The Basics
Division: Customer Operations
How long have you been at City Light? March 2006 – almost 20 years.
Tell us about your role. I oversee a team of 12 customer service representatives, and two senior customer service representatives. Our team assists Seattle City Light’s residential and commercial customers. We are responsible for remotely disconnecting meters when accounts are past due and reconnecting them when payments have been made. When a customer is behind on their electricity bills, we try to work with them by providing information payment plans and assistance programs. This includes referrals to our Credit & Collections Emergency Bill Assistance group, outside agencies, such as Byrd Barr, Hopelink, and Salvation Army.
Background
Hometown: I am originally from San Diego, California. When I was 13, my parents, younger brother, and I moved to Spring, Texas, a suburb about 20 miles north of Houston.
Alma mater: University of Texas (bachelor’s degree) and University of Phoenix (master’s degree)
Discipline/Trade of study: Bachelor of Arts in communications and Master of Arts in organizational management
Tell us about your family/pets: I was married to a wonderful man for 27 years before he passed away in March 2024. I have six “bonus” children, 26 grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. My younger brother passed away unexpectedly in August 2024. I have a “bonus” brother who lives in Dallas, Texas.
Just for fun
What has been your favorite project you’ve worked on/have been working on at City Light? I have worked on the Customer Care & Billing System project, the advanced metering infrastructure project, and the Business Redesign team (now known as Rapid Improvement Experience). I learned a lot from each project. It is hard for me to say what my favorite project was, as they all were insightful, challenging in some cases, and very satisfying. They allowed me to see the utility through a different lens.
What’s your favorite season, and why? Summer is my favorite season. I love the sunshine. It tends to bring out the best in people.
Finish this sentence: “It’s never too late to…” learn.
What motivates you at work? My team motivates me, just as I try to motivate them. Just being able to get up and come to work with some of the kindest, hardworking people makes it all worthwhile.
What are some cool trends you see happening in the industry? The fact we can remotely turn on and off an electric meter. Soon, we’ll also give our customers the opportunity to see exactly how much electricity they are using and when with the introduction of Time of Use rates.
What was your favorite childhood movie? My favorite childhood movie is “The Preacher’s Wife,” both the original and the remake starring Denzel Washington and Whitney Houston.
If you could live in any time period, past, present, or future, when would it be? I would go back to the 60s-70s when life was a little slower, when families ate meals together every night at the same time (6:00 p.m. for my family), when we genuinely asked how you were doing, what you needed to be okay, and truly meant what we said.
Are you an early bird or a night owl? I am a little bit of both. I can go to bed late at night and get up bright and early ready to tackle the day.