Testimony of Robin-Eve Jasper
Acting Director
Office of Property Management
Adrian M. Fenty
Mayor
COMMITTEE ON WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS
Councilmember Carol Schwartz, Chairman
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
2:00 p.m.
Room 500
Council Chamber
John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20004-3003
Good afternoon Chairperson Schwartz and members of the Committee on Workforce Development and Government Operations. I am Robin-Eve Jasper, Acting Director of the Office of Property Management (OPM). Thank you for the opportunity to testify before you today. I am honored to be the Mayor’s nominee for Chief Property Management Officer.
Background and Experience
In 1985, I moved to Washington, DC and soon became partner in a law firm representing Indian Tribes in various federal matters. My chief accomplishment during this period was representing the Navajo Nation in the settlement of the more than century-old Navajo-Hopi land dispute.
In 1994, I took a new position that allowed me to pursue my other love - real estate. As Vice President of Operations and General Counsel for Jubilee Enterprise of Greater Washington, Inc. I oversaw redevelopment and management of more than 1,100 units of affordable housing for low and very low income residents East of the River. Jubilee was the largest non-profit provider of affordable rental units in the District of Columbia at the time. Later as a senior executive in a national real estate firm, I provided consulting services to municipal governments and educational institutions on major development projects. I have also worked in commercial real estate development in Washington, DC.
My work for non-profits in the District has also included policy matters that have directly affected the lives of District residents. As a project team member, and briefly as Managing Director at DC Appleseed, I have worked on local education issues, restoration of the Anacostia watershed, DC voting systems and a variety of other DC policy matters. My work in the area of education policy continued when I became Director of Fannie Mae Foundation’s DC Education Initiative and has included consulting to other education organizations. I look forward to combining my knowledge of public policy and real-estate for the strategic management of the District’s real estate assets.
Vision for OPM
As the Mayor’s nominee to be the District’s Chief Property Management Officer, I will apply my experience in economic development, real estate development, current market trends, and best practices of the private and public sector in managing the District’s facilities portfolio. Under my acting leadership, the Office of Property Management is applying such practices. We are implementing new systems, improving our data for utility and lease management, and developing citywide standards for occupancy. Through application of these tools we will achieve our goal to improve the quality of District-owned space and reduce the District’s dependence on leased space.
We have an aggressive campaign to recruit staff with real estate, construction and other essential expertise. This campaign has already yielded positive results. For example, in fewer than six months, our new Senior Deputy Director – who brings more than ten years experience in logistics, supply chain management and business operations-- has reduced the District’s dependence on leased warehouse space by 61,850 square feet, saving the District well over $300,000 a year. And he’s just getting started.
As many of you may know, the District is faced with significant lease expirations that began in fiscal year 2008 and will continue in fiscal year 2009 and beyond. To effectively plan for these changes, OPM is in the midst of a programming initiative to assure that we have up-to-date information about agency space needs. Working with professional planners, we will determine how much space is needed for agency operations and define the “demand” side of our facilities needs.
To assure that there is an appropriate degree of consistency, transparency and predictability to the allocation of space among agencies, OPM is also developing comprehensive space standards for all government office users. Too often in the past, the District would allocate space without a complete analysis of agency needs and without the benefit of principles for space allocation. Sound analysis of agency needs coupled with up-to-date space standards that incorporate federal and private sector best practices will improve operational efficiency and prevent the waste of taxpayer dollars.
On the supply side, OPM staff is working on an Masters Facilities Plan for DC agencies. The plan will inventory the District’s facilities, express guiding principles in property management, and implement a single, comprehensive real estate strategy for the District. This plan will address a variety of issues including the construction of new government buildings, the re-use of closed schools buildings, and the revitalization of certain critical real estate assets like DC Village. One guiding principle in this plan is to reduce the District’s reliance on leased space.
Other current initiatives at OPM include:
• Implementing a robust preventative maintenance program;
• Constructing green buildings and decreasing energy consumption; and
• Improving business processes and systems for managing critical data.
We look forward to continuing to improve customer service in DC owned buildings. OPM will continue to keep the lines of communication open, as with all of our agency tenants, to discuss opportunities to improve service. To that end we will work with the Mayor’s office and the Council to ensure the successful delivery of services here at the historic John A. Wilson Building.
Finally, to protect DC employees and assets, I have hired a new Chief of the Protective Services Division (PSD). Chief Louis Cannon is spearheading efforts to improve efficiency, implement new technology, provide quality training, ensure the timely and professional maintenance of equipment and identify and incorporate best practices. Chief Cannon brings 36 years of progressively responsible law enforcement and security experience to the District and has already significantly improved staffing and daily operations of PSD.
Conclusion
The train has left the station. The Office of Property Management is on a committed journey to professionalize and improve its operations. The OPM workforce of approximately 300 employees is fully on board and I am proud to work with this energetic and committed group of DC employees. I look forward to our arrival at our destination - when the DC Office of Property Management provides best-in-class service, 21st century facilities on behalf of the citizens of the District of Columbia and serves as a model for other real estate agencies across the country.
Thank you again for this opportunity to testify. I welcome any questions you may have at this time.