Valerie Valus

Adept at developing and implementing successful training programs focused on improving performance, enhancing knowledge and developing employees. Hardworking, well-organized and proactive with excellent communication and problem-solving abilities.

Five years employed administratively as Instructional Staff Developer for district wide internal staff and faculty; ten years as a Special Education teacher serving students from 3 to 22 years of age; Instructional Technology administrator and key contact individual for outside technology sales representatives, colleagues, and school district administration, for Pinellas County Public School Board. Eleven years of performance in key customer service and support roles including supervisory positions for Macy's Credit and Customer Service (formerly Financial, Administrative, and Credit Services for Federated Department stores, FACS). Expert in problem solving/resolutions, professional development, training and customer care through analysis, data collection, reporting, communication, research, and corporate relationship rebuilding. Experience with Call Center Management systems.

• Ms. Valus continues to be a leader in creative thinking and obtaining of resources, including staff who can provide support and professional development to others.
• She is highly professional and a great problem solver.
• You are a great technology support to your team.
• Ms. Valus is highly reflective and is always coming up with new ways to support teachers, MBAs and the other stakeholders that she works with on a regular basis.
• Ms. Valus has clearly established goals for herself. She creates timelines for meeting those goals.
• She uses creative thinking to approach novel situations, and this creates a positive result for the department.
• Ms. Valus identified a need this fall and as a result provided sessions at District-Wide Training to support improved practices. She has followed up with monitoring and a survey and determined that the additional training has proved successful in more effective completion.
• Ms. Valus continues to be a huge support to our Medical Behavior Assistants who provide direct services to students. She is always reflecting and adjusting the ways in which she provides training and support to these individuals. She is able to extinguish negative conversations and to keep the focus on the students. This modeling serves to help the MBAs remain professional and engage in problem solving. She has provided training and support to the coordinator who is taking over the MBA 45-hour micro credential courses.
• Ms. Valus works very well with her peers. She is focused on her duties and is a positive role model. She has served as a coach and mentor to the team assuming the CPR training. She has provided them with a well-developed system and ways to improve. She is available as a resource to anyone that needs assistance.
• Ms. Valus follows all required policies and procedures, for Pinellas County Schools and also for the ACHA and Medicaid. She always acts in an ethical manner and exercises strong judgement and confidentiality, which is critical in her role. She has gone above and beyond to learn complex rules and requirements.
• Ms. Valus has been observed to identify critical content for staff and why it is important. Because of her work with other departments and school staff, there have been many opportunities to observe that she is a very successful communicator and makes clear what others are to get from something she is "teaching”, and she uses appropriate methods to ensure that the content has been mastered.

Pinellas County Praise Award 2023 "Valerie is an amazing team player. She is always willing to go the extra mile to get the job done.  Medicaid had an audit review summary for Quarter 3 2022 via the Agency for Health Care Administration. Valerie got 86 out of 86 survey responses for the audit. She also trained the respondents. Pinellas earned a perfect score. This is thanks to Valerie taking on the responsibility to ensure compliance with survey."

Macy’s Credit and Customer Service High Five Award 2000 "Valerie’s performance consistently meets and exceeds expectations. She makes sound credit decisions that meet the department standards. She displays a positive demeanor when on the phone and with her fellow employees. She applies all learned skills to complete her job on a consistent basis. Valerie is an important member of the Big-Ticket department and Credit Granting."