Erin Williams

Chairman, Nashville, TN

Erin has been with Metro Nashville government since 2002, serving on the staff of six mayors before a recent transition to the Department of Emergency Communications, where she serves as Assistant Director of Non-Emergency Municipal Services and Director of hubNashville 311. When she was initially tasked with developing a 311 service, Erin worked with a cross-functional team that included Information Technology Services, department representatives, mayoral staff, council representatives, and community members to launch hubNashville on the Salesforce platform in 2017, available by phone, website, and mobile app. The mission of hubNashville is to provide equitable, efficient access to non-emergency Metro services and information, while also delivering data to Metro leaders to support data-driven decision-making. In her role, Erin supports the work of the dedicated hubNashville contact center and hubSupport teams, guides the expansion of services offered through hubNashville, aligns operations with the priorities of the Mayor and Metro departments to ensure purposeful data collection, and works closely with departments, residents, and visitors to adapt and respond to evolving challenges, needs, and opportunities.

Monica Cichowlas

Vice Chairman and Founding Member, Jacksonville, FL

Monica Cichowlas embodies the essence of a servant leader; her passion for customer experience matched only by her expertise as a contact center guru. With over two decades of industry expertise, she stands as an example of excellence in contact center management. Pioneering innovation, Monica holds the distinction of establishing Jacksonville’s customer service center, one of local governments first customer service centers in the United States, revolutionizing service delivery. 

As a seasoned leader, Monica brings a wealth of knowledge and strategic insight to the table, guiding teams to achieve peak performance and drive meaningful outcomes. Monica leads an award-winning team in Jacksonville’s customer service center; the MyJax team serves over 600,000 customers annually with an excellent approval rating.  

In the ever-evolving world of contact center management, Monica remains at the forefront, continuously embracing innovation and pushing boundaries to shape the future of customer service. 

Derek Frizzell

Treasurer, Chattanooga, TN

Derek currently serves as the Director of 311 Operations for the City of Chattanooga's 311-service center (CHATT311). The City of Chattanooga was one of the first mid size cities to implement a 311 center. CHATT311 opened in 2003 with five employees and currently has twenty employees working over 200K citizen interactions a year.

Derek has been employed with the City of Chattanooga since 2016 working in the Treasury office prior to moving to the 311 center in 2018. He has over twenty years of service center experience with a focus on customer service, billing and finance. Derek previously worked with the Cooperative Response Center in the electric cooperative industry and Unum in the insurance/finance industry prior to coming to the City of Chattanooga. He currently lives in Chattanooga with his wife and two daughters. 

Jody Duncan

Recording Secretary, Louisville, KY

Jody Duncan retired after 26 years of dedicated service to Metro Louisville, where she held a variety of impactful roles. Her career began in public safety as a dispatcher with Louisville Fire and Rescue, a firefighter with McMahan Fire, and an EMT with Rural Metro Ambulance. She later transitioned into leadership positions, serving as the manager of Metro311 and Supervisor of the Open Records Department. Jody holds a Bachelor of Science in Communications and continues to stay active in her community by working part-time at the YMCA. In retirement, she enjoys spending quality time with her husband, son, and their three beloved pups.

Susan Pontarelli

Executive Vice Chairman, Evanston, IL

Sue Pontarelli has worked for the City of Evanston Police Department since 1984 in numerous positions, including Service Desk Officer, Crime Prevention Specialist, 911 Operator and most currently the Police Service Desk/311 Manger.

On March 1, 2011 the City of Evanston 311 Center was launched. Sue was part of the team that built the Center from the ground up. Sue’s true passion is comedy and loves to do stand-up and performs with several improvisation groups in the Chicago land area. Sue is very excited to be a board member of the AGCCP. Sue is married and lives in Chicago with her husband.

Shannon Spivey

Assistant Treasurer, Baldwin County, AL

Shannon has worked with the Baldwin County Commission since 2006. She earned her B.S in Marketing from the University of South Alabama after which time, she and her husband were stationed in Germany where she worked for Army Community Service in their Information and Referral Division and in the Relocation Division. Upon returning home, she worked in the funeral service industry for 10 years before deciding to once again join the public service arena. As assistant to the Mayor of Daphne, much of her time was spent helping citizens who had tired of trying to figure out whom to call for help. It was this love of trying to figure out “who does what” that led her to apply for the position of Customer Relationship Manager for the Baldwin County Commission in 2006. As such, she manages their service center, which currently averages 28,000 calls per month and she still spends much of her day gathering information and referring citizens to the appropriate agency or finding an answer to that impossible question. Baldwin County currently uses Lagan CRM software and Siemens OpenScape Contact Center for call routing. She currently manages a staff of 6 fulltime Customer Service Representative and a Knowledgebase/Website coordinator all of whom are working to grow the contact center and the services offered to the citizens of Baldwin County and the 14 municipalities within her borders.

Stephanie Brown

Corresponding Secretary & Dee Crayton Award of Excellence Chairman, Columbia, MO

Stephanie Brown has worked for the City of Columbia since 2006 when she started with the Solid Waste Division before transferring to the Water and Light Department. She was promoted to the position of Manager of the newly developed Contact Center in 2015. Stephanie has over 20 years of customer service experience from a background in retail management, medical administration, banking and finance. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Columbia College and has a passion for customer engagement, solving issues and finding working solutions to enhance operations. Stephanie is also a certified Service with Principles facilitator through EdTrek and a Diversity and Inclusion Facilitrainer. Stephanie is currently a key player in the completion of transitioning the City of Columbia to one central location for information and services under 874-CITY. She is also working on enhancing both employee and customer engagement by focusing her team on developing as customer service professionals and understanding the concept of customer experience. Her team has recently launched live chat and she is working on enhancing the CRM system for a better user experience and configuring it with a new Citizen Self Service platform. Stephanie joined AGCCP in 2015 and was recently elected to the Board in 2017. She has found that this organization provides great support and real-life, relevant information for anyone involved in a governmental contact or call center. Currently, living in Columbia, MO, Stephanie has one son. She loves traveling and reading…and is looking forward to the next AGCCP Conference!

Yvette Hopson

Assistant Corresponding Secretary, Evanston, IL

Yvette is the Assistant Supervisor for the Evanston 311 Center and Police Service Desk. She began her career at the Evanston Police Department in 2005 and held a variety of roles over the past 16 years. The Evanston community has always been special to her; not just because she is a lifelong resident, but because she enjoys sharing information, connecting with others, and offering assistance. Yvette started as a Service Desk Officer II and worked at the Police Service Desk while also working with prisoners, sworn officers, and community members.  The opportunity for change was presented and she transitioned to the 311 Center as a Service Desk Officer I. She learned a great deal about city government structures and how 311 services can be used to support the community and give access to all city departments. Most importantly, she saw great examples of excellent customer service and best practices for creating positive customer experiences. Her dedication earned her the opportunity to be identified as a leader and as a result was promoted to the Assistant Supervisor for the Evanston 311 Center and Police Service Desk. In this role, Yvette supports an amazing group of personnel that continues to provide quality service, access to resources, and information to the Evanston community and beyond. 

Wendy Urbanic

Communication Specialist, Pittsburgh, PA

Wendy Urbanic started with the City of Pittsburgh in 1999 and was selected to manage the City of Pittsburgh’s 311 Response Center since its inception in 2006. With an acute focus on stellar customer service the center has grown from 3 FT operators to a crew of eleven who have worked in tandem with the Emergency Operations Center when necessary. Pittsburgh’s robust twitter account (@Pgh311) has inspired her interest in social media. 

Wendy has been a member of the Association of Government Contact Center Professionals since 2007 and has served on the AGCCP board since May of 2012. She has over 25 years of customer service experience in a variety of capacities, including being a utility services advocate for a non-profit, developing and managing a quality assurance center for a Fortune 500 Company, running her own business and serving as an employment services coordinator.

Jenny Jaqua

Award of Distinction Chairman, Toledo, OH

Jenny Jaqua serves as the Commissioner of Customer Service & Engagement for the City of Toledo, Ohio. With over 30 years of experience in customer service, she is responsible for leading the city's customer service strategy and overseeing service delivery for internal and external customers. Additionally, she is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Public Utilities and Engage Toledo customer service contact centers, where, under her leadership, they received national recognition for citizen engagement three times in the past nine years.

Jenny holds a lifetime customer service professional certification, represents the city on the Board of Directors for the Association of Government Contact Center Professionals, and is a member of the Executive Customer Service Committee for the State of Ohio chapter of the American Water Works Association. While Jenny is proud of her professional role, her favorite position is being a mom to her two sons, Zach and Nick.

Carter Hall

Webmaster, Knoxville, TN

A Knoxville native, Carter joined City government after serving as Mayor Indya Kincannon’s 2019 Transition Team Director. He is currently the Deputy Director for the 311 Center for Service Innovation, leading initiatives to improve service delivery through data analytics, digital design advancement, and customer service innovation. His work has earned national recognition from the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative and the National League of Cities.

Though now a dedicated public servant, Carter has served in various advocacy and data management roles for non-profits and political campaigns. He holds a bachelor's in political science and philosophy, and a master's in public policy and administration from the University of Tennessee. In his free time, Carter is a dedicated marathon runner, and enjoys spending time outdoors fishing or hiking with his wife Rachel and their dog Birdie.

Portia Clark

Board Member & 2025 Dee Crayton Award of Excellence Recipient, Tuscaloosa, AL

Portia Clark is the 311 Call Center Manager for the City of Tuscaloosa, where she leads a high-performing team dedicated to delivering exceptional resident service. Under her leadership, 311 achieved record service levels, expanded its data-driven reporting, strengthened quality assurance practices, and launched creative recognition programs such as the annual Tuskie Awards.

Portia also led the development of the City’s Storm Mode — a strategic service prioritization initiative during severe weather events, advanced cross-department customer service partnerships, and elevated staff engagement through innovative huddles, coaching, and culture-building initiatives.

She is the 2025 recipient of AGCCP’s Award of Excellence and is committed to shaping high-quality, human-centered customer care across government. Portia is honored to serve on the AGCCP Board and support the growth and collaboration of public-sector contact center professionals.

Janet B. Nelson

Historian and Founding Member, Charlotte, NC

Janet’s career encompassed 34 years with the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. From 1974 until 2010, she worked in various departments that included Human Resources, Department of Transportation, Neighborhood Development, Public Service & Information, Customer Service & Information and CharMeck 311. She worked in a number of positions throughout her career but one area stood out more than the others, her passion for training and development in the Customer Service & Information Center as well as CharMeck 311 . It was important to have an outline of what would take place from the beginning when a person was hired. She was instrumental in getting the cross reference keywords developed that are still being used now. As one of the founding members of AGCCE, now AGCCP, she did a lot of research in helping to get the the information needed that would allow the AGCCP to exist today.

Janet retired from CharMeck 311 January, 2010.