as Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnership (MAPP). In the Concert Hall at Holy Angels Complex, Selena and Nic addressed key issues impacting the local population. They guided the community’s steering committee through productive and enlightening discussion using the MAPP framework to collect data for the initiative.

The Health Commissioner’s Office and the participants felt that the sessions were a huge success. The clients were able to move the process forward and were grateful for the invaluable contribution of the M Squared Strategies team.

Welcome, Pandolfo!

Posted in Human Resources on February 08, 2012

Born and raised in Wayne, New Jersey, Anthony Pandolfo now calls the District of Columbia home.  Over the last seven and half years, Anthony has been an undergraduate student, a graduate student, and a staff member at The George Washington University.  After earning a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science in May 2008, Anthony took a job in the Office of International Programs.  Initially acting as Executive Assistant to the Associate Provost for International Programs, he was promoted to International Operations Coordinator.  He coordinated a variety of initiatives related to GW’s international academic agreements, international travel policy, and international operations network.  Simultaneously, he enrolled in the Trachtenberg School and earned a Master of Public Policy with a concentration in budget and public finance in May 2011.  With his experience in bringing parties together to find common ground and build sustainable processes that satisfy policy compliance challenges in higher education administration, Anthony is a welcome addition to the M Squared Strategies team.  In his free time, he enjoys running and biking, exploring new venues in the area, and traveling.

Certified Mediation Professionals

Posted in Client Delivery / Professional Development on February 03, 2012

In the modern workplace, the art of mediation is a valuable skill. Much of M Squared Strategies’ client delivery involves solving conflict through organizational design and facilitation. We have had great success applying mediation theories and techniques to help our clients overcome organizational conflict in a non-adversarial manner.

Three members of the M Squared team recently traveled to Los Angeles, California, to participate in certification courses at the highly regarded Mediation Training Institute International. Andrew MacDonald, Selena Hunn, and Justin Heineman are now Certified Professionals in Managing Workplace Conflict. With legal backgrounds and previous Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) training, Andrew and Selena undertook further coursework to become certified Professional Workplace Mediators.

M Squared Strategies stands ready to tackle the most daunting workplace issues. Turn to the M Squared team if your organization suffers from:

  • A lack of integration and collaboration between team members or organizations
  • Miscommunication among members
  • Employee conflict resulting in a loss of profitability
  • Employee conflict resulting in the mismanagement of projects
  • A need for improved group interactions

By making ongoing professional development a priority, M Squared Strategies continues to provide the best possible service to all of our clients and partners.

M Squared Masters the Art of Proposal Writing

Posted in Business Development / Professional Development on January 18, 2012

M Squared employees at Proposal Writing training sessionWith several new service lines opening up, Proposal Writing has taken on an added urgency at M Squared Strategies. In an effort to include all our employees in the business development process, 2012 kicked off with an intense and inspiring all-hands, all-day session on the art of Proposal Writing.

Led by Neal Levene of Levene Strategies, the training was an excellent demonstration of how to properly plan out and execute a federal government Request for Proposal.   He provided valuable insight into the government review process, which is key to putting together a successful proposal.

As part of an ongoing commitment to the professional growth of our employees, all staff members are encouraged to explore areas of personal interest. Whenever possible, M Squared will provide training to acquire the knowledge and the skills needed to pursue these interests.  Several more training and certification courses have already been scheduled for 2012. Looking forward, M Squared Strategies is well positioned and stronger than ever in the increasingly competitive environment of government consulting.

M Squared Strategies Celebrates the Holidays & the Spirit of Giving

Posted in Corporate Events on December 20, 2011

2011 Holiday Party

In keeping with tradition, M Squared Strategies fed more than just our extended family at the annual Holiday Party. For each plate that was served, $30.00 was donated to Feeding America, whose mission is to feed America’s hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks.

This year’s party was held in the mirrored banquet hall of the Sea Catch Restaurant & Raw Bar in Georgetown. In attendance were current and past M Squared Strategies staff members, Applied Management Professionals, friends, colleagues and corporate partners. Guests enjoyed an evening of great food, fellowship, and Brazilian jazz provided by our very own office manager’s band, Rio Garage.

Special thanks to Selena Hunn and Alessandra Colia for organizing this year’s highly successful extravaganza!

Save the Date: All Hands Meeting

Posted in Corporate Events on December 13, 2011

The All Hands Meeting has been tentatively scheduled for February 12, 2012, in the Grange Conference Room at headquarters. Keep an eye out for the official schedule.

M Squared to Accelerate the Pace of Professional Development

Posted in PACE Program / Professional Development on December 13, 2011

M Squared expands on the ethos of the AMP Program to young professionals interested in consulting. The Professional Apprenticeship for Consulting Excellence (PACE) Program aims to accelerate the pace of young professionals’ development by giving them the access and training needed to be successful in management consulting and federal government practice. Through this program, we will expand the M Squared brand into new universities, build new relationships with prime consulting firms, and elevate the level of talent working in the public sector consulting space by training the next generation of federal practice consultants. The PACE Program looks to further help meet the government’s critical needs by continuing the public service mission of M Squared Strategies.

Please contact Erin Bankey, the PACE Program Coordinator at Erin.Bankey@msquaredstrategies.com to learn more about how you can be involved!

Visit our PACE Program web page and like us on Facebook!

Kudos from Prime Contractors

Posted in Facilitation on December 13, 2011

Over the past three months the Facilitation Service Line has received rave reviews from clients and prime contractors for facilitations in the Department of Veteran Affairs. M Squared facilitations are known not just for quality delivery on the day(s) of the meeting but also in the thorough preparation leading up to the facilitation itself. Clients are pleasantly surprised to see the robust level of effort that we provide to prepare for facilitations. Our attention to prepare for meetings makes our facilitations more effective for both the client and the prime contractor. The quality of work and success of meetings we facilitate are constant evidence to our prime contractor that we are experts in facilitation and driven to move the client’s agenda forward.

The Facilitation Service Line is continuing to work on various contracts to bring more value to clients through preparation and enhance organizational performance during the facilitation. For more information about the Facilitation Service line, click here.

One VA EA Business Reference Model

Posted in Department of Veterans Affairs / Facilitation on December 13, 2011

M Squared Strategies has played a role in the creation and development of The One VA EA Business Reference Model, or BRM, by providing meeting management and logistical support, as well as providing meeting documentation. With a common set of process definitions to make the complex integration between business processes transparent, the BRM will supports architectural analysis and is a resourceful tool for enabling innovation and transformation. Specifically, the BRM helps the VA to:

  • Improve citizen services by highlighting opportunities to integrate operations and IT investment along common lines of business.
  • Guide VA administrations in the development and submission of business cases, improving the quality of service and lowering costs.
  • Provide IT vendors with a better understanding of the work done by VA administrations to allow them to provide products, and services that are more citizen-focused outcomes along functional lines.

The One VA EA BRM is the first ever-interactive Business Reference Model throughout the entire Federal Government. M Squared Strategies is proud to have played a role in this great accomplishment by the VA!

“Ruthless” Meeting Management

Posted in Department of Veterans Affairs / Facilitation on December 13, 2011

Since the end of May, Brian St.Sauveur has been supporting the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Information and Technology’s Ruthless Reduction Task Force (RRTF). With a goal of identifying upwards of $130,000,000 in IT cost reduction for FY 2012, meetings take place Monday through Thursday, 7:30am-10:30am until the term of the Task Force expires on September 30.

The RRTF is chaired by Dr. Paul Tibbits, the Deputy CIO for Architecture, Strategy, and Design. Task Force members include employees from all VA staff offices and administrations, from technical specialists and engineers to multiple SES-level OIT leaders. Brian provides the full suite of M Squared meeting management support to Dr. Tibbits and the Task Force, including documenting notes, capturing action items, and eliciting stakeholder communication. In addition, Brian assists in the creation of RRTF briefings for a variety of audiences, which ranges from Mr. Roger Baker, who is the CIO of the VA, OIT SES executives, and other external stakeholders.

M Squared Strategies’ focus on providing all employees with the knowledge base to successfully manage meetings regardless of size or scope allowed Brian to be successful in the high-intensity, high-visibility environment of the RRTF.

Older Posts »