Service leadership

Raven DeVaughn describes her superpower as ‘authenticity’. And as Director at the Illinois Department of Central Management Services (CMS), it’s a quality that she needs in spades.

“I will tell you, ‘I did that really well’, and I will also say, ‘I messed that one up’,” she tells The CEO Magazine. “Having that level of transparency allows space for other people to hold themselves accountable but also know that it’s not the end of the world if something goes wrong.”

Describing CMS as the ‘operational engine’ of Illinois, DeVaughn leads an organization that sits behind nearly every public service in the state.

From managing over 600 buildings and a fleet of 12,000 vehicles to overseeing procurement, HR and employee benefits, it functions as a central nervous system – quietly enabling other agencies to focus on their core tasks.

“We call it the utility drawer of the state,” she says with a smile. “We are the heartbeat of the state in being the coalesced administrative services. We have a requirement to deliver on behalf of Illinoisans and do it in a way that is respectful and efficient.

“Accountability is about not only our goals, but also whether we do what we say we are going to do. At CMS, we have very clear accountability, but we execute accountability in the spirit of humanity.”

A new direction

DeVaughn’s journey into government was anything but planned. Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, she credits her upbringing in Chicago Public Schools with shaping her belief that opportunity is the result of hard work.

During law school, she had secured a promising in-house role until the recession intervened and the offer was rescinded. What followed was a pivotal moment. With no job and a mortgage to pay, she accepted a role managing procurement at a public housing authority, despite not fully understanding what procurement actually entailed.

“I Googled it. I was like, ‘Oh, contracts.’ I did really well in that class. And that’s kind of all she wrote, to be honest,” she recalls.

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Within three months, she was leading the department. That unexpected entry point became the foundation of a career spanning risk management, compliance, building operations and executive leadership, each role adding a layer of experience that would ultimately prepare her to step into the role of Director at CMS, one of the most complex agencies in state government.

“If there’s a sound bite of my career, it’s ‘Do good work, you’ll get more work and don’t care who gets the credit, just get it done,’” DeVaughn says. “Eventually you’ll create enough wins that somebody else gives you something really big and important to help continue growing.”

Collaboration is key

A self-professed ‘procurement nerd’, DeVaughn has also reimagined how government engages with the private sector. CMS oversees approximately US$1 billion in annual spending, making vendor relationships – like with real estate services JLL North America – absolutely critical.

Rather than taking suppliers for granted, she has prioritized collaboration – hosting vendor summits, publishing quarterly buying plans and creating dedicated roles to manage these relationships.

“I’m pro good vendor, but I am also pro vendor because I understand I can’t get a billion dollars out the door if I don’t have vendors who are interested in doing business with us,” she says.

“And when I say pro good vendor, I mean I want to lower barriers to access to contract with the state. We are just one agency and that billion dollars is actually a drop in the bucket when you look at our full spend.”

DeVaughn admits that another ongoing challenge for public sector employers is talent retention, given that salaries are often unable to match private-sector offers. Instead, she sees the solution as ensuring CMS is an employer of choice, thanks to the culture and prospect of making a difference in the community.

“Building those intentional relationships, people very rarely leave really good environments. They don’t leave bad jobs, they leave bad managers,” she reflects.

“Every month, I write handwritten letters. I do very small things that are time-consuming, but they are impactful to let people know, ‘Thank you for what you did.’ We are also very intentional about acknowledging when folks do well.”

Impactful leadership

Indeed, as a leader, DeVaughn believes in the power of transparent communication, clear goal-setting and ensuring staff feel respected, protected and supported.

“In that, we are able to advance a culture of respect and support, and there’s nothing more important to me than being collegial,” she enthuses.

“I care what the people who work across from me and with me think. And if they believe in my leadership, then I believe I’ll get the very best out of them. And thus far, it’s been working for us here at CMS.”

The same applies for DeVaughn herself, who emphasizes that the joy of public service work at CMS doesn’t come from financial gains, but from how impactful this type of work truly is.

“I’m a person who left government for a short time, and I came back to make less money and work 10 times harder,” she says with a smile.

“But if you genuinely understand the power that state government has, you understand the responsibility, and if you are driven by that, to be good stewards, not only of our community time and money, but to make someone else’s life better by simply being your great self, it’s fulfilling in a way that’s indescribable.

“I won’t always stay here, but I am right now in a space where the people who I work with are also a special kind of crazy with me.”