Merrie Allen, CPM

Director in County Finance, Hillsborough County Clerk of Circuit Court
Merrie Allen

9:00-10:15 Room 117
When Silence is Not Golden: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace 

 

The presentation is based on the book, The Fearless Organization by Amy Edmondson. The objective of the presentation is to provide an understanding of psychological safety and the role it plays in workplace learning/growth, innovation, performance, and employee engagement. Content will include:

· The definition of psychological safety

· Why psychological safety matters

· Benefits of psychological safety

· Consequences of fear-based culture

· Case studies for success and failure

· Relatable lessons from content in Level 2 (Blue Angels, Challenger)

· How to build a psychologically safe environment

· Resources: Free Psychological Safety Assessment Survey

Blue Angels Debriefing Method https://fearlessorganizationscan.com/engage/free-personal-psychological-safety-survey

Merrie is a military veteran having served six years in the United States Navy. Soon after her honorable discharge from the Navy, she began her civilian government career working for the Department of Defense at the Defense Finance and Accounting Service Center as a Military Payment Specialist in Indianapolis, Indiana and Colorado Springs, Colorado. Upon transferring to Florida with her Army spouse, she continued working for the Department of Defense at MacDill Air Force as a Financial Support Specialist. After a few years, Merrie started working for Coca-Cola Enterprises as a staff accountant.  Nearly two years later, she began her 23-year career with  Hillsborough County, first under the Board of County Commissioners working in the Fleet Management department as an accounting supervisor. Soon thereafter, she earned a promotion to accounting manager with the Hillsborough County Clerk of Circuit Court where she managed the accounts payable for 20 years. Merrie currently works as a director in County Finance overseeing grant monitoring.

Merrie holds an MBA from Bellevue University and is a proud graduate of the Florida Certified Public Manager Program, Class of 2020. She served as an adjunct instructor for the Clerk’s training department teaching personal finance in support of employee personal development. Merrie volunteers in the community teaching financial literacy and is the author of two books, Money Management Wisdom for Millennials and Money Management Wisdom, 8 Steps to Living Your Best Life.

Merrie takes great pleasure in reading, gardening, jigsaw puzzles, and spending time with her four grandchildren.