Many Roles, One Goal: Serving Others

Q: How long have you been a Wage and Hour Division investigator?

I’ve been with the Wage and Hour Division since 2011. I was teaching at Southern University in Shreveport, LA during an audit by the U.S. Department of Education. The auditors were veterans from Army and Air Force, and I was curious about how they came to work for a federal agency. They shared that they visited their VA representative at the local employment office to learn about federal jobs. As an Army veteran, I was interested in seeing what was available. So, I followed their lead and visited the VA representative at my local employment office. I originally applied to be an investigator in the Oklahoma City District Office. However, there was a need for an investigator in Texarkana, TX because the office had been vacant and the division needed coverage in the area.

Q: What has your experience been with the Wage and Hour Division’s culture?

Being a minority, a veteran, and being in a rural area, I appreciated the inclusivity and diversity of the agency. I was welcomed into the Wage and Hour Division and felt my life and work experiences were valued. I felt my military experience provided a good foundation for enforcement and my experience as a teacher and therapist has come in handy when educating workers and employers.

Q: Who inspires you to do your work as an investigator?

Everyday people and family. To me, family includes co-workers and trainees as well as blood relatives.

I helped found the Young Tiger Leaders (formerly the Red Tie Boys Club) as a way of helping disadvantaged youth. It all started with a school superintendent asking me to come talk to kids during detention for about 15 minutes to help inspire them to do better. I was a licensed therapist at the time. After talking to the kids a few times, I realized they needed a strong role model and more positive, fun experiences. We started the club back in 2010 and it’s still going strong. Turning what was a negative experience into a positive experience for these kids has inspired me to seek similar outcomes in my investigations.

Q: Can you give us an example of a case in which you turned a negative experience into a positive one?

I recently completed a complicated investigation involving wage garnishment provisions under the Consumer Credit Protection Act. These provisions contain important protections for workers whose wages are subject to garnishment.  In the end, the case resulted in the worker having accurate garnishments, keeping his job, and staying out of jail. In addition, the employer gained important knowledge and learned that he could contact the division in case of any wage and hour compliance issues in the future.

Q: What advice would you give to other investigators?

Communicate! Communicate! Communicate! Don’t be afraid to share best practices and ask for help. Also, rely on ALL of your skills – not just the skills you learned in investigator training – and be open to adding other skills to your toolbox.

#whatinspiresme #careers #publicservice #veterans