Namura Nkeze began her City Light career four years ago as a senior training and education coordinator in the Workforce Development group. She is now the division administrator for Facilities, Security and Emergency Management, a role she’s held the past six months. “I assist with the day-to-day operations for our division which includes supporting our leadership team and employees,” Namura explained.
Namura grew up in the Rainier Beach area, but later moved to Bellingham with her family. She studied English at Western Washington University and earned a master’s in education from the University of Washington (UW). She lives in Rainier Beach with her husband of 24 years, Emmanuel. They have two kids, Izahna and Joseph. “We’re very involved with our kids,” Namura shared. “I’m a room parent for my daughter and I participate in the PTO for my son. I’m also heavily involved in the community through a couple of organizations.”
In this week’s (spot)Light, Namura talks about her career path and her love of crafting.
Selfie time! Namura with her family.
“I love to sew and put things together; just create. I recently started making bottlecap necklaces. I’ve always been crafty. When I was in fourth grade, I was in a school production and they sent us home with material to make a dress. I ended up sewing the whole dress myself, by hand. I went to school and was so proud of my creation. My teachers were so impressed they used my dress as a pattern for the other students. I enjoy crafts because there is a beginning and an end. Maybe someday, I’ll open a site on Etsy or Amazon Handmade.”
“I worked at UW for 13 years. Before that, I worked at North Seattle Community College. After 20 years in education, I wanted a change. I started thinking about my interests and what got me excited about work. My guiding question was, ‘How do you get the right people in the right position to meet the needs of the organization and the individual?’ That led me to human resources, so, I completed the Human Resources Management Certificate at Bellevue College. By the time I finished, I had quit my job at UW and began looking for a position in my new field.”
“I heard about City Light from a friend. I applied for three positions before receiving an interview and an offer. And now here I am! Before I started working for the utility, I knew NOTHING about the work that was done here. Working in Workforce Development taught me a lot about the utility.”
“I am proud to work at City Light! Every time I flip on a switch at home, I’m thankful for the work that my co-workers do each day to afford me this privilege. I also love the people at the utility. We have folks who have been here as long as 40 years! That’s dedication and it shows! I believe you would be hard pressed to find that family feel and sense of community in any other organization. I‘m happy to have a second career at City Light.”