Honoring Deb Jungling's Retirement

posted on Wednesday, August 3, 2022

Deb started her journey with EPI in 1993 and throughout Deb’s career here she has built a rapport of trust with staff. She’s worked hard managing and overseeing a $20 million yearly budget, working alongside of department supervisors helping them understand the finances of programs they manage so they might be empowered to successfully do so. The oversight includes over 100 cost centers.
 
Medicaid, EPI’s primary funding source, comes with complex and restrictive cost-reporting rules. In her time here, Deb continuously waded through every bit of knowledge needed in order to manage this high level of information. Since making herself an expert in the process. In turn helping EPI to be successful financially and causing her to be sought after as a participant in statewide work groups on funding and cost reporting. 

In 2014, the Courier presented Deb with the Finance Leadership Award, an honor given to her when she was selected by a panel of previous winners. Additionally, in 2021, Deb received the Cedar Valley Ovation Award as one of the Iowa Women’s Foundation Tributes for creating a budgeting spreadsheet that has become part of a statewide tool communities use when opening new child care centers.

While she has numerous awards and accolades to her name, the unique and truly special quality about Deb is that she is quietly humble and persistent in the pursuit of always wanting to help the people we support. When given a compliment or praise for being willing to answer questions, help anyone who asks, or go the extra mile in any way, she will most commonly say, “Thank you, but I am just doing my job.” 

While we celebrate EPI’s 65th anniversary, it is evident that Deb has played a key role for these last 28 years her long-standing dedication, including her relentless advocacy of bettering DSP wages. 

Deb Jungling has entered a highly deserved retirement. We could never begin to thank her enough for all of her years of commitment not just to those of us here at EPI, but to everyone we serve and beyond.