US embassy cable - 05ASUNCION925

UNCLAS ASUNCION 000925 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR HR/CDA/ML - OMS COORDINATOR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AOMS, PA 
SUBJECT: EMBASSY ASUNCION NOMINATES MARCIA GUTIERREZ TO 
ATTEND THE OFFICE MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST CONFERENCE, OCTOBER 
3-7, 2005 
 
REF: SECSTATE 132382 
 
1. Embassy Asuncion is pleased to nominate the following 
candidate to attend the Office Management Specialist (OMS) 
Conference, October 3-7, 2005: 
 
NAME: Marcia Gutierrez 
GRADE: FS-7 
SECTION: Political 
 
2. BEGIN TEXT: 
 
Since her arrival to Asuncion in September 2004, Marcia 
Gutierrez has proven herself to be an invaluable resource, 
not only to the officers in the Political section, but also 
to the DCM, Ambassador, other OMS at post and Locally 
Employed Staff.  Although assigned to the Political Section, 
staffing gaps have required Marcia to spend 50% of her time 
supporting the Front Office.  Although new to the Foreign 
Service, she has consistently proven her ability to handle 
the multitude of tasks assigned her. 
 
Ms. Gutierrez projects confidence and delivers performance 
beyond her experience.  She is always helpful and receptive 
to those in need of assistance, and always does so with a 
smile.  She provides support to no less than 5 people at any 
given time, doing so with great energy and enthusiasm.  With 
the DCM's OMS' sudden departure, Marcia was asked to fill 
that position until the permanent OMS arrived.  Marcia has 
not only done an excellent job, but has done so while 
continuing to provide support to the Political and RSO 
sections.  This extra effort won her an "Extra Mile Award" 
from the DCM, Kevin M. Johnson. 
 
Ms. Gutierrez is well versed in the Microsoft Office products 
and many in the embassy have come to rely on her knowledge 
and expertise to assist them with software issues.  She 
developed a vacation schedule in Excel, providing the front 
office with an at-a-glance view of personnel whereabouts, and 
has also developed a "watch" list database in MS Access for 
use by the Political and other sections throughout the 
embassy. 
 
Ms. Gutierrez is a forward thinker, always looking for ways 
where technology can assist in making the OMS job more 
productive and efficient.  She created an electronic filing 
system for the Political section cables, making it easier to 
retrieve and reference information.  She maintains the 
section's contact database within MS Outlook which enables 
each officer ready access to the most updated contact 
information. 
 
Ms. Gutierrez is always willing to share her MS Office 
knowledge with others and does so with ease and clarity.  She 
tempers her approach based on each person's ability and 
knowledge, ensuring understanding.  She is an active 
participant in the DCM's quarterly meetings with the OMS 
contingent, frequently suggesting new approaches to old 
problems that end up getting the job done.  Her wealth of 
pre-Foreign Service experience also gives her a seasoned view 
of the OMS function and career path.  As such, we feel that 
not only would Ms. Gutierrez benefit greatly from attending 
this OMS Conference, but that she can be a dynamic 
contributor as well. 
 
DCM Kevin M. Johnson nominates Ms. Gutierrez.  The Ambassador 
strongly supports this nomination. 
KEANE