Jessica Ballew

Ballew_Jessica

Presentation: What to expect when you’re expecting (a major organizational change)

Abstract: When new parents are about to have their first child, they do a significant amount of research in order to understand all of the changes that will be coming. There will be changes to them personally, to their home, and maybe, to their community.

The same principles are true when an organization is about to undergo a major change. The organization may be nervous about what will happen and what the impact will be for the future.

Much like a person expecting a baby, being aware of what will happen throughout the major organizational change will help to provide a level of comfort and understanding. Information reduces uncertainty, and this translates into buy-in within the organization.

The presenters will provide real examples and lessons learned pertaining to helping individuals and organizations successfully deal with major change. The presentation will provide transferable tools and techniques that can be applied to achieve effective communication, stakeholder, and change management.

Biography: Jessica Iselt Ballew is the Deputy Assistant Director for Policy and Planning at the Department of Public Safety, overseeing enterprise projects, procurements, and contracts.  She is co-chair of the Texas Association of State Systems for Computing and Communication (TASSCC) Special Interest Group in Project Management. Jessica has a B.S. in Communications through Arizona State University.  In addition, she has over 18 years of experience in the planning, development, and delivery of information technology solutions and conducting business and process analysis to achieve operational improvement.