Losi Namoa will be celebrating one year at City Light in January 2021. As a lead janitor in Facilities, Security and Emergency Management (FSEM), her job “is to ensure that the team and I work safely and proficiently to assure cleanliness at its finest to all employees and the public.”

Born and raised in Hawaii, Losi wanted to experience life on the mainland and began her journey to the East Coast before ending up on the West coast for good. “I explored Washington and discovered its beauty, fell in love with all four seasons, ate the one and only Rainer Cherries, and have grown to appreciate the values instilled into my humble life here,” Losi shared.

In this week’s (spot)Light, Losi talks about her life in Washington, the hobbies she’s acquired over quarantine, and what she’s enjoyed most about her time at City Light.

“I currently live in Tukwila, where I enjoy the rugby and soccer matches at Starfire Sports, the seafood markets, community involvements, and all of the active noise from birds to aircrafts. My favorite day is everyday! Bonus when the Seahawks are playing. It brings the family together and we all enjoy good food, company, and debates.  Beside game-day, I also volunteer in the community and enjoy connecting with those around me. Since COVID, I’ve picked up a new interest in reading National Geographic magazines and watching UFC sports entertainment. So far, the skills of orcas and Joaquin Buckley are fascinating.”

“To be honest, I was attracted to City Light by the big neon rooftop sign on 4^th Avenue. Of course, I did my research too, and once I did, I absolutely knew I was a ‘City Lighter’! I love the commitment of serving and servicing the public while being able to grow and overcome obstacles together with the community at the same time. City Light is an amazing organization.”

“Working at City Light has been an awesome experience. I love the environment, core values, challenging growth, connectivity, learning curves, the city of Seattle, and the FSEM team! I believe my time here has just begun, and I’m excited to give it my best shot.”

Dan Langdon has been with City Light for 14 years. He was born and raised in Iowa but traveled to Seattle on and off since the 70s. It wasn’t until 1987 that Dan moved to Washington permanently with some friends from college. “Back in those days, Seattle was a very inexpensive place to live, and the music scene was taking off. It was a great time for the city.”

“I went to The University of Iowa, where I studied lots of things, but ultimately majored in Technical Theatre,” Dan shared. “That has actually come in handy at City Light because a lot of it was about construction and electrical work.”

In this week’s (spot)Light, Dan talks about his life in North Beacon Hill, his new weekend getaway, and his work at the utility.

“I live on North Beacon Hill. The views are amazing, and the neighborhood, while changing, still feels like a neighborhood. It’s close to work, the light rail, and the interstates. You can get almost anywhere pretty quickly. My partner and I recently bought a little house over in Electric City, Washington, which is right near Grand Coulee Dam, so we’ve spent many weekends working on it. I hadn’t spent much time in Eastern Washington before that, so it’s been exciting getting to know that part of the state. The geographic diversity of Washington State is amazing. Aside from that, I like cooking, reading, playing with our two dogs, and collecting mid-century furnishings and accessories (something I’ve been doing since the 1970s when nobody wanted it).”

“I worked in the hotel industry for ten years and then worked for an internet marketing startup back in the early days of the web. When a larger business acquired that company, I was out of a job, and saw a position with City Light that looked interesting: Electric Service Representative (ESR).”

“I am the Training Supervisor for the Electric Service Representative groups at North and South, and I also handle special projects. Right now, with the COVID situation, I’m spending most of my time working on projects associated with the wrap-up of the Advanced Metering Initiative (AMI). I was working on AMI before the first meter got exchanged, and I think I will be working on it until the last meter gets exchanged.”

“I love the wide variety of work I’ve been able to do here at the utility. Everything from standard ESR work, to projects like the launch of the Outage Management System, the transportation electrification initiative, and Advanced Metering, to planning and staffing the City Light booth at the Seattle Home Show for several years. I’m particularly happy to have been involved with City Light’s renewable energy efforts. When the solar production incentive began back in 2008, it was the ‘wild west,’ and nobody knew how to deal with it. It’s great to see how it has evolved – both the technology and the way that the utility has responded to it.”

Antronette Simmons began her career with Seattle City Light in January 2019. She is the Division Administrator in the Facilities, Security and Emergency Management division, where she supports human resources, financial reporting, and division operations.

Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Antronette’s family re-located to Seattle when she was ten. She currently lives in West Seattle. “I love the neighborhood because we have everything we need; plenty of food options for shopping and restaurants, Alki (a gem), parks, and good neighbors.”

In this week’s (spot)Light, Antronette shares her new hobbies, her background before City Light, and her continued work at the utility.

“I was taking piano lessons before COVID-19 struck, so I’m excited to get back to it! Since COVID, I’ve developed a green thumb, renewed my love for cooking, and have become quite the DIY oil painter; some people may have noticed my colorful doggy in the background of video calls. I’m working on colorful hot air balloons next!”

“My bachelor’s degree is in American Ethnic Studies from the University of Washington (UW), and, in September, I’ll begin UW’s Human Resources Management Certification Program. I’m excited to continue my education.”

“Before joining City Light, I worked at UW for 13 years as a research administrator. I wanted a change. City Light attracted me with its diversity, institution size, cultural changes, mission, and service to the community.  All of which are very important to me.”

“What I enjoy most about working at City Light are my colleagues and the relationships I’ve continued to build. I also appreciate the utility’s workplace expectations, leadership training, the cultural changes I see happening, and the ability to change and pivot to fit the needs of the community and organization.”

Jen Chan joined City Light in May 2019 and celebrated her 20 years at the City of Seattle this past August. Jen grew up in Boston, but after one too many snow-shovel laden winters, normalized negative experiences with Boston drivers (okay, she may have been a co-participant in certain, totally justifiable situations), and a huge desire to see what the other coast was like (GO, SEAHAWKS!!), she moved to Seattle in 1996 to pursue her Master of Social Work at the University of Washington.

In this week’s (spot)Light, Jen shares more about her work at City Light, her life in Seattle, and overall, what she wants to accomplish in her role at the utility.

As City Light’s Chief of Staff, Jen oversees Communications, Performance Metrics & Benchmarks, Strategic Plan, Continuous Improvements, Organizational Change Management and other high-profile projects from the GM’s Office. One of the most common questions Jen hears is: What does a Chief of Staff actually do? Which is a great question since she has wondered that herself, given there is no standard definition and always a challenge to explain to her parents that she is not literally the “Chief” of all staff. So, one way she thinks of her role is: “Aside from management responsibilities for specific work areas, I like to think of myself as the behind-the-scenes person trying to align timing, information, opportunities and decision-making to develop a path forward and get stuff done. While not intentional, I have spent most of my career facilitating workstreams or executive decision-making on topics where I am not the subject matter expert. Having an outsider’s perspective helps me stay out of the weeds, hone in on the most salient issues or concerns at hand, and draw out broader connections, risks and impacts to develop a more informed, scalable and systemic response.” While this explanation may help clarify her role to some, she knows her parents may still not understand what she does. To which it may be easier to just respond: “Yes, mom and dad. I am the Chief of a very small number of staff.”

Jen lives in the Bryant neighborhood in Northeast Seattle with her husband Vince and her two children, Olivia (14), Marcus (12) and dog, Remy (2). Pre-COVID, they spent most of their free time watching their kids’ soccer, basketball and ultimate frisbee games. However, now with their family time freed up, they spend most weekends thinking about the yardwork, closet cleaning, home projects or hiking adventures they should do instead. Three-quarters of the family loves traveling; the other quarter barely tolerates it. This means the family’s traveling habits are typically set by the family member who does most of the household planning (i.e., Jen), so yes, traveling is one of their hobbies.

When reflecting on what Jen would like to accomplish at City Light, she shared: “I absolutely believe that our time here in life and at work is very precious, so for whatever issue I work on, I want to add value to the organization and to customers. At the same time, I think it’s super important to keep everything in perspective, have a little fun when doing good, and definitely enjoy and cultivate the people relationships we form along the way. So, to me, how I judge my time here will boil down to two things: added value and people connections.”

Kelly Haren has been a dedicated member of the City Light team for 20 years. “I’m the Generation Supervisor at Cedar Falls and Tolt hydro projects where I support the crew and operations at both sites,” Kelly shared. “My responsibilities include coordinating projects with utility divisions, facilitating training and safety programs, and supervising activities that impact fisheries, deal with environmental issues or influence our dam and public safety programs. I also work with City Departments, like Seattle Public Utilities, for operations planning.”

Originally from Idaho, Kelly moved to the Seattle area after joining the US Coast Guard, where he was stationed in Seattle and Astoria. “I met my wife during that time, and we’ve lived in the Northwest ever since.”

In this week’s (spot)Light, Kelly talks more about his life pre-City Light, his family, and more about his work at the utility.

“I spent a couple of years at the University of Idaho before joining the Coast Guard. In college, I studied engineering, basic science, and math. In the Coast Guard, I received experience and education in many engineering and mechanical fundamentals but became an electrician after completing my trade schooling and necessary hours. I was attracted to City Light because of its apprenticeship opportunities, the ability to support my family better, and the varied types of work and opportunities the City would provide throughout my career.”

“I live in the Auburn area on a small lake and enjoy being on the water, boating and relaxing! My favorite activity is traveling with my wife; Hawaii, Cabo, and the Florida Keys are a few of our favorite destinations. For hobbies, I love golfing, boating, and taking the RV out for weekend getaways. I also have four young grandchildren with whom I enjoy spending as much time as I can!”

“What I love most about working at City Light is the many opportunities I’ve had in my career, up to this point. I started in the Constructor Apprenticeship, worked as a journey-level Constructor in Substations downtown, and transferred to the Generation team, where I learned about hydro operations. I also assisted our Apprenticeship Office as a Craft Advisor. Now I can apply all my previous experience to my current role as a Generation Supervisor. City Light has been such a great place to build a career and provide for my family.”

Ned Lichty has been at City Light for three years. He’s part of the Contracts and Procurement team as a Sr. Contracts and Procurement Specialist. “My job is to procure products and professional consulting services for the divisions and project managers I support,” Ned explained. “I provide guidance and training in the consultant selection process and ensure my customers remain compliant with City rules and policies.”

Ned’s father served in the military and so his family moved frequently before settling in the Evergreen State. “We lived in South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Colorado and Livorno, Italy,” Ned shared. “When I was ten, we made our final move to Washington state and I’ve lived here since. I love its natural beauty and diversity.” He lives in Edgewood with his spouse Frank and their daughter Allison where they embrace the country-vibe.

In this week’s (spot)Light, Ned talks about his family, hobbies and what he enjoys about City Light.

“Allison is attending UW and we couldn’t be prouder. She’s on the Dean’s List and has received several scholarships. We were Allison’s foster parents and decided we didn’t want to live without her, so we made it permanent and adopted her in 2014. Prior to Allison, Frank and I were foster parents to his two nephews. I learned that raising boys is much more challenging than girls! She definitely is a gift from God, as we’ve grown and learned so much from her.”

“I love camping and exploring new destinations in Washington. I plan to visit Newhalem this summer and check out our dams. I also love traveling to new destinations and have a passion for learning about ancient history, civilizations and religions, mysteries of the unexplained and exploring fringe topics. I’m an avid animal lover and have two Boston Terriers, a yellow-nape Amazon parrot that I’ve owned for 28 years and a chicken-coop! I also love bird watching so I have bird feeders to draw them to my deck. Skiing is another hobby of mine.”

“I was attracted to City Light because of its emphasis on creating a positive work culture and its focus on diversity and service to the community. I really love that my job is downtown which lets me experience the City’s energy. Another bonus is working in the Seattle Municipal Tower, which has some pretty fantastic views…not to mention the convenience of having a Starbucks in the building! It has a stream of people throughout the day, making it feel like the social hotspot.”

“I enjoy my job because I interact with different departments and people who work on a variety of projects and commodities. One would think writing contracts would be boring and monotonous, however, that’s not the case due to the type of projects and scopes of work that comes my way. Projects range from Dam Safety Compliance, Boundary Licensing projects, Fish & Wildlife Research, Electric Vehicle Charging Stations, Management Services, Construction Management, Environmental projects, Generator repair and maintenance, LIDAR detection, Energy Conservation…the list goes on. The best part of my job is working with an amazing team that has so many positive traits that I could go on and on, but to keep it brief I’ll sum it up in one word: Fabulousness!”