2021 Supervisor of the Year – Tina McMillan
Working as the floor Supervisor, Tina often oversees 30+ employees at once. Tina sets forth expectation on her shift and clearly communicates those expectations to those around her. In addition, Tina works to ensure continuity among her peer group and helps to maintain focus on hot topics within the center to ensure she holds those around her accountable and is supportive in meeting mission goals.
Tina has worked during her tenure at South Sound 911 to build relationships. This seems to come easy to her. At times where she is met with a challenge, usually related to a quality assurance assessment, she relies on her prior relationships to work through the challenge and treats each employee with respect and understanding. Tina is consistent and fair across the board which enables her to provide positive and coaching feedback to employees that is received well and rarely with pushback. It is often a said in a joking manner, but as with most work, your job description includes “duties as assigned.” For Tina, these duties often come out of the blue and with a short timeline to complete. No matter what other tasks Tina has on her plate, she drops what she is doing to complete the highest priority task quickly, completely and accurately. The part that continues to amaze me is that when she is finished with these tasks, she picks up with her other to-do items without missing a beat.
While Tina is proficient, organized and keeps up with her work, what makes her standout is her commitment to making our Agency a better place. Tina often spends her own money to buy little gifts to leave for employees on holidays or special days throughout the year. Employees often walk in to find a positive note on their desk from Tina to brighten their day and remind them they are seen. Tina meets challenges head on and does not let adversity slow her down. These things are things Tina does naturally, year in and year out.
Tina has been with South Sound 911 for 31 years, working in Records and Dispatch prior to becoming a Supervisor.
South Sound 911 is the PSAP serving Pierce County. Recently, South Sound 911 has completed a move into a new building which now houses Law, Fire and Records. Currently, South Sound 911 has nearly 200 employees and handles nearly 60,000 calls per month.
A Telecommunications Supervisor for South Sound 911 handles scheduling, performance evaluation, discipline, recognition, policy direction and general support to staff on a daily basis. In addition to these duties, Tina is the lead of South Sound 911’s Quality Assurance Program where she holds peers accountable for completing monthly quality assurance assessments of employees as well has completing quality assurance assessments of critical incidents handled within the center, often reaching over 200 critical incidents per month. Tina also participates in the Employee Recognition Team which helps to recognize and support employees across the agency.
