Cintia Luna-Villasana will celebrate four-years at Seattle City Light in March. She started on the Talent and Acquisition team, but after three years, transitioned to Power Supply as the Administrative Specialist for Officer Mike Haynes. “I’m better known as Mike’s conscience,” Cintia joked. “I also support Generation Operations and Engineering Director Faz Kasraie. I handle travel requests, training contracts, budget information, HR processes – a variety of things.”

Cintia was born in Wenatchee where she lived until she was about eight years old. “My parents had a business and decided to move to western Washington,” Cintia shared. “They have a Mexican restaurant in Everett, El Pollo Rico. I still help out with bookkeeping on the weekends.” Cintia attended Western Washington University on a full-ride scholarship and received a degree in business administration with a focus in human resources.

In this week’s (spot)Light, Cintia talks about public service and the family vacations that sparked her interest in utilities.

“Growing up, my parents took me to Rocky Reach Dam every Easter because it had an egg hunt and real bunnies! I also went there on a school field trip. I remember visiting the fish ladder and viewing area and thinking that it was the greatest place. Ever since then, I’ve always liked generation and developed an interest in utilities.”

“Visiting dams and learning about power is something I enjoy. It was part of my childhood. Whenever people visited, we took them to Rocky Reach. It has a cool visitor’s center and was something neat to see. So, in a way, I grew up with dams. And I’ve kept it up! In 2008, I went to Grand Coulee Dam. That was something since it’s the mightiest hydroelectric plant in the United States. I’ve visited Chief Joseph Dam, Bonneville Dam and on a recent trip to Palm Springs, I toured the windmill farm. It was super interesting and gave me a greater appreciation for hydro. This June, I plan to check out the Hoover Dam. I’ve been to our dams in Boundary, Skagit, Lucky Peak as well as Masonry Dam in Cedar Falls. I’m hoping that one day I can visit BC Hydro – I just need access. If you know someone, let me know!”

“I like to go on road trips – even if it’s just for a day. I’m the person who won’t have anything planned and will spontaneously say ‘Let’s go!’ Depending on the weather, it could be Portland or Vancouver, BC., but honestly, my favorite getaway is Skagit. It’s so close and just beautiful. I also like summer road trips to eastern Washington, particularly Wenatchee because it’s home. I like being away from the city. I’m a country girl at heart.”

“I got into public service because both my brothers are Marines. It’s my way of giving back; we’re all public servants, in a way. One of my brothers is deployed and on his second term, and the other is about to finish his term. I love my parents and am very close to them. I have so much to be thankful for. When my family arrived in the United States, they were apple pickers in Wenatchee and saved money to make their dreams come true. My siblings and I are living our American dream and it’s great for my parents to see.”

Jeanie Ahn has been at City Light for two and a half years. She began in financial planning but now works as a Budget Analyst in the budget office where she sets budgets and helps keep groups on track. “I’ve always been a numbers nerd and enjoy numbers and their relationships,” Jeanie said.

True to her word, the Kansas native majored in economics at the University of Washington. While in college, she got a part-time job at Nordstrom and worked there for 19 years, most recently in the company’s budget office.  “I decided to switch over to City Light and take the public route because I was looking for a change and wanted to do something for the community,” Jeanie explained.

In this week’s (spot)Light, read about Jeanie’s love for Taekwondo, teaching and empowering women.

“I’ve been doing Taekwondo for about 24 years. When I was a teenager, one of my friends got into trouble and her punishment was to do Taekwondo. I watched her practice and thought it looked cool. I told my parents I wanted to try it and my dad said ‘Absolutely not.’ He saw it as a male sport, so that cemented the fact that I had to do it. We fought about it for three months until he finally caved. The first week was so hard I wanted to quit. I now teach Taekwondo and self-defense classes at my studio in South Seattle. I also practice and teach yoga which is a nice complement to martial arts.”

“My friend looked at my resume years ago and she said, ‘Oh, you’re a teacher!’ I taught piano lessons when I was younger. At Nordstrom, I was the person that trained other people and worked new-store openings. I think, in general, I like teaching. That appeals to me. While numbers are very black and white and methodical, teaching lets me be creative. I can explore my creative side and design a class based on an individual’s skills, needs and focus.”

“Teaching self-defense is really important to me because it empowers other women. Not to say it’s only for women! Men have taken it as well and women do come in with their partners. Our self-defense class was created for a novice person coming in off the street; someone who wants to learn some moves. It’s a two-hour workshop where people learn how to get out of certain grabs, but also, maybe speaking more to the female side, how to attack. I feel that it doesn’t come natural for women to strike. So, we talk about, demonstrate, and practice different ways to attack if you had to defend yourself.”

“One of my favorite parts of this class is how we end it – every person breaks a board! I never tell them that, though. It happens at the end of class, so I wait until the right moment to bring it up it. And everyone does it! I’ve never had anyone who couldn’t do it. Women really underestimate themselves and how strong they are. It’s important to leave on a positive note because it’s kind of a sour reason we’re there to begin with. Women are targeted more. It’s a downer, so it’s important to finish high.”

Cindy Reside Hensel celebrated 20 years with City Light in November 2018. Her work as a Student Engineer and Energy Management Analyst led to her current role as an Electrical Service Engineer in the Customer Construction Services division. “I love being part of the Electrical Service Engineering group because I get to work with large key and industrial customers on the largest construction projects in Seattle,” Cindy said.

Cindy grew up in Bremerton and attended Olympic High School where she played in the band. “I’ve been playing the flute and piano since elementary school,” Cindy shared. “I enjoyed being in wind ensemble and jazz band”. In fact, in high school, I was in the jazz band with Ben Gibbard, the lead singer of Death Cab for Cutie!” She went to college at the University of Washington and graduated with a degree in material science and engineering. She lives in Richmond Beach with her husband and three children (ages five, eight and ten).

In this week’s (spot)Light, Cindy talks about her career path, hobbies and shares her engineering inspiration.

“I’m a long-distance runner. I ran the Honolulu and Big Sur marathons. I’ve also ran six half-marathons. Running is not just exercise for me; it’s a way of life. It clears my mind and really gives me that runner’s high. When I was a kid, I would see a group of young students run in my neighborhood. I always wondered who they were and why they ran. They motivated me.  So, when I was in junior high school, I decided to sign up for cross country. I’ve been running ever since! I’m not fast, but I’m steady. When training for marathons, I give myself a mileage goal to hit. I always tell myself just one more mile!”

“I love math. That kind of spurred my interest in engineering. My dad also inspired me. He was a mechanical engineer. He used to bring home his drawings and I would watch him create his designs.  High school was another source of inspiration. That’s where I was introduced to new programs like AutoCad and programming. I ended up taking additional classes which inspired me to go into this field. I was planning to have a career in failure analysis with Boeing, but somewhere along the way, I got pulled into the electrical world and have loved it ever since.”

“My kids love math and chess! Our oldest is in fourth grade at Syre Elementary. I’m co-chairing the Math Olympiad program and am a Chess Club volunteer at his school. It looks like the love of math is continuing in our family!”

“I’ve been lucky to work with such talented people at City Light. It’s been a rewarding experience to work with a diverse array of unique and technical projects while providing the best customer service to our customers. During my time here, I’ve always felt the support of management during transitions in my life—from being a student to getting married and having kids.  I’m very thankful I was able to take a one-year sabbatical. Even though they don’t work here anymore, I especially want to acknowledge John Nierenberg and Fred Ojima. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have applied for the Electrical Service Engineer position. It opened many doors for me and I’m so grateful to them for that opportunity.”

Quan Tharngtrakul joined City Light in 2015 as a receptionist in Human Resources. From there, she moved to Talent Acquisition before landing her current role in Transmission & Distribution Operations. “I’m an Administration Specialist lll and support our network, substations and service operations teams,” Quan explained. “My responsibilities include compiling management reports, meeting and event coordination, scheduling, travel requests and other items our director and management team need.”

Quan grew up in Anacortes and attended college at Western Washington University where she graduated with a degree in international business. “I was kind of tucked away up north until I started my job at City Light; it’s what got me to move to the big city!” she said with a laugh. Quan and her fiancé, Erin, live in Kirkland and are busy planning their September 2019 wedding.

In this week’s (spot)Light, Quan talks about her job, her hobbies and her move to the Emerald City.

“I like my job because I work with different groups across the utility. I have a lot of friends who are in this role within their own divisions; it’s fun to coordinate with them and brainstorm how we can improve our processes. We’re a strong network for one another. It’s also great that I work under a female executive (Michelle Vargo). I really like that I support Michelle directly. I learn a lot from her and the people around me. In fact, every group I’ve worked with has been filled with good, supportive people. They’ve always encouraged my professional development with trainings, workshops and other opportunities.”

“Moving to Seattle was a big culture shock for me. People assumed that I was familiar with the city because I’m from the Northwest, but it’s so completely different than from where I grew up. I never had to deal with traffic. I never took public transit. When I first moved here, everyone seemed to know what they were doing! It was intimidating, but I’m glad I made the move. Before Seattle, I was working in my hometown and basically in the same environment of my upbringing. I wanted to try something new. I applied to City Light on a whim; it was for a temporary six-month position! But it got me out here and now I’m in a full-time role.”

“The majority of my family is in Thailand, but my parents and grandma live here. We have a small Thai restaurant, Bangkok Bistro, in Burlington; a good midway stop on the way to Skagit! I grew up helping at the restaurant and developed a love for cooking. I cook a lot of Thai fusion food at home. Right now, I’m trying to get into baking. I love the Food Network and have even made cookies for CLEA!”

“I can’t imagine living anywhere else.  I love the natural beauty of the Northwest. I enjoy photography and this area has a ton of cool photo opportunities. I like doing landscapes and stand still shots. Also, food. I’ll take photos of my meals and send them to my friends. My fiancé and I also love to do jigsaw puzzles. We go big and do the complicated ones; anything above 1,500 pieces. Right now, we’re working on a Stars Wars puzzle that’s turning out to be pretty awesome.”

In 2013, Dejene Mersha started at City Light as an intern in the Network Engineering group. Since then, he’s worked as an assistant electrical engineer with Network Engineering and Systems Planning team and is now part of the Generation Operations & Engineering division as an associate electrical engineer. “My internship was a really good experience,” Dejene said. “I’m glad that I continued to work here. The people here are rich in experience and, working with them, has showed me where to be and how to develop my skills.”

Dejene was born in Ethiopia. He moved to the United States in 2007 with one destination on his mind: Seattle. “I had family living in Tampa, Florida, but a friend suggested I study engineering at the University of Washington,” he shared. “So, I headed straight to Seattle, to join UW.” He graduated with a degree in electrical engineering from University of Washington and went on to receive his master’s degree in electrical power engineering from Washington State University. Dejene and his wife Hana live in Lake Stickney with their six-year-old son Yoseph.

In this week’s (spot)Light, Dejene talks about his work and shares a few of his favorite activities.

“Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been interested in anything that was relevant to electricity. It’s always been my passion. I knew that I wanted to study electricity, specifically the electrical field. That’s why I came to the United States—to pursue a higher education. My background specializes in power engineering. With my experience, you want to work at a power company. Living in Seattle, it was clear that City Light is the ideal place for me.”

“It’s been great working with different groups at the utility. The work is interesting; always different. And I’ve learned a lot. When I was with Network Engineering, I analyzed energy loads. With System Planning, I studied the system and provided recommendations to our team. I’m fairly new to my current role, but I help prepare the engineering schematic and relevant drawings for major hydroelectric power generating units. I also help fulfill the standards and regulatory obligations assigned by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) and Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC).”

“When I’m not working, I like to spend time with my loved ones. There’s nothing better than that, right? That’s one of the reasons why I love where I live. We have a backyard for us to hang out and there is a little park by my house where I like to play with my son. I also like to play soccer and take my son swimming.”

“Weekends are always fun at my house because my wife loves to cook. And she is a great cook! She is always trying new foods, new recipes. That’s why I like it so much; nothing is similar or repetitive. She explores different culture’s food and will cook anything and everything! Recently she made Pasta Al Forno. She deviated from the traditional recipe and adding her own touch by using different sauces. It was amazing!”

Peggy Gramling has worked at City Light for just over 30 years. She began her career as an assistant electrical engineering specialist in the mapping group. From there, she’s worked as a power analyst in Power Supply; a service engineer in Network Engineering and a supervisor in the NetGIS group. She now works in Asset Management & Large Projects as the Asset Data Management and Integrity Supervisor. “I’m part of the data services group,” Peggy explained. “We help City Light get their asset data in order. Not only does it help us work smarter, but it’s at the core of so much of what we do.”

Peggy has lived in Seattle for 40 years. She was born and raised in New York. “People communicate differently in New York than they do here,” she shared with a laugh. “And when my New York comes out, I can have a difficult time communicating in Seattle!”

Peggy studied engineering at North Seattle College. She’s “eternally grateful” for her family which includes two wonderful grown kids and two exceptional grandsons.

In this week’s (spot)Light, Peggy talks about women in engineering and what she loves about her job.

“I love Seattle. It’s the most beautiful city in the world. I often pinch myself to think how lucky I am to have landed here. Much like New York, I appreciate the diversity that’s here. I’m also proud to live in a state that has two women senators, a woman mayor and now a woman CEO & General Manager of our utility. It’s exciting. I hope it’s a harbinger of what’s to come at the utility; that we use more of the women power we have at our fingertips.”

“When I first started here, there was a group called WEST. I believe it stood for Women in Engineering Support Team. There weren’t a lot of women in engineering back then. Now, we have the Women in Power group who just won a Light Power and Pride award for their work in the organization. We need more groups like that. I find it amazing how little progress we’ve made in the past 30 years. Even when I was studying engineering, a professor told our class (including 2 women) that women had no place in technologies.”

“One of the things that’s kept me at City Light is that we provide public power. When I first started, I didn’t know anything about our business, but the more I learned, the more I poured my heart and soul into it. I think it’s an amazing thing. We’ve had City Council members refer to City Light as the ‘Jewel in the Crown’ and I think that’s right. I hope it can stay on a path of continuous improvement.”

“I’m planning to retire toward the end of the year. Beyond public power, what I’ve really loved about my time at City Light is the many people committed to public service. I’ve really enjoyed working with them. I will miss them and being part of their continuing work. They are so giving, so generous. We organize our fundraisers like ‘I swear…it’s for the kids!’ because many of us feel fortunate and just want to give back.  It’s also a great team building activity. As for retirement, no big plans yet; maybe I’ll get a dog.”

Procurement and Contracting Coordinator Sunny Yousos recently celebrated her five-years at City Light. “I’m in the Customer Care division and work on the Advanced Metering Program,” Sunny explained. “I love being on the AMI program and enjoy working with a great team in a fast-paced environment.  I procure vendors/consultants contracts and secure large purchases.”

A proud PNW native, Sunny was born and raised in White Center and went to Evergreen High School. “I was born in Washington, but the rest of my family immigrated from Malaysia,” Sunny shared. ”We all lived here, but now I’m the only one left! My four older brothers moved to California and my dad stays here a few months out of the year.” She now lives in Seattle with her husband, Aly, and their seven-year old twins, Sofiyah and Aaliyah.

In this week’s (spot) Light, Sunny talks about her hobbies, her family and shares what attracted her to City Light.

 

“I was in the financial industry before City Light.  After 15 years, it was time for something different. I was attracted to City Light because I wanted to make a difference in the City.  I love Seattle; it’s such a beautiful place. It was important to me to know what was going on in the area—to be connected. I’m glad I made the jump because I love meeting and working with diverse individuals at the utility and learning about each department and what they do. Everyone has been amazing.“

“I love to hike.  It’s been hard to do those things with the twins, but they’re getting older so it’s a little easier to manage.  I hike anywhere in the Puget Sound. There is always a paranoia of being attacked by cougars and bears, so I always carry bear spray! This summer I hiked at Lake Serene, Snow Lake, Bridal Veils Fall, Mount Pilchuck and Lake Blanca.  I recently did the old trail at Mailbox Peak; it was very challenging!  It is a 4,000 foot elevation gain from the trailhead to the mailbox at the top at 2.7 miles!

“I also love to go on weekend snowboarding trips to Mount Bachelor or Mount Hood. I go to Steven’s Pass and Snoqualmie whenever I can.  When I was in high school, my best friend took me snowboarding and I was hooked.  It was hard at first; I kept falling! She kept reassuring me and taught me her techniques. Soon enough, I was able to learn and never looked back.”

“Right now, the girls are keeping us busy with swimming lessons.  It’s been fun. Homework is another big activity at our house. The academic work my girls bring home at their age amazes me; they’re doing power factoring and other equations!  I spend a lot of time helping them with their homework.  Spelling, reading, writing and math has become my nightly routine.”