We are so proud to recognize and celebrate Girley Wright’s 50 years of service with the federal government! Girley laughed as she recounted that it was a complete fluke that she ended up working for the government at all. In her early 20s, having just graduated from Benedict College, she was working as a sixth grade geography teacher in South Carolina when her cousin asked her to ride with her to Charleston on a Saturday. Her cousin was set to take the Professional and Administrative Career Examination (PACE) test to work for the government and wanted company on the drive. When they arrived at the testing center, the instructor told her that, rather than just wait, she might as well take the test too! It said at the top of the test page that if you graduated in the top percent of your college class, you automatically got a 100 on the test. Well, Girley did, and job offers quickly followed. She accepted one as a claims representative with the Social Security Administration (SSA) in Charleston, SC. And the rest is history!
Girley’s career with the SSA took her from Charleston to Beaufort, and then she opened an office and managed contact stations in Hilton Head and Paris Island. Girley stayed with the SSA and moved to first Rockville, then Silver Spring, MD, and later to SSA’s District Office in Washington, DC, working up to being a branch office supervisor. At the time, the SSA was part of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, so Girley was able to move to a job with the Welfare Management Institute, where she began working in training. This became her entrance into the world of research.
Girley is currently a Senior Program Analyst in OPRE’s Division of Economic Improvement. Her portfolio has always included employment, TANF, and topics related to self-sufficiency. She has a particular interest in strategies that will improve the skills of workers with low income. Girley’s longest project at OPRE has been the Subsidized and Transitional Employment Demonstration (STED) Project. And her most interesting story? Recently ACF was faced with a question about an organization that received a 1997 Welfare to Work Demonstration Grant. This grant was somewhat distinctive in that it involved some money for construction. In researching some questions about the award, OPRE was asked who the original project officer was on the project, in the hopes that the person could provide some additional insight. It turns out it was Girley!
OPRE is so grateful for Girley’s service, commitment, insights, and passion for improving the lives of workers with low incomes. While her siblings are all hoping she will retire soon, we selfishly hope she will continue with us at OPRE for as long as possible!