All right, good morning, everyone.

Uh welcome to today's joint meeting.

No, it's not a joint meeting.

Uh welcome to today's committee meeting uh for the City of Houston Labor Committee.

We are called to order uh Thursday, April 9th at 1030 a.m.

on the dot.

Uh today we have a presentation from our amazing human resources department.

Uh the presentation is on upskilling the city workforce.

So we have with us Director Cheeks, um, who'll also be introducing Deputy Director Dr.

Bessex and Chief Learning Officer uh Dr.

Escobar.

Uh join me in chambers uh are my colleagues, Councilmember Ramirez.

Uh thank you, Councilmember, and you may be stepping into my seat uh in a few minutes.

I'll explain why shortly.

Uh we also have staff from Councilmember Carter, Councilmember Alcorn, Councilmember Thomas, Vice Mayor Pro Tem Peck's office, and of course, from Mayor Pro Tem Cassax Tatum's office.

Do we have anybody online?

All right.

We have Councilmember Alejandra Silva.

And we have Council Member Uh Selena joining us online as well.

Thank you, Councilmember.

Uh, before we jump in, I want to say uh this is likely the last time I get to chair a committee meeting for the city of Houston.

Um, and it is very proper that director, we would have you and your team here while uh my son Slade is sitting in the back because all of this started with our work together uh right when I found out I was about to have him and going through what I went through, but then working with you all because of how many parents at the city of Houston were going through similar challenges.

Uh so on behalf of my son, and the reason I'm gonna be stepping out uh gotta take him somewhere in a minute, but uh and I we also have hope in the audience uh and the leadership from Hope.

And again, I'm gonna take a moment of personal privilege because it is my last time to share a committee meeting here.

Um I just want to thank you all uh for the partnership for your leadership for working to improve the lives of our city employees uh and the work that we have gotten to do together to move the ball forward for all of Houston.

And that appreciation goes not only to our city employees within the HR department, but all of our city employees because the work that we did together, whether it was parental leave, whether it was other things, incorporated the voices of employees throughout the city in every department.

And I also want to recognize hope.

Um for y'all's leadership and the voice you provide when uh sometimes employees don't know or feel or recognize they have a voice, and that is not to say that HR doesn't do a phenomenal job, right?

We all have our rules to play, and the role that hope plays as well uh is extremely important.

So thanks to you all for this partnership, and thank you for uh allowing me a moment uh to get a little sentimental, but it just means the world to me to have gotten to work alongside you.

Uh the reason I say it may be my last committee meeting to chair, I will be here through May, but we have budget season coming up.

So for the public, as a reminder, uh budget season is the uh BFA's time to shine.

Uh they always shine, but it it is a month long of finance committee hearings related to the budget.

So traditionally, other committees do not necessarily meet because we have so many other meetings focused on the budget.

So, with that, um, we also have staff from Councilmember Castillo's office.

Welcome.

And uh we will start the presentation.

Floor is yours.

Well, first of all, uh I tried not to get choked up.

Uh well, first of all, uh I want to say thank you, Chair and Vice Chair, uh, for allowing us to speak today.

And um, if I may have just a 30-second point of personal privilege, it would be remiss for me not to say thank you.

Uh especially thank you to you for the support uh here um during my tenure this year.

It will actually be 10 years during my tenure in the human resources department.

So uh thank you so much.

It has meant a lot to partner with you.

It was phenomenal working through PPP and that day we got it signed.

It was phenomenal.

It was the most phenomenal feeling that I've ever had.

So thank you so very much.

Um today what we're going to do uh on today is actually give you a presentation uh of our upskilling plan.

Uh it's a part of the strategic plan, the people strategy that human resources has published for 2026 to 2030.

I am excited, which you know is very easy for me to get excited.

I am so excited about this plan and being able to show not only all of the colleagues that I have uh what we have been working on for this last 16 months.

I would be remiss also if I did not thank uh the administration, um, Dr.

Wilson, uh Stephen David, Jesse Bounds just saying thank you for the support.

Thank you for the vision uh because I believe today you will see that vision.

So uh without further ado, um, I would like to introduce to you the doctors that will be able that we'll be um presenting today.

And I want to say the HR department is very fortunate to have not just one but two PhDs here helping us go through the vision of HR.

And um, if you've had the chance to read our people strategy, we are letting everyone know that we are the beacon of HR, that we are the ones that will be showing others how it's done.

So uh I have here to my right Dr.