Leaders of the Pack: Three in Dallas Hit the Big 3-0

acf.hhs.gov, Nov 30, -0001

James Travis, Tomasia Pinter, and Leon McCowan in the Dallas Regional OfficeJames Travis remembers his first site visit, in late 1975, as a new program officer with the Region VI Federal OCSE in Dallas. He arrived at the just-started child support office in Little Rock, AR, not yet equipped, "cases still in cardboard boxes," and reviewed the requirements for developing a state plan with director R. E. Brians, a former police chief. Travis also recalls a return trip to Little Rock with coworker Leon McCowan, "in my cool 1976 Pontiac Grand Prix with the CB radio," to review the plan's status.Arkansas' "Chief Brians" championed the basis for the program-"he was a no-nonsense person who viewed those who did not pay child support as deadbeats." But Travis, Regional Program Manager for the last 10 years, remembers it wasn't always easy trying to convince states to establish a single and separate IV-D agency aptly located in their organization.

Now, with countless state visits behind them, Travis and McCowan join Tomasia Pinter in marking their 30th anniversary in Region VI. Pinter, the region's public affairs specialist, remembers the three working together in the pioneering spirit typical of OCSE's first employees; and she remembers the deadlines: "It was crucial that state plans were approved within 60 days."The unity that characterized the early days in Dallas extended across the miles to other regional and central office staff. The Dallas three were part of a "true team spirit," says McCowan, ACF Regional Administrator (and Lead Regional Administrator for Child Support Enforcement, Technology, and Positive Youth Development) since 1991. "Everyone knew every one of the 300-some staff on the program side," he says, who all were given the responsibility and the authority, as well as the resources, to get the job done"You knew you would be backed by your headquarters."Travis also recalls the "rosy" outlook of former OCSE deputy commissioner Bob Harris: After a meeting in which the two tried to convince state folks of the need for a separate child support agency, Harris remarked, "I think the meeting went real well."With a combined 90 years of memories, the three are bound to have a few that boast of being "the first." Travis recalls that Region VI was the first to offer a conference venue for states to discuss current child support issues. The Region's states (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas) continue to take turns hosting the annual Southwest Regional Child Support Enforcement Training Conference.

Travis and McCowan were the first OCSE regional representatives to travel to a National Child Support Enforcement Association (NCSEA) conference, in 1976.Another first for Region VI: state performance goals. The performance agreement, negotiated with staff in each state, proved effective and provided a vehicle to review actions in the states designed to increase child support collections, Travis explains. It also "provided an opportunity to praise the state if performance goals were met or exceeded.""We were visionaries leading the pack," says Pinter, when, in the early `80s, Region VI set up displays at national, regional, and local conferences. "OCSE had an opportunity to tout the newly created program" to other Federal and state agencies, organizations, corporations, educational institutions, "and most importantly, the general public- the taxpayers." (This effort followed a decade of increase in single-parent families and out-of-wedlock births, she notes.)"It was exciting in the early days to talk with individuals about the purpose of the program, where to apply for services, and to share brochures," says Pinter, citing a conference of the National Association of Black Social Workers in Louisiana, where "interest by social workers and ministers exceeded all of my expectations." Pinter also enjoyed the opportunity to work with state public affairs specialists on public service announcements, following the 1984 CSE Amendments.In her role as "regional lead" for the Fatherhood Initiative, Pinter notes that in 1999 Region VI led the way in partnering with state IV-D agencies and grantees to promote the importance of fathers staying connected to their children's lives, part of a nationwide DHHS public service campaign.Tomasia Pinter offers information about the child support enforcement program at a conference in the early 1980s.
Embracing Change

For the Dallas staff, technological advancements have meant fewer visits to state agencies, thanks to teleconferencing. Also, by referring customers to the states' information-rich Web sites, notes Pinter, customers are increasingly aware of the roles of both the state agencies and OCSE. Travis credits the National Directory of New Hires for slashing the amount of time (up to three years!) they used to devote to some cases. (And he chuckles at the recollection of once thinking that Arkansas could spend an excessive $100,000 to contract an automated case management system.)As one who grew up in child support, McCowan believes "a lot of the staff became managers because we were ahead of our time" and exhibited "creativity in the program." When asked about the staying power that the program appears to have had over so many of its staff, McCowan says, "It's kind of contagious. Once you get involved, you see how child support has grown." And he notes the evolving participation of dads, an aspect that's "brought the program to the forefront...It's a great program."