Holly Michalchuk
Ashton
Summary
Experienced professional with a strong track record in office administration, management, and general operations. Adept at effectively communicating with executives, stakeholders, and clients. Possessing over 19 years of experience in various levels of office administration, including a long tenure within parliamentary offices and as a Public Servant within the Department of National Defence (DND) as an Indeterminate AS-04 supporting a Minister's office. Demonstrating excellent organizational skills and attention to detail. Well-equipped to handle complex tasks and deliver exceptional results.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
Work History
Human Resources & Business Management Team Lead
National Defence, Departmental Assistant's Office
12.2024 - Current
- Provide human resources support to DAO team and Minister of National Defence's Office (MNDO) exempt staff in areas of staffing, classification, training, labour relations, organizational design and business continuity planning.
- Research, analyze, and understand various DND policies, Treasury Board Secretariat policies, collective agreements, directives, legislation and provide advice and guidance to senior management (AS07) and Director.
- Consult with senior management to develop continuity plan and organizational design for DAO, provide advice and guidance around HR requirements.
- Develop strong working relationships with internal and external stakeholders including Office of the Chief Human Resource Officer (OCHRO), Budget/Finance Officer, Comptrollers, HR-Civ Staffing, Classification, and Labour Relations to facilitate flow of information.
- Create tracking systems to capture previous and current DAO and MNDO staff information. Utilized by various stakeholders and provided on a weekly basis to support forecasting information for Budget/Finance Officer, and to support Director's briefings with MND Chief of Staff.
- Provide direct support to Director on a special project which advises all L1's in DND of their requirements in a transition when a Cabinet Shuffle or General Election takes place.
- Schedule and attend meetings with internal and external stakeholders to develop strategic plans for DAO, including Employment Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EEDI), training coordination, and organization of DAO Town Hall Meetings.
Portfolio Coordinator - Departmental Liaison
National Defence, Departmental Assistant's Office
07.2022 - 12.2024
- Planned and facilitated travel and engagements for the Minister of National Defence (MND) and his staff (MNDO)
- Managed and tracked invitations, important events, and travel for Minister and his staff. Developed tracking tools which were utilized by various L1's within the department for planning purposes during weekly strategic planning meetings involving the MND.
- Lead for all Dignitary Visits for MND with visiting foreign counterparts, dignitaries, stakeholders and visitors. Developed strong working relationships with internal stakeholders for planning and coordination including Military Assistants (MAO) Deputy Minister's Office (DMO), Defence Foreign Liaison (DFL), Policy (ADM(POL), Public Affairs (ADM(PA), DAO Corporate Services Security Officerfor building access, financial authorities, hospitality and room(s) set-up.
- Challenger Administrative Flight Services (AFS) Lead Liaison between Canadian Armed Forces 412 Squadron (Ottawa) Challenger Fleet and Chief of Staff to the Minister of National Defence (COS MND) to facilitate use of the Challenger Fleet for AFS (Administrative Flight Services) Advised DAO Director of policies and requirements for Minister’s and senior government officials travel and use of the Challenger Fleet to ensure compliance.
- Lead coordinator for MND and Member of Parliament (MP) Pairings. Employed my strong knowledge of the House of Commons (HOC) policy for 'MP Pairings' so MND could travel while the HOC was in session. Responsible for the MP pairings travel bookings, and travel claim arrangements.
- Held a DND Corporate Credit Card (authorized amount of $100,000.00) for booking travel for MND, MNDO and other Members of Parliament (MP’s)
- Supervision of an AS-02 who lead the approval of MND’s correspondence in collaboration with the Ministerial Correspondence Unit (MCU) within Corp Sec.
- Advised Senior Executives on efficiencies, and or any roadblocks with processes and problem solved to provide resolutions.
- Performed all aspects of supervision such as goal setting, check ins, training requests, leave tracking, workload/prioritization management, performance appraisals and any staffing as required for the position.
Chief of Staff, Parliamentary Office
House of Commons
10.2015 - 07.2022
- HR and Operations Management of the Member of Parliament’s (MP) (Executive Level) Offices
- Responsible for the operations and management of 3 Offices (Parliamentary-Ottawa and Constituency offices- 2 offices out of province.
- Opened these MP offices in 2015 when the MP was newly elected and worked closely with House of Commons Administration (HOC) to ensure all policies were meticulously followed.
- Hiring manager with 5-6 direct reports. Performed all aspects of Human Resources (HR) interviews, reporting, staffing of positions, check ins, yearly performance appraisals, goal setting, training requests, mentorship, benefits, compensation, and performance awards
- Met regularly with the MP (Executive Level) to set priorities, organized and delegated tasks to staff members within the Parliamentary and Constituency Offices.
- Organized and maintained consistent communication (Teams/Zoom calls) with weekly all-staff meetings between MP, Constituency and Ottawa Staff and frequent individual check ins with staff.
- Demonstrated, communicated, and applied a deep understanding of the policy for Members, the House of Commons Members Allowances and Services Manual (HOC MAS governing rules while holding a public office) Provided complex advice and guidance to the MP based on my knowledge.
- Advised the MP on many strategic areas such as HR/employee management, allocation of funds and spending allotments for travel, staff, advertising, office leases, and other commitments paid for using public funds. Communicated updates on evergreen issues such as, how the office functions during a 'Dissolution of Parliament'.
- Financial Management: Managed a $450,000.00 office budget for the MP and offices. Forecasting and reporting briefs were provided to the MP regularly to ensure appropriate use of public funds and ensure overall budget health
- Payment of invoices, filing/reconciling claims for operation of Parliamentary, Constituency offices, and the MP's allowances
- Coordinated all travel for the MP, spouse, and office staff, and filed claims to reconcile expenses. Ensured the MP's constituency events were provided by constituency staff and incorporated into the MP's travel plan.
- Coordination, Daily Planning, and Administration Maintained the MP’s overall schedule and briefed the MP on daily obligations for House of Commons proceedings such as roles at Parliamentary Committees, Question Period, speeches, and events.
- Coordination of all briefings and materials: Ensured the Legislative Assistant had all materials ready to provide to the MP in detail for his roles at Parliamentary Committees, Question Period, speeches, events and scripts for Social Media posts.
- Meeting Arrangement, attendance and note taking for meetings with stakeholders. Notes often used to draft correspondence for appropriate departments, Parliamentary Secretaries and or Ministers outlining issues brought forward, or suggested changes to be made by the MP.
- General office administration, filing and organizational practices to keep my office and our staff running efficiently for the MP.
Executive Assistant, Parliamentary Office
House of Commons
03.2010 - 10.2015
- Management of Parliamentary Office Staff (various positions of 2-3 direct reports) Delegated tasks and flow of work within the Parliamentary Office based on the MP's priorities.
- Organized and maintained consistent communication (conference calls) between MP, Constituency and Ottawa Staff
- Demonstrated, communicated, and applied a deep understanding of the policy for Members, the House of Commons Members Allowances and Services Manual (HOC MAS governing rules while holding a public office) Provided complex advice and guidance to the MP based on my knowledge. Provided Strategic advice on allocation of funds, spending allotments for travel, staffing commitments, advertising, office leases and other liabilities paid for using public funds. Communicated updates, changes, and amendments to the MP on a regular basis
- Closed this MP office in 2015 when the MP Retired, and worked closely with HOC departments to ensure all policies for closure of an MP office were meticulously followed.
- Financial and Travel Management: Responsible for payment of invoices and filing/reconciling claims for operation of the Parliamentary office and MP's allowances
- Coordinated all travel for the MP, spouse, and office staff, and filed claims to reconcile expenses. Ensured the MP's constituency events were provided by constituency staff and incorporated into the MP's travel plan.
- Coordination, Daily Planning, and Administration Maintained the MP’s overall schedule and briefed the MP on daily obligations for House of Commons proceedings such as roles at Parliamentary Committees, Question Period, speeches, and events.
- Coordination of all briefings and materials: Ensured the Legislative Assistant had all materials ready to provide to the MP in detail for his roles at Parliamentary Committees, Question Period, speeches, events and scripts for Social Media posts.
- Meeting Arrangement, attendance and note taking for meetings with stakeholders. Notes often used to draft correspondence for appropriate departments, Parliamentary Secretaries and or Ministers outlining issues brought forward, or suggested changes to be made by the MP.
- General office administration, filing and organizational practices to keep my office running efficiently for the MP
- Organized public tours of the Parliamentary Precinct for visiting constituents and dignitaries to the National Capital Region
Education
Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) & Ontario Academic Certificate (OAC) -
Cobourg District Collegiate Institute West
Cobourg, ON06-1999
Skills
- Effective Written and Verbal Communication
- Effective Team Engagement
- Resourceful Solutions Approach
- Leadership Skills
- Client Relationship Management
- Effective Relationship Building
- Operational Efficiency Enhancement
- MS Office, HRMS, SharePoint
Language Profile
Second Language Profile - BBB (As of January 2025)
Security Clearance Level
Secret Security Clearance
Valid until 2032
Corporate Training
- ADM HRCiv Second Language Training Course (French) Mar 2024 - Dec 2024 to obtain level BBB (successful completion Jan 2025)
- Microsoft Excel Level 1 Course
- Mental Health First Aid Course, Mental Health Comission of Canada
- PPX Virtual Symposium: Focused on Results-Based Management, Resilience and Mental Health
- DiSC Personality Assessments and Conquering Stress: 1 day session offered through Performance Management Consultants
- PPX The Future-Fit public Sector: Designing and Delivering Programs and Services
- Team Collaboration: 1 day session offered through Performance Management Consultants
DAO Award
In recognition for developing and implementing an effective process to facilitate the flow of correspondence and invitations between MCU and MNDO
References
Available upon request
Timeline
Human Resources & Business Management Team Lead
National Defence, Departmental Assistant's Office
12.2024 - Current
Portfolio Coordinator - Departmental Liaison
National Defence, Departmental Assistant's Office
07.2022 - 12.2024
Chief of Staff, Parliamentary Office
House of Commons
10.2015 - 07.2022
Executive Assistant, Parliamentary Office
House of Commons
03.2010 - 10.2015
Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) & Ontario Academic Certificate (OAC) -
Cobourg District Collegiate Institute West
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