By A pril Haynes, OFO In Alethea “Missy” Payton’s nearly 31-year career, she has advanced through FSIS in several in-plant positions: food inspector, consumer safety inspector (CSI) and supervisory CSI. She also was a resource management specialist (RMS) from 2017 to 2019 and again on a detail starting in 2023. In April 2024, she moved to the Jackson, Mississippi, district office to a permanent RMS position.
Events in her personal life may have brought her to make some changes in her in-plant career, but her determination to be an asset to FSIS hasn’t swayed. A Desire to Serve Payton’s drive to support the FSIS mission and serve the public brought her from the field temporarily to the Jackson District Office in July 2023 to help during a staffing shortage. The district office asked if she was interested in an RMS detail.
“I was glad to come in from the field to help out because I try to be of service in any capacity that I can,” she said. Her prior experience as an RMS allowed her to fill a critical role and improve efficiency because she didn’t require extensive training. In April 2024, she became an RMS in a permanent position in the Jackson district office again.
Payton sees the value in passing knowledge to others and has helped them become confident by taking the time to teach them. While detailed, she realized that field employees needed help with the travel management system, Concur. She noted many errors that prolonged processing of travel vouchers and.