News Briefs

Melissa Allen, former senior human resources adviser for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, will deliver a lecture titled "When Moving the Boxes Just Isn’t Enough – Changing Vision, Culture and Systems" at 2 p.m. Wednesday (April 13).

The event, to be held in the UNC School of Government’s Knapp-Sanders Building, is free to the public.

During her tenure at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Allen served as the architect of the department’s effort to remove DHS employees from the civil service system. Her lecture will focus on her experience in attempting to bring about this monumental change and her work in other areas of the federal government.

Allen has extensive experience in public administration, including work as assistant secretary for administration and deputy assistant secretary for administration for the U.S. Department of Transportation; deputy associate director for the U.S. Office of Management and Budget; and program analyst for the U.S. Department of Treasury.

Allen currently serves on the National Academy of Public Administration’s board of directors.

The event is sponsored by the Carolina Society for Future Leaders, UNC’s Student Congress and the School of Government. For more information, contact Dr. Carl Stenberg at (919) 962-2377 or stenberg@iogmail.iog.unc.edu.

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Therapist and author Dr. Insoo Kim Berg will speak at UNC’s School of Social Work on Friday (April 15).

Berg will present a morning and afternoon two-hour presentation in the Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building auditorium. The 9:30 a.m. lecture is titled "Using Solution-Focused Techniques in Clinical Supervision." The 1:30 p.m. lecture is titled "Using Solution-Focused Therapy with Children and Families: Challenges and Opportunities."

Berg is nationally and internationally known as co-developer of solution-focused brief therapy, an approach to psychotherapy based on solution building rather than problem solving. Berg is the co-founder and executive director of the Brief Family Therapy Center in Milwaukee and has published eight books over the past decade. Her most recent books include "Children’s Solutions Work" (2002), "Tales of Solutions" (2001) and "Interviewing for Solutions" (2001).

Limited seating is available, and advance registration is recommended. Tickets are $15 per lecture, payable by check only. Individuals who pre-register for both lectures will receive a boxed lunch at no additional cost.

For more information or to register, contact Lara Swanson at laras@email.unc.edu or (919) 843-3597.

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News Services contact: Deb Saine, (919) 962-8415 or deborah_saine@unc.edu