Articles from prior issues of The Advocate

May/June 2001

20 Attempts to Leave SSA* Or How Sue Davis Nearly Retired
by Donna Hilton, Publication Director

WHEN THE WORD CAME DOWN that Sue Davis would be the Acting Chief of Staff, most people said, “I thought she just retired?” And she had. Sue retired from the Social Security Administration on March 31, 2001 and had an entertaining farewell retirement dinner on March 30th. She was feted with a lovely dinner followed by a “roast” which allowed friends and colleagues to tell anecdotal stories on Sue. As usual, Sue took the humor in good stride; she confided that her strategy was to keep quiet, fearing that any rebuttals were result in more tales!

Sue agreed to be interviewed by the NADE Publications Director to discuss her career at SSA as well as her attempt to leave SSA.

Over the years, Sue Davis has impressed us all with her quick wit and dry sense of humor, but even more so with her wealth of knowledge and ability to hit the ground running. A Pennsylvania native, she majored in business in college and nearing graduation took the federal test in hopes of securing a job – any job to relieve her mother’s concerns that Sue would be an unemployed, overeducated, unskilled worker. She began her career in Baltimore as a Claims Authorizer. It was an exciting time at SSA; the staff was fairly young and the new disability program was growing. She shifted to working in the area of Self-Employment Policy. From there she transferred to Kansas City, working as a SSI Analyst. Because the SSI program was so new and there was no POMS, the staff had to create guidelines to establish the parameters as they went. The Program Circulars were the communication tools of the day. It was a hectic time. "Before we even began paying benefits, additional legislation was passed."

Davis states that she has never been bored working at SSA. Throughout her career, she has held many positions, and reports that they were all challenging. One of her favorite assignments was as Kansas City Area Director, a position she assumed in 1980.

She later went on to become the Deputy Regional Commissioner under Larry Massanari for the Philadelphia Region. It was from that position that she “rose” to the role as Director of the Disability Program Redesign Team (DPRT). She has attended several NADE National Training Conferences and always graciously visited the NADE MidYear Board meetings to discuss the DPRT progress and the pilots that evolved through the formative Redesign years.

When asked where she sees the SSA/disability program in 2010, she stated that the program needs to remain flexible and sensitive to this nation’s diverse population. She noted that Social Security is a safety net for many, if not all, of the people. She is glad that she had the opportunity to be a part of the Redesign Team and 2010 Vision. Sue reminded me that there were many components involved in 2010 Vision and they probably won’t get everything that they wished for. But change in a large organization such as SSA does not come quickly and if even 50-60 per cent of the recommendations can be enacted, then it should be considered a successful endeavor. When asked what she sees as the biggest challenge facing SSA in the future, she indicated (1) the impact of the Baby Boomers on the SSA resources, and (2) the loss of knowledge from retiring SSA/DDS Baby Boomers. She also noted that there are high expectations for the use of technology, which must be balanced with the public’s right to privacy. “One thing we (the 2010 sessions) all agreed upon in the 2010 Vision meetings was that there is a need for change,” said Sue. “The next 10 to 20 years will be absolutely vibrant at SSA and DDSs.” Sue stated that the current technology, such as using the Internet and voice use with computers, and future technology is just a drop in the bucket, compared to the potential.

In a lighter query, Sue was asked how she has handled the stress of responsibility and working in an agency that is constantly changing. Her response was, “Humor! Be honest with people, and don’t try to wing it.” She felt it is important to bring all the parties to the table when trying to build consensus or handle change. Sue also emphasized that how much she has enjoyed working with NADE. “The DDS folks do a good job: SSA does a good job. It is a tough program to administer and it has been good to see SSA and the DDSs work well together.”

Finally, Sue was asked how she returned to SSA as Acting Chief of Staff. It appears no good deed goes unpunished! She had sent an email to Larry Massanari to congratulate him on becoming Acting Commissioner and offered to be available as a resource person, should the need arise. He called her back and asked for a favor. Without hesitation, she said “Sure Larry, what can I do for you?” Her retirement had lasted only nine days.

Welcome back, Sue!

*(Apologies to Paul Simon)