U.S. Office of Personnel Management www.opm.gov - Recruiting, Retaining and Honoring a World-Class Workforce to Serve the American People

HealthierFeds Initiative

Current Leader Spotlight

Marcella Stockin, Department of Energy
Environmental Management Consolidated Business Center - West Valley Demonstration Project
West Valley, NY

Ms. Stockin is recognized as a HealthierFeds Leader by changing her own life and inspiring others to make their own commitments to change.

Taking control

In 2004 Marcella ("Marcie") Stockin was diagnosed with Adult Type 2 diabetes. She took action immediately, met with a dietician, changed her diet, modified her lifestyle, and took control. In 48 days she had made dramatic changes and was able to stop all medication. Marcie continues to control her condition with diet and exercise.

Marcie has embraced the fact that real lifestyle change is a step by step process over time, there is no quick fix, and dedication is required to make lasting changes.

Sharing knowledge

The West Valley Demonstration Project is a very rural site outside Buffalo, NY. The extreme winter weather conditions mean that if you are not into snow sports, you don't get a lot of exercise during the long winter. Marcie sets an example by taking a minimum of 1000 steps a day at lunch, and she brought a small trampoline to work to put in the ladies locker room for others to use.

She is also a wonderful cook and a published a cookbook author. Marcie brings healthy alternative foods that taste wonderful to share at work. Marcie has taught coworkers how to make healthy foods tasty and appealing. She continually researches, develops and tests recipes that provide healthy alternatives to many high calorie or diabetic defeating foods.

Recently, she hosted a table at a food drive showcasing her healthy alternatives. She writes a column for the local Springville Journal and has a website where she provides recipes both traditional and diabetic, offers ideas on how to eat healthy whether or not you are diabetic, and tells stories about family food and friends.

Inspiring change

Marcie leads by her example. Her determination in treating her diabetes with diet and lifestyle changes has inspired others. She is helpful, encouraging, and always willing to listen.

She has demonstrated that you can love food and still eat well. That diet should consist of a variety of foods, and that healthy eating does not have to be difficult and in fact can be an absolute pleasure. That we all need to take responsibility for our health, and that we all have off days when we back slide but the important thing is to not give up. We all need to laugh every day.

< Back to Leader Spotlight

For fun resources and information on agency and Federal-wide events, visit www.FedsGetFit.gov