Appreciation For Your Insights & 2024 Agency Update (PURA Email Chain Jan. 15, 2024)
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Editor, Hartford CourantAppreciation For Your Insights & 2024 Agency Update (PURA Email Chain Jan. 15, 2024)
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Editor, Hartford CourantSubject: Appreciation for Your Insights & 2024 Agency Update
Mon, Jan 15, 2024,
2:07 PM
Govert, Theresa <[email protected]>
to Govert, Theresa
Dear Team,
I trust this message finds you well. I want to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude for the warm
welcome I've received during my initial days as the new Chief of Staff at PURA. Your openness,
dedication, passion for our work, and appreciation for your colleagues have left a lasting impression on
me. I am truly honored to be part of such a talented and dedicated team.
Your insights have provided me with a comprehensive understanding of the strengths and challenges
within our agency, and I am eager to collaborate with each of you to continue building on our successes.
Based on the feedback gathered during our one-on-one meetings, it was clear that some feel the impact
of the COVID-19 pandemic has made them feel less connected in our mostly virtual work environment. I
also heard feedback that there is a shared desire for more cross-pollination between units and increased
face time with colleagues. In response, we will be implementing changes to our meeting structure
starting February 1st to address these important needs.
For example, moving forward, we will introduce in-person quarterly all-staff meetings to foster a
stronger sense of community and collaboration. These gatherings will provide us with the opportunity to
share updates, celebrate achievements, and engage in meaningful discussions that cut across
departmental boundaries. We will also be adding several topic-specific meetings once per month
targeted at bridging the gaps in internal communications identified during the one-on-one meetings, and
office and unit meetings will continue as well. And, we will continue the practice of Deliberations and
Briefings Meetings with the Commissioners on an as needed, ad hoc basis.
Additionally, in recognition of your time and the increased meetings/hearings many of you will
experience because of the three rate cases pending before us, we’ve decided to collapse the decisional
staff sector meetings into one Friday All-Sector in-person meeting beginning February 1st. In the
meantime, we will be cancelling the two remaining sector meetings in January and will instead move
them to paper meetings (please watch out for the appropriate instructions to complete this activity by
separate email).
There was also an expressed desire for additional educational opportunities. The agency had previously
introduced Lunch and Learns to meet this need, as well as an established list of training opportunities for
new and newer staff, and ad hoc opportunities for all. Although previous Lunch and Learn sessions were
valuable and well executed, we have observed a decline in consistent volunteers to conduct the trainings
and, as a result, will be discontinuing the standing invitations. Moving forward, our focus is on providing
these experiences on an ad-hoc basis. This approach allows us the time to tailor these sessions to better
align with the expressed educational desires of the staff. We remain committed to fostering continuous
learning and will explore dynamic and impactful ways to deliver educational content.
To this end, I will be launching our first-ever Internal Programming Working Group to collaboratively
identify and develop educational opportunities that cater to the expressed desires of the staff. By
involving representatives from each office, we aim to ensure diverse perspectives are considered in
curating a range of dynamic and impactful sessions. Please stay tuned for forthcoming details about the
launch of this Working Group.
I appreciate your understanding and flexibility as we implement these changes. Throughout the day you
will be receiving several calendar cancellations/invites that will reflect this new schedule. Our goal is to
continue to create an environment that promotes collaboration, effective communication, and
meaningful learning experiences.
Once again, thank you for your warm welcome, your time, and your invaluable insights.
Best regards,
Theresa Govert
Chief of Staff
Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority
10 Franklin Square, New Britain, CT 06051
p: 860-817-3115| e: [email protected]
ct.gov/pura
