Gina Proctor has worked for the Department of Corrections for 10 years and is responsible for managing all GRAMA requests coming into the Department. This is a big job as the Department of Corrections handled 5,499 GRAMA requests last year alone!

It was a rough start and her office of two was overwhelmed with the volume, expectation, and requirements of GRAMA. To meet the challenge, Gina went back to school and earned her paralegal degree.

As the GRAMA officer Gina is responsible for training contacts in each division in regard to the GRAMA statute, department policies, administrative rules, records management and how to write GRAMA responses. Now there are about twelve GRAMA contacts throughout the department whom she contacts daily. She praised the work they do in addition to their other duties, saying they are “incredibly organized, patient, and diligent”. Gina recalled the Department typically handles “between 80-100 Inmate requests per week and have done so for several years.  This doesn’t account for the Utah government agency requests, former offender, current probationer and parolee requests or private citizens, students needing research, private company requests for data, or media requests or the Appeals.“

When asked what advice she’d offer other GRAMA officers, Gina said, “I don’t think GRAMA is something one person can do alone.  For us, it takes a team of well trained, self-motivated, organized, and diligent people.  One more thing…be patient with yourself.  You learn as you go and it gets easier and makes more sense. When you have the opportunity to have a hearing before the State Records Committee listen to their discussions as they make their decisions.  You learn a lot that helps guide you on future requests for similar types of records.  Treat your experience before the Committee as a learning experience.  Also, read their previous decisions on their website too.  I’d recommend calling Ombudsman Rosemary Cundiff with questions as well.  She’s a great resource!“

You do great work, Gina! We salute you.