The Basics
How long have you been at City Light? Over two and a half years.
Division: Office of the General Manager.
Tell us about your role: I work with teams across the utility on major projects and initiatives, focusing on the people-side of change. My work includes helping people understand and articulate what’s changing and why, along with supporting impacted teams through the change.
Background
Hometown: Chicago
Alma mater: Evans School at the University of Washington and Clark University in Worcester, Mass.
Discipline/Trade of study: Public Policy and Public Administration
Tell us about your family/pets: I live in Seattle with my husband, Rian, and our two cats, Lassi and Maki.
Just for Fun
What’s the most unusual or unique job you’ve ever had?
As a teenager, I worked at a senior center, supporting my community’s elders, including my grandma, through music, reading aloud, chair aerobics, and more! It was definitely not a common job among my peers, but I learned a lot from folks’ life perspectives and stories. It also gave me some much-appreciated bonus time with my grandma.
What would we most likely find you doing on the weekend?
Reading. I like traveling, cooking, dancing, hiking, supporting Seattle sports teams, planning out my next adventure, etc. But reading is probably my most frequent activity.
The big game is on – what sport are you watching and who are you rooting for?
Soccer. Go Sounders and Reign!
What do you admire most about your younger self?
Curiosity, stubbornness, impatience seemed like traits that I needed to wrangle when I was little. Looking back, I now understand that those same traits drive continuous learning and chasing down answers and am grateful to have (a dose of) them.
What’s your favorite family tradition or memory?
New Year’s Day is a big holiday in Japanese culture; I have pictures of my grandmother hosting friends and family in the 1950s–1990s. She mixed older Japanese traditions, foods, and dishware with newer American ones she acquired when she immigrated to Chicago in the ‘50s. Now, my mom’s cousins continue that tradition of mixing old and new details as they host that holiday, always centering around good food, togetherness, and “cheers-ing” to the potential of the upcoming year.