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2012 SESSION

12103077D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 278
Offered January 27, 2012
Commending Donna M. Blatecky.
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Patrons-- Tata, Albo, Alexander, Anderson, BaCote, Bell, Richard P., Brink, Bulova, Byron, Carr, Cosgrove, Cox, M.K., Crockett-Stark, Dance, Dudenhefer, Edmunds, Farrell, Filler-Corn, Gilbert, Greason, Herring, Hope, Howell, A.T., Ingram, James, Johnson, Keam, Kilgore, Knight, Kory, Landes, Lewis, Marshall, D.W., McClellan, McQuinn, Merricks, Morefield, Morris, Morrissey, O'Quinn, Plum, Poindexter, Purkey, Putney, Ransone, Rush, Scott, E.T., Scott, J.M., Sherwood, Sickles, Spruill, Surovell, Torian, Toscano, Tyler, Ward, Ware, O., Ware, R.L. and Watts
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WHEREAS, Donna M. Blatecky will retire July 1, 2012, as deputy director of the Virginia Retirement System after more than 30 years of devoted service to the Commonwealth of Virginia’s public employees and retirees; and

WHEREAS, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Donna Blatecky received a master of business administration degree from the University of Richmond and certification from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans; and

WHEREAS, Donna Blatecky also completed programs at the Commonwealth Management Institute, Virginia Executive Institute, and Strategic Leadership for State Executives at Duke University; and

WHEREAS, Donna Blatecky began her distinguished career with the Virginia Retirement System in 1980 as the benefits program supervisor, rising through the ranks to become benefits program manager and assistant director for benefit programs and services before assuming the role of deputy director in 2001; and

WHEREAS, as deputy director, Donna Blatecky oversaw the development and implementation of Virginia Retirement System policies, benefit processing, retirement counseling, call center services, disbursements, training and education, insurance programs, and deferred compensation plans; and

WHEREAS, known for her commitment to customer service and excellence, Donna Blatecky has overseen many changes in the Commonwealth’s benefit plans and implemented those changes with a high degree of efficiency; and

WHEREAS, Donna Blatecky is universally recognized for her unwavering dedication and fiduciary responsibility to the Virginia Retirement System, its members, and retirees; and

WHEREAS, Donna Blatecky will long be remembered for her encyclopedic knowledge of Virginia’s retirement benefit and related statutes and its legislative history as well as Internal Revenue Service Code and regulation; and

WHEREAS, in 1991 Donna Blatecky applied her knowledge and skills to overseeing the implementation of an early retirement program, which resulted in the retiring of over 7,000 individuals in less than four months and the 1995 Workforce Transition Act Voluntary Program, which resulted in the retirement of over 6,000 employees in less than three months; and

WHEREAS, in 1999 Donna Blatecky led the statewide effort to implement the Virginia Sickness and Disability Program, which affected more than 100,000 employees; and

WHEREAS, Donna Blatecky continued to implement and study benefits programs for the Commonwealth and, in 2008 led a review of and an initiative to reform the Virginia Sickness and Disability Program that resulted in savings of over $1.2 million; and

WHEREAS, a respected leader in her field, Donna Blatecky coauthored the article “Virginia Retirement System: A Model Disability Program,” which was published in Compensation and Benefits Review and provided thoughtful insight to colleagues throughout the state and nation; and

WHEREAS, after more than 30 years of distinguished service with the Virginia Retirement System, Donna Blatecky looks forward to relocating and enjoying the mountains of North Carolina; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Donna M. Blatecky for her many contributions to the Commonwealth on the occasion of her retirement; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Donna M. Blatecky as an expression of the General Assembly’s gratitude for her exemplary service to the Commonwealth and its public employees and retirees and its best wishes in her future endeavors.