Part Two Posted 4/21/13 - Click here

- Part One of a Two Part Series -

WHY A Kelly Cripe Story?

- Editorial by Dawn Nettles - Publisher - The Lotto Report -
Opinions expressed here are those of Dawn Nettles

As you all know, my website contains extensive information - draw details,
sales figures, stories, reports etc. Certain information has always been provided
to me timely by the TLC - either Customer Service or Media Relations.

Until Kelly Cripe came on board, that is. The Media division specifically provided me with
draw sales and roll and cash value amounts for Powerball and Mega Millions. But after
Kelly was on the job for a couple of months, the Media Dept changed - BIG TIME!
Suddenly my information wasn't being provided to me in the same form
it had been for years IF it was being provided at all.

So I called Kelly. The first question I asked her was, "Would you please give
me your direct phone number?" which she initially refused to provide. Then I asked
why was I not receiving my information to which she responded with a detailed
explanation that she had just come on board and was having to re-organize
the whole department and neither she nor her staff had time to respond.

Now I've certainly butted heads with TLC Media Relations dating all the back
to 2000 when then Media Director Keith Elkins tried to claim I wasn't media,
but I've always thought they did a good job overall. I thought for Kelly to imply
to me that the Communications Dept/Media Relations Dept was in
shambles when she took over showed a lack of professionalism and an
ego problem on her part. Even if the department was a mess,
she should have never said this.

At any rate, several months have passed now and the situation is exactly the
same as it was - the Media Dept - specifically Kelly Cripe - is refusing to provide
me with media information much of the time - information that I disseminate
to the public and have since 1993 (Lotto Report) and 1998 - lottoreport.com.

Now the strange twist to this story is that I'm really wondering WHY is it that
Gary Grief and/or the Commissioners are allowing Kelly to conduct state media
business in this manner. It doesn't add up to me. So I've taken it upon
myself to try find out what the "real connections" are.
I want to know WHO, WHAT, and WHY.

Today, I'm reporting my findings thus far. These finding are derived solely from
Kelly's employment application and her resume. It is my opinion from these findings
that there is far more to this story. I firmly believe there is a WHO involved and
I think we are entitled to know how and why Kelly Cripe was selected
from the group of qualified applicants who submitted applications for this job.

According to my expert in Human Resources and Employment Law,
who reviewed all 54 applications for me as a personal favor, Kelly's
application, in her opinion and by her standards, was among the lowest
scoring of all applications submitted. Further, she stated that her firm would
have never granted Kelly an interview.

Hmmm, so WHY was Kelly Cripe selected by the TLC?

Hopefully these answers will come in Part 2 of this series. I am
currently researching several leads - lobbyists and political ties
to see if I can figure this puzzle out.

In the meantime, read all about the woman you will be seeing on TV
in lottery related news reports and is representing the State Of Texas.

Summary of Findings From Application & Resume

Below you will see scanned portions of Kelly Cripes
State Employment Application and portions of Kelly's Resume
that was submitted for the position of Media Relations Director for the TLC.

Upon review, you will see evidence that Kelly: 1) completely ignored directions;
2) misspelled "Commission"; 3) failed to answer all questions as instructed;
4) application contains inconsistencies; 5) listed four (4) jobs on the
*** state application but five (5) six (6) jobs are listed on her Resume; 6) timeline
of events makes "reasons for leaving" employment questionable and finally,
7) states that she received an award that records show she never received.
(She lists the same award in two locations in her resume - same page - but
she used an acronym (PRSA) in one location then spells out the acronym
(Public Relations Society of America) in the other location.)

Kelly Cripes Employment Application and Resume In Its Entirety
(Excerpts Shown Below)

- Disclaimer -
It is important to note - the Application and the Resume were obtained
through an Open Records request and some things were redacted by the TLC.
Therefore, it is impossible for me to know everything that was actually left blank,
but the blanks I'm showing here are not items that should have been redacted
by the TLC. To understand the significance of "blanks" - on government
documents, you cannot leave blanks on forms or applications submitted.

It is my opinion that ... Kelly Cripe's application should never
have made it past preliminary screening based solely on how
poorly the instructions were followed and disregarding all other factors.
Therefore, I am inclined to dig until I find out WHY they selected her.

If by chance any of you know the answers to my questions,
PLEASE feel free to let me in on it. Email me.

Now read on ... see it for yourself ...

_________________________________________

Application Directions Ignored?

The first two sentences at the top of the state application are
specific directions on how to complete the application.

Note 1st sentence says ..."these instructions must be
followed exactly" and in bold type states,
"do not leave questions blank."

_________________________________________

"Blanks" Found On Kelly Cripe's Application
Obviously Not Redacted by TLC ...

Top of Page 2 of Application - There are no N/A's, no
training/skills/qualifications listed and she must not type either?

Page 3 & 4 of Kelly Cripes Application ....
She left the starting dates - months - (the actual day is
not a big deal) blank on Job 2 (WPNT & Associates) and Job 4
(South Texas Project Nuclear Operating Company).
She also fails to quote salary on Job 2.

Job 2 ...

Job 4 ...

Kelly states she had a "supervisory/managerial" role in jobs 1, 3 and 4,
but left "number of employees supervised" blank on Jobs 1 & 3.
It is important to note that Job 1 was her own business -
where she was as a "consultant." I can only conclude that she
had no employees. Guess she managed herself!

Job 1 ... (Her own business)

Job 3 ...

----------------------------------------------------------

Reason For Leaving Airline Job Doesn't Coincide
With Publicly Announced Merger Date

Kelly says she left Continental Airlines in November 2009. Her "specific reason for leaving"
is listed as: "Pursue other opportunities (airline merging with United in Chicago)."

While Continental and United Airlines did merge, the merger was not official until nearly
a year later - October 2010. The proposed deal was first announced in early
May 2010, but that's a full six months AFTER Kelly left Continental.

Source of information - Continental/United merger
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Continental_Holdings

Why a person leaves a job should be stated "at the time" of departure in
future employment applications - not stated as to what happened
six months to a year after they left their job.

Was she being misleading about why she really left Continental Airlines?
Why would someone her age voluntarily give up a $75K salary with great
benefits (flying privileges, insurance, vacations) to start her own consulting
business? And why, if her consulting business was such a huge success,
was she applying for a state job less than two years later?

It is my opinion that the "specific reason for leaving" Continental Airlines
doesn't hold water when you look at the dates of what happened.

See Reasons For Leaving Continental Airlines - Job3

__________________________________________

Conflicting Dates of Employment ... Which is Correct?

On Kelly's state application (A) , she says she worked for the South TX
Project Nuclear Operating Company (STP) from 2007 to 2008
(again months left blank).

Her "Specific reason for leaving" on her state application was
"accepted position in Houston."

However, on her resume (B), she lists her dates of employment
with STP as 2006 to 2007. (No months given here either).

Her resume (C) shows she was a "consultant" for
Shell Exploration and Production from 2007-2008.

Why did she not list her "Shell" consultant job on the state application?

*** Why did she not list her "Vollmer Public Relations" job on the state application?

Why the discrepancy in dates?

When did she work where?

The application instructions (D) are very clear ... "include ALL employment"

It is my opinion that Cripe's stated reason on her state application for leaving
the STP job - "accepted position in Houston" is questionable at best.
Timeline doesn't add up - in my humble opinion!

How did the TLC Human Resources division not catch this and
all the other things shown? Or maybe I should be asking why were
these things overlooked? Was this hiring another "done deal?"
Did the other 53 applicants waste their time and
energy by applying for this position?

(A) - State Application - STP Date of Employment Shows '07 - '08 ...

(B) Resume - STP Date of Employment Shows 2006 - 2007 ...

(C) Resume Date of Employment - Shell Exploration & Production -

(D) Instructions on State Employment Application

______________________________________

Now About Those Awards Listed In Kelly's Resume

(A) Kelly lists the same award in two locations in her resume - same page -
but she used an acronym (PRSA) in one location then spells out the acronym
(Public Relations Society of America) in the other location. It might
be OK to list them twice IF she had used the same name in both locations.

To me, this is deceiving - and - I almost didn't catch it myself!

(B) To make matters worse, records show someone else won this category.
At least, this is according to the Houston Chapter of PRSA- the very
organization that issued the award. Do you think they have a mistake?
(If you click on link above - "click to view the list of winners" -
middle of page. The section in question is also shown below (B))

The 2006 award she describes did go to two employees of Vollmer,
but her name is NOT included on the official list of winners as you
will see below.

*** And she does not list employment with Vollmer Public Relations
on her state application but it is listed on her resume. Why not?

(FYI - Vollmer merged with Edelman effective Jan 2011 -
Now called Edelman Southwest - Helen Vollmer - President)

See Below (Excerpt from Resume (A) and Excerpt from Winners List (B))...

(A) Under "Vollmer Public Relations" she states, "Awarded with 2006 PRSA
Excalibur Award for Grass Roots Program/Guerilla Marketing for special event"

(A) Under "Awards and Honors," she states: "Silver Excalibur Award -
Public Relations Society of America ... 2006." (but that's PRSA too)

(A)
"Awards" - Excerpts From Kelly Cripe Resume ...

Now here's how the awards for that category (12 C) appear on
the Official 2006 Winners List from PRSA. I don't see her name, do you?

(B)
PRSA Excalibur Winners 2006
Category: 12C – Grass Roots Program/Guerilla Marketing

As you can see, Kelly's name does not appear on this official
document. This doesn't mean she didn't work on the project, or have
some involvement, but IF she really did win the award herself, maybe
she can explain why her name doesn't appear on the winners list. If she
was part of a team that worked on the project, she should say so,
instead of implying that it was just her.

I wonder ... is her statement - "Awarded with 2006 PRSA Excalibur
Award for Grass Roots Program/Guerilla Marketing Campaign"
considered a false statement?

From a professional peer and ethical standpoint,
this is outrageous - we just don't do this.

And, I wonder, would this be a violation of PRSA's Code of Ethics?

FYI - Because Kelly appears to have a problem with "dates," I
additionally checked the awards for both 2005 and 2007 as well.
There's NO Kelly Cripe listed on any of these documents.

Links so you can check it yourself .... 2005 - 2006 - 2007

----------------------------

Application Signed - I can only assume she read it - especially #1!

In Conclusion ...

The Texas Lottery is extremely aggressive in prosecuting those who make fraudulent
claims. Will they go for an indictment against Kelly for failing to include all 5 6 jobs on her ***
state submitted employment application ... or for falsifying dates ... and/or for claiming
she received an award that was obviously not issued to her alone .... and/or for listing
an award twice - but titling them differently - when they were the same award?

You know what's so interesting about all this ... IF Kelly had just continued
providing me with sales and roll/cvo amounts, a vital element of information
included in my extensive reporting, I would NEVER have taken my time to
research her and none of this would have been discovered - at least not by me.

I can only conclude that there really is a REASON for all things that happen to you
and I can further conclude that my exposing this may anger somebody of influence.
But you know, facts are facts, and I can't help what I found. Kelly did it herself.

--------------------------

Questions & Answers

Editors Note: I don't believe I have ever received as many
phone calls and emails after posting a story as I did when
I posted the Kelly Cripe story. So let me answer and/or
address some of your questions, concerns and comments ....

------------------------------

1. With regards to my failing to include the salary for this job -
well I believe it's in excess of $100K. Yes, it is an
important factor that should have been included
and I will obtain the exact figure for you. Sorry.
*** Here is a link to see Texas Lottery employees salary's -
I will be contacting the Tribune for an update as
Kelly is not listed yet.

2. YES, this is the same Kelly Cripe who was Miss Austin.

3. Many of you suggested that I should have posted the entire
application and resume rather than just the excerpts. OK, here it is.
Kelly Cripes Employment Application and Kelly Cripes Resume.

4. Regarding the handwriting on the application, thanks for the
tip - I'll check into it - and thanks for the comments regarding the
score. (I would appreciate it if the person who called
about this would call me back.)

5. Anyone can obtain all 54 applications the TLC received for this position.
All you have to do is make an open records request. As I write this,
I do not have possession of these applications and there are too many pages
for me to send to you myself. You would have to pay for the copies. Sorry.

6. YES - I have received tips/comments/clues/opinions and will begin
working on them this week. I do appreciate your input and will
post a Part 2 to this story when I can get definite answers.
I cannot post anything until I have definite answers. I try to deal in facts
and the questions I want answered are: 1) WHY is the TLC allowing
Kelly Cripe - Media Relations Director - to not provide public
information to me; 2) was this hiring a "done deal" from the beginning
and finally 3) WHY can I not speak to others in Customer Service
or Media Relations? Why are these people not allowed to
answer questions from me or even speak to me?

7. Yes, I can count! My personal friend called - whom I consider to
be an expert in HR and Employment Law - and asked if I could count.
She's the one who told me that there were 6 jobs listed on the resume
but only 4 jobs were listed on the state submitted employment application.

8. Yes, I know I should have a "blog" so ya'll can post your comments
for everyone to see. Someday, I'll add this to my site. I just have to
find the time to do the work.

9. Am I out to get Kelly Cripe fired? Fortunately only one of
you has asked this question but NO, I just want my information
and I want to know why they selected her in light of all that I found
when I examined her application. And, I want to know why the TLC is
allowing her to refuse to provide me with the same information they've
given me for years. Are they retaliating against me because of my
Sunset Recommendations? I'm additionally wondering -
what did the hiring committee recommend - think? Interestingly,
this seems to be the same questions you have.

10. Am I receiving my requested information now? Your comments on
this subject were cute to say the least. On Monday, May 28th,
I posted notice via my banners that a Kelly Cripe story would
be posted on Wednesday or Thursday (May 30th or May 31st).

Interestingly, Kelly sent roll and cash value options amounts for
Mega Millions and Powerball promptly on Tuesday and Wednesday
(May 29th and May 30th). However, the CVO amounts sent for
Mega Millions (A) and Powerball (B) were incorrect figures which was the
very reason Commissioner Clowe and Commissioner Cox issued the
order to send me ONLY documents. This was suppose
to be the Texas Lottery's way of NOT providing me with
erroneous information - and - it worked well for many years!

FYI - The TLC posts Roll and CVO amounts for Lotto Texas PRIOR
to the draws but they do not provide this information for
Mega Millions or Powerball. The only way for one to obtain
this information is to call the Commission. Therefore, I'm forced to
call or write on Tues, Wed and Friday's so I can post this info for you.

Anyway, after the Kelly Cripe story was posted, she did NOT provide me
with my Friday, June 1 request for either Mega Millions and Powerball roll and
CVO amounts. I obtained the information from another state.

(A) - TLC (Kelly Cripe) Provided Incorrect Public Information ...

(B) - TLC (Kelly Cripe) Provided Incorrect Public Information ...

It is very important to include the ".0," ".1", ".2" etc when giving Cash
Value Option (CVO) figures - apparently Kelly does not understand
the importance of it. (See Example C)

C - Examples of CVO Accurate Information ...

I think I've covered all your questions. All I can say now is stay tuned ...

Kelly Cripes Employment Application and Resume In Its Entirety

Part Two Posted 4/21/13 - Click here

The Lotto Report
Dawn Nettles
P. O. Box 495033
Garland, Texas 75049-5033
(972) 686-0660
(972) 681-1048 Fax

Email Me