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Seattle City (spot)Light: Tamara Jenkins, Project Delivery Director

The Basics

How long have you been at City Light? 12 and a half years.

Division: Project Delivery

Tell us about your role. I oversee successful project delivery with a focus on safety, public service, and relationship building. It is my honor to lead a talented and skilled team that is responsible for delivering projects. We work across the Seattle City Light service area, collaborating with City departments, franchise city partners, governmental agencies, and customers. Our customers are at the heart of everything we do. Our Project Delivery team’s expertise includes project management and oversight, construction management, work and asset management, and a new program focused on underground cable replacement. Our work is guided by our team’s North Star: “As a team we deliver, together we serve.” My journey allows me to learn and grow every day.

Background

Hometown: Arlington, Texas

Alma mater: Saint Martin’s University, Lacey, Wash. 

Discipline/Trade of study: Governmental leadership, civil engineering, project management and construction management 

Tell us about your family/pets: My faith, family and friends breathe meaning into my life. They are a huge part of who I am due to their continued influence. I’ve also learned that our family includes friends who become our family. Our family continues to be inspired by many foster kiddos through our previous foster care license. My husband Clint and I are Labrador fans. Teddy is our pet partner in animal-human bonding, sharing the love of therapy animals with kiddos, military families, and fire departments, to name a few. Teddy is seven, and we are developing his retirement plan. We will keep taking Teddy on visits as long as he has a desire to go. In parallel, it’s operation “Can we get a new puppy to train?” Hoping my sales pitch goes well with Clint!

Just for fun

What has been your favorite project you’ve worked on/have been working on at City Light? Why? Wow, that’s a tough one to respond to because I am inspired by teamwork, serving, and delivering public safety projects together. I am going to go with the Alaskan Way Viaduct, Seawall Replacement, and Waterfront Redevelopment project. This public project is what brought me to City Light. Public safety and public service inspired me then and inspires me now. There are many aspects that go into delivering a program: learning, growing, collaborating, coordinating and celebrating. The redevelopment of Seattle’s waterfront is nearing completion after a few decades (go team!), and it embodies the public service, public safety and teamwork that aligns with my personal core values.

What is your motto or personal mantra? Serving a higher cause greater than ourselves brings me inner joy, peace and contentment.

What would we most likely find you doing on the weekend? Love weekends! It’s a time to renew and refresh the mind, body and soul. Most Saturday mornings are “me time” with my fitness accountability coach and charting the upcoming week. “Me time” extends to violin playing. My husband works most Saturdays, so our pet partner and I enjoy taking baked goods (e.g. cinnamon rolls, banana bread, red velvet cake and kolaches) and food to his fire and rescue station when he is on duty. Saturday is also spent running errands, getting ready for the next week and pet partner dog training. When my husband has a Saturday off, we might attend an animal-human bonding event. Sunday is a day of rest. My family and I attend faith-based services, enjoy Sunday dinner and rest.

The big game is on – what sport are you watching and who are you rooting for? Football of course!! Go Chiefs!

What is your favorite local restaurant? My favorite place to dine is at home with my husband! He makes yummy grilled food, especially smoked brisket and steaks. If we are going on one of our weekly date nights, it would be a toss-up between Green House (Gig Harbor) and Lobster Shop (Ruston Way in Tacoma).