Innovation Steward Profile:
District 3’s Lori Copeland

This is the third in a series of employee profiles on the Innovation Stewards for each division or district. The aim is to shine the spotlight on these employees so the rest of us know who to turn to for help navigating the department’s innovation funnel while increasing participation. This week we profile District 3’s Lori Copeland.

Copeland (she can be reached at extension 7176) became the innovation steward for the district in early 2017.

“I saw folks struggling with the concept of submitting and/or recognizing innovation and I wanted to help them share and celebrate their success,” Lori said of her primary reason for taking the position.

She said her favorite part about being a steward is “encouraging folks to submit their ideas and innovations, so that other people who might be looking for those submissions can see and use them.”

Copeland recalls a recent highlight where she was able to guide a particularly reticent employee through the submission process.

“He reached out and submitted anyway, because he realized that it was more important that he help other folks solve a problem than to stay in his own comfort zone,” she recalled. “It is an amazing thing to witness folks learn, stretch, overcome and grow.”

Copeland has a simple message for employees who are hesitant to use the innovation funnel or seek assistance:

“It’s not about sharing for sharing’s sake….it is about helping people across our agency, just like you, make their jobs or their days a little easier or better!”

Here’s a list of all of the innovation stewards across the state who stand ready to help:

DMV - Beth Thompson
Administration - Angela Monson
Aeronautics & Public Transportation - Shauna Miller
Highways - David Coladner & Eric Dahlinger
D1 - Junior Williams
D2 - Bud Converse
D3 - Lori Copeland
D4 - DJ Price
D5 - Evan Snow
D6 - Jet Johnstone

 

Published 12-06-19