After a brief delay, "A Day in the Life" is back! This time, we traveled to Flint and Detroit to shed some light on the issues facing non-Lansing employees.  Remember, if you know someone who should be featured on "A Day in the Life," contact Dana Graham at grahamd3@michigan.gov

Dan Hirzel is an Information Technology Technician, part of the Flint Field Services Team.  He was transferred to DIT from Corrections last July, but he has always worked in Flint.  When Dan was with Corrections, he served the entire Southeastern quadrant of Michigan, except for Wayne County.  Now, he and the others on his team serve seven counties – Huron, Tuscola, Sanilac, Shiawassee, Genesee, Lapeer and St. Clair.

Before he came to the state, Dan worked in Retail and Manufacturing Management, with companies like Radio Shack and John Hancock.  However, he left that behind to pursue a technology career.   He studied and got his degree from Nazareth College in Kalamazoo and has been with the state ever since.

Dan’s job has changed in a number of ways since the transition to DIT.  First off, he has to service agencies he is unfamiliar with.  To improve service, Dan’s manager, Cyndi Sazehn, has implemented a cross-training program.  Dan works with Sharron Beach, a former FIA employee, so they can teach each other about the different systems.  By having all of the team members cross-train, they will eventually be able to provide seamless service.  Right now, they still run into problems, but Dan calls cross-training an “investment,” saying that it “is a tribute to our manager that it is working.”

Dan says his favorite thing about his job is the diversity – he never works on the same thing.  His least favorite aspect of the job is overcoming the growing pains of DIT.  At corrections, Dan says he worked for a “mini-DIT,” so he can see where we’re headed; it’s just a bit tough getting there.  He says a big step toward building a strong organization would be for the different areas of DIT to get used to each other, and start trusting each other so that we can really work as a team.  Sometimes, the Field Services technicians can get stuck in the middle of other agency problems, so things like network passwords and clearances can be hard to get.

It can also be difficult to transition from one agency to another, Dan says.  For instance, he has proper Law Enforcement Information Network (LEIN) clearance for the Department of Corrections, but not for State Police.  Without proper LEIN clearance, nobody can work on State Police machines.  So right now, Dan can learn and watch as part of the cross-training initiative, but cannot fix computers as of yet.

Overall, Dan says he can see the vision for DIT and is looking forward to the day that the Department really starts charging ahead.  In the meantime, he comes to work every day committed to providing great service to his clients.  In fact, he was recommended for “A Day in the Life” by his manager because he is a strong employee working to make the Flint Team a model for all.