Each newsletter will have answers to questions received through dhssreorg@alaska.gov.

Q) Will I retain my existing email after the two new departments are implemented on July 1, 2022?

A) Email addresses will not change due to the reorganization. The format remains the same regardless of your department, which is the same format used by all State of Alaska (SOA) employees (lastname@alaska.gov). Existing inboxes and archived emails will also be retained and will be transferred by Information Technology (IT) to your new department.

Q) If I have approved leave after July 1, 2022, will it be honored by my new department?

A) Yes, all pre-approved leave will be honored. Make sure you document all leave requests in an email to your supervisor, so you have a record of your request. Retain the approval email from your supervisor. In the event your supervisor changes, you will then have an email to show that your leave request was approved.

Q) Will I need to move offices?

Finance and Management Services (FMS) is currently looking at office space for the two departments. While most employees will not need to move offices, some employees will need to relocate to ensure coworkers in the same division, program or unit are co-located. No one is being asked to move yet, and FMS will provide ample advance notice.

IRIS Planning and Training: Departmental Support Services has been meeting with various sister agencies to ensure a seamless transition from one department into two. FMS staff will be attending Agile project management planning sessions with the Department of Administration (DOA) Division of Finance staff on the steps, processes and timelines to set up both new departments in IRIS (SOA’s system for accounting, financial, procurement, payroll and human resources management functions). Communications to divisions on the outcome of these meetings will be provided in future newsletters or by email.

Departmental Support Services Update: FMS staff have begun shifting daily activities to reflect their future roles supporting either DOH or DFCS, depending on where they will be working after the reorganization. This will allow FMS to continue to provide uninterrupted services to each of the direct support divisions throughout the transition and beyond. Additionally, by beginning now, we will be better able to evaluate the planned staffing to ensure appropriate staff are assigned to support the divisions in each department. FMS wants you to know our goal has been, and will continue to be, to provide the best customer service possible. We will work diligently to safeguard the business needs of the divisions.

Effective March 21, 2022, Marian Sweet was appointed as assistant commissioner for DFCS. She has over 22 years with SOA. She has been with DHSS for over five years, worked at DOA on the original IRIS project and has held various positions with the Department of Transportation, including Finance Officer, and the Department of Fish and Game.

We are excited to announce the hiring of Torrey Jacobson as the deputy director in FMS for DOH; his first day will be April 18. Torrey has 13 years of experience with SOA. He has been the finance officer for the Department of Law since 2020. Prior to that he served as the budget manager for the Department of Public Safety. Torrey has a wealth of relevant experience having worked at the Office of Management and Budget for three years, the Division of Legislative Audit for four years and for DHSS for nearly three years. Additionally, Torrey is a certified public accountant and has a Master of Business Administration. We look forward to welcoming him back.

Click here to see positions currently open, existing positions about to be posted and future opportunities.