Scott Roberts is a Strategic Advisor for City Light’s Project Management Improvement Program, which is part of the Engineering and Technology Innovation unit. He’s served the City of Seattle for nearly 23 years with the past three here at the utility.
A graduate of the University of Washington, Scott received a degree in Civil Engineering and has his Project Management Professional certification. He lives in West Seattle where he enjoys “great views and its proximity to downtown” with his wife Cherie and two children Zoe and Dylan. In this week’s (spot)Light, Scott talks travel, projects and family.
Scott with his family in Florence
“I’ve been in Washington my entire life so it’s a place I really enjoy. Diving is one hobby of mine. It’s nice to get out on the Puget sound or head up to the San Juan Islands. I also snowboard and like to check out Crystal Mountain since it’s so close. My kids also keep me busy. I coach my son’s soccer team (Go West Seattle Red Bulls!) and my daughter is a musician so it’s fun to go to her open mic nights. My weekly adult basketball and soccer leagues also keep me sane.”
“Travel is big with my family. We take our kids all over the place. Some of the places we’ve been to include Europe, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Belize, Bonaire, British Columbia, Jamaica, French Polynesia, New York and national parks throughout Utah and Nevada. I think Fiji and Florence stand out as favorite destinations of mine whereas Little Cayman probably had the best diving I’ve ever experienced. Our next trip is Bali.”
“At City Light, I create and implement the Project Management Framework which is meant to improve how we manage projects across the organization. It’s something used by the different business units, basically anyone who’s doing project management. My program is supposed to serve them. A big part was standardizing how we do project management and creating a framework. That includes all the tools and templates that help project managers do their work. That’s my job. To keep developing that and keep training people on the resources available for them. ”
“It’s rewarding to hear how my work impacts others. For example, new employees. A lot of people comment how cool it is for the utility to have the right tools and templates because it’s something they didn’t have in their previous role. At City Light, we have a whole system that they can follow to help them manage their projects. The project managers are like my customers and I try to help them be successful at that their job. So, when I get that kind of feedback it’s always nice.”
Thank you, Scott, for the many years of dedication to the City of Seattle and for your work here at the utility! Have a great time in Bali!