Get to Know OEC
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The Office of Ethics and Compliance from L to R: Garrett Stanton, Sumi Lee, Jennifer Baillie, Claudia Silva, Todd Hood, Shannon Kirn, Denise Alvarez-Negrete
Doing what is right is not always easy. Luckily, we have a team that leads our commitment to upholding the highest ethical standards. The Office of Ethics and Compliance guides us with an emphasis on program oversight, education, training, monitoring and reporting.
The small but mighty office recently added a new position with an expanded focus on compliance. With several new faces, meet the chiefs that lead our commitment to what is written on the County seal “the noblest motive is the public good.”
Claudia Silva is the director of the Office of Ethics and Compliance. Silva was appointed the director in January of 2019 after having served two years as assistant county counsel. She oversees the development and implementation of the County’s ethics and compliance program and is the CAO liaison with the employee resource groups. Prior to joining the County, she worked in two other local city attorney offices providing legal advice on a wide range of matters.
Her favorite part of her job is working with the OEC team on carrying out new initiatives that are taking the County’s ethics and compliance program to the next level.
In her free time, Silva is active in Girl Scouts. She is a troop leader and serves in other leadership roles with the organization.
Silva has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from UCLA and her law degree from USD. She is a member of the Society of Corporate Compliance & Ethics.
Jennifer Baillie is the chief ethics officer for the County of San Diego. She has been in her position with OEC for over 9 years and has been with the County for almost 18 years. Baillie assists with developing and implementing the County’s ethics program and conducts investigations into complaints filed with OEC, the County’s Civil Service Commission and other governmental agencies.
Her favorite part of her job is training staff on ethics-related topics and working with employees throughout the County.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends and outdoor activities.
Baillie has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from San Diego State University and a master’s degree in Psychology from National University. She is a member of the Society of Corporate Compliance & Ethics, Ethics and Compliance Initiative and Associated Certified Fraud Examiners.
Todd Hood is the County’s new chief privacy officer. Hood joined the County in August 2019. He has been a privacy professional for the past 15 years. Prior to joining the County, Hood managed privacy programs for a data management company, a financial services institution and a managed care organization (health insurance).
His favorite part of the job is working with employees to prevent the impermissible access, use, and disclosure of personal information that is entrusted to all departments of the County of San Diego. Hood also serves as the County of San Diego ADA Title II Coordinator.
In his free time, he serves in leadership roles in five different nonprofit snow sports organizations committed to serving youth and adults in underrepresented communities, as part of the Far West Ski Association.
Hood has a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Purdue University and a master’s degree in international finance from the University of Southern California. He is a Certified Information Privacy Professional and member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals and member of the Society of Corporate Compliance & Ethics.
Sumi Lee is the County’s new chief compliance officer. Lee joined the County in October 2019. As chief compliance officer, Lee is part of the team that develops and implements the County’s ethics and compliance program, which includes investigating complaints of improper government activity, such as contractor fraud and conflicts of interest. She has been a compliance professional for the past 8 years. Prior to joining the County, she was the regional director of ethics and compliance for a publicly traded trucking corporation overseeing the Western Region. Lee brings experience in the public sector as a former deputy county counsel, public defender and alternative public defender.
Lee enjoys the wide range of employees and departments she can positively impact in implementing the ethics and compliance program.
In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, yoga and international traveling.
Lee has a bachelor’s degree in economics – Summa Cum Laude from Mills College and her law degree from JFK School of Law. She is a Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional and member of the Society of Corporate Compliance & Ethics and member of the Associated Certified Fraud Examiners.
Now that you’ve met our Office of Ethics and Compliance chiefs, it’s time to learn more about doing the right thing. Take an online Ethics 101 class. The video training can be found on LMS by searching for “ethics.”
Learn even more by visiting the Office of Ethics and Compliance on InSite to review the Code of Ethics and Statement of Values and find answers to frequently asked questions.
In addition, you should mark your calendar for the Ethics Awareness Month Information Fair on March 26. It will be held at the County Operations Center Plaza from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. More than 29 departments are scheduled to participate. Plus, there will be free goodies, music and more. Ethics Awareness Month is a great time to focus our attention on ethics in the workplace.
County employees who suspect or are aware of fraud, waste, abuse or other misconduct by other County employees, contractors, vendors or other business partners have an obligation to report such activity to their immediate supervisor, manager, department head, Department of Human Resources or Office of Ethics and Compliance. If you’re not comfortable with any of these options, or would like to make an anonymous report, the Ethics Hotline is always an option. Call (866) 549-0004. And remember, you are always welcome to call the Office of Ethics and Compliance for advice and/or guidance.