Equal Employment Opportunity Manager to retire after over 37 years of service

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Stephanie Coleman, manager of the Equal Employment Opportunity office, will retire June 28 after more than 37 years of service to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the Nashville District.

Coleman originally started in 1987 as a typist in the Operations Division before eventually moving to the Equal Employment Opportunity office around 1994. She served as an EEO assistant and specialist before eventually being promoted to manager. All of that experience, she says, prepared her for her past six years as an EEO manager.

“The most rewarding part has been the trust that has been gained from employees and managers. As a neutral processing office, we’re not on the side of the managers — we’re not on the side of the employees, but everyone is our client,” she said.

The Office of Equal Employment Opportunity assists with workplace practices and cultural awareness and also serves as a place for employees to file discrimination complaints. Still, Coleman has worked on her own time to ensure the office operates in a proactive manner, reaching out to the workforce, visiting projects and conducting training sessions, she said.

Coleman has also overseen several beneficial programs that have helped foster involvement and build morale, which includes one of her favorites: the district’s annual holiday game.

“I wrote the district’s holiday shows, and it was just an opportunity for employees to come together and show that family spirit that Nashville is known for,” she said. “I don’t know of any other county that does what we do for celebrating the holidays.

Jeff Roets took over as manager on June 17 and will look to build on Coleman’s legacy and continue to help and promote the office’s mission going forward.

“My role is to come in and maintain the confidence of everyone who walks through our doors, whether it’s management, complainants or employees with questions,” he said.

He is grateful for the work Coleman has done in creating a great foundation for the office and understanding its purpose among employees and managers.

“I’m privileged to have the opportunity to continue building on that structure,” he said. “My goal is to continue the level of service to the Corps that she led.”

He joins the Nashville District after years of service in previous EEO positions as well as ministry work and says the skills from his experiences will help him in this job and efforts within the office.

He encourages employees to contact or stop by the office even if they don’t have an EEO-related question.

“If you are not in the building, invite us to where you are. We would like to have a site visit just to get to know you to help us better appreciate your contribution to the mission of our District. I’d like to get to know as many people in the district as possible and hear about what you do,” said Roets.

The US Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District is headquartered at the Estes Kefauver Federal Building in Nashville, Tennessee. US Army Nashville District civilians and officers serve the region, the Corps and the nation by providing collaborative water resources engineering solutions, world-class public infrastructure management and environmental stewardship for the Cumberland-Tennessee River Systems.