Working & Learning Together

In an effort to help further that mission, NAST established the Chief of Staff/Chief Deputy Treasurer Caucus. This is one of a couple specialized caucuses developed by NAST over the past few years. The focus of the CoS/CDT Caucus is to be a resource to all members to assist in professional development, problem solving, issue update, and management techniques. As co-chairs of this group starting in 2020, we have striven to provide opportunities to mentor and grow professionally. However, that goal took a turn in March. When COVID-19 hit our country, we quickly adjusted to become a group focused on crisis management and adapting to a new normal.

During this unprecedented time, the caucus has met via phone to share plans, establish teleworking operations for our offices, learn best practices for remote management, as well as maintain the functions and operations of the offices our Treasurers were elected or appointed to, and serve our ultimate bosses, the citizens of our states. We are now shifting our focus to “the reopen.” We are all at different places in the spectrum of returning to “normal” operations and are diligently working to define what this means for our offices.

This experience only highlights even more the beauty and benefit of NAST as a resource specifically on the staff level. While we often state, “if you’ve seen one Treasurer’s office, you’ve seen one Treasurer’s office,” we know the challenges and opportunities we face daily are universal. The ability to share and have a compatriot in those battles is empowering and relieving. To know that we have other people in our same roles to learn from, allows us the comfort of knowing we don’t have to solve it all by our self.

If your Chief of Staff/Chief Deputy is not already a part of our caucus or is not already connected with our listservs, please reach out to Shaun Snyder to get added today!

Sincerely,

Karen Austin, Chief of Staff, Iowa Treasurer’s Office