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News and Updates from Seattle City Light

Seattle City (spot)Light: Mario Gonzalez

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Starting at City Light in August 2016, Mario Gonzalez works with the business customer service team as their Senior Customer Service Representative. “I assist our key customer managers with our key customers’ billing inquires, our electrical service engineers with service to bill process, the business customer advisors in account related issues, and our key account yearly rate review.” Mario shared. “I’m here to support our key customer and my team the best I can with the knowledge I have in our systems.”

Originally from Los Angeles, Mario came to Washington for stability and a fresh start, “I heard nothing but good things, so I packed my bags and landed in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.”

In this week’s (spot)Light, Mario talks more about his background, his love for sports, and why he enjoys working at City Light.

“I’ve completed some courses in hospitality at a local community college back in Los Angeles, but most of my experience comes from all of the different jobs I’ve held in customer care throughout my life. They have molded me into the person I am today and I look forward to going back to school to complete my education in business administration.”

“I currently live in Bothell, just down the street from Bothell High School. The community, school district, and quiet, yet busy, downtown make this area a beautiful place for my little family to grow. I love to play sports of any kind; you name it, I’ll play it! Just not hockey, I don’t
think I was made to be on ice. One thing I get teased most for but actually enjoy the most is playing kickball. I am a part of an adult league that travels and plays competitively and after the games we all get together and go have fun at a local bar. It combines my love for travel, my love for sports, and a community of friends that I can share fun memories with.”

“My decision to come to City Light all came down to the possibility of progression and stability. I originally applied for a property management position for a large firm and the temporary position with the city. Thankfully I got both, but the city just made more sense to me at the time even though it was temporary. I’m very thankful that I chose the route I did because I’ve had so many opportunities and have advanced to a position that I am proud of.”

“At the end of each day, I can honestly say that I’ve solved a customer’s issue and in return, I receive gratitude that makes me feel appreciated. I have gained so much from working for Seattle City Light and look forward to the future.”

Seattle City (spot)Light: Kim Kinney

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Kim Kinney has worked for City Light for over 11 years. Her initial position was in the General Manager/Chief of Staff Office for
seven years before moving to her current role working in the Chief Financial Officer’s office in the Financial Services Business
Unit (FSBU).

A transplant from the “Great White North” (Canada), Kim was born in a small town on Vancouver Island (Port Alberni which has less than
20,000 people). “What brought me to Seattle was my husband, Lamar,” Kim shared. “Who knew that I would meet a guy in Mexico, spend four
years being a regular customer at the Peace Arch Border Crossing, and then get married and move to Seattle? Lamar and I have been happily
married for 21 years.”

In this week’s (spot)Light, Kim talks more about her life in Seattle, her background before City Light, and her work at the utility.

“My husband and I live in West Seattle with our only child—a Shih Tzu named Tasha. There’s nothing better than having a fur baby who thinks
she’s part human and part cat. On the weekends, we love spending our time watching football (Go Hawks! Go Huskies! Go Cougs!). We also
enjoy attending smooth jazz concerts at some of our favorite venues like Jazz Alley and Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery. Cooking and traveling
are some of my favorite hobbies. Of course, Mexico is a favorite because that’s where it all started!”

“I studied psychology and sociology at the University of Victoria. I spent many years in both Vancouver and Seattle working in the banking
and insurance industries for company executives and when the opportunity arose at City Light, I was excited to work in public service. I
related to our mission and values in providing customers with affordable, reliable and environmentally responsible energy services. I am
inspired by the utility’s dedication to enhancing, protecting and preserving the environment for future generations.”

“I currently work as the Division Administrator in FSBU. I really enjoy the variety in this role where I get to be actively involved in
administration of the department, human resource matters, coordination of the utility department policies and procedures, management of
damage claims, development and management of SharePoint sites, and the ability to participate in various special projects for the business
unit. I have especially loved participating in the “Women in Power” group and find their mentorship program very valuable.”

“The people and job are what I love about working at the utility. It allows me to network with employees in different areas and it is
gratifying to be able to take on a variety of projects, brainstorm solutions and strive for excellence and process improvement in our daily
work.”

Seattle City (spot)Light: Thor Peterson

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“Relative newbie” Thor Peterson started working with City Light in October 2019 in a 11-month TES contract. Before coming to City Light, Thor worked for Seattle Public Utilities and the former Department of Planning Development in conservation and green building roles from 1998-2007, “I’ve got a bit of history with municipal utilities despite my newness in my current role.”

Thor is a native Washingtonian, “in fact both of my parents and one grandparent were also born in Seattle” he shared. “I’m one of those apples that didn’t fall far from the tree! I received my bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Washington, and then went back to the UW campus a few years later to receive my Master of Public Administration from the Evans School where I focused on environmental policy and public participation in environmental decision-making.”

In this week’s (spot)Light, Thor talks more about his work at City Light, his connection to the environment, and what brought him to the utility.

“I currently live in the Ravenna-Bryant neighborhood. The overall sense of place I have here is probably my favorite thing about it; My dad has memories of salmon running in Ravenna creek when he was a kid and I like the feeling of rootedness that my family has instilled in the same place. Needless to say, I love the outdoors- especially plants and the ecosystems they underpin. I love the design challenge of working with nature and unlocking the potential of the natural world on a small scale in my little plot of soil at our house.”

“I am the residential energy efficiency rebates program manager in the Customer Care and Energy Solutions division. Our rebates are meant to change consumer behavior toward selecting more energy-efficient alternatives which help to propel market transformation toward resource efficiency. I was brought on specifically to help sunset some of our long-standing rebate programs and help stand up some innovative replacements. While there’s still a ton of energy conservation opportunity out there, a good amount of the low-hanging fruit has been plucked. Technological change means some new fruits are emerging that we should be focusing on. Some of our programs had also run on autopilot for a while and it was time to rethink our approach to ensure that we not only meet our market transformation and conservation goals, but that we equitably serve our customer base as we work to become the utility of the future.”

“Truly, I like a lot of things about the utility! If I have to pick one, it would have to be the people- I really respect and admire my coworkers. They care deeply about the community we serve, and are just so smart, dedicated and creative. It makes it easy to remain inspired and hopeful, even in the face of daunting challenges they help me feel that we really are up for the task.”

“Working for SPU really ignited my love for publicly-owned utilities. I had the pleasure of collaborating with City Light back in my SPU days, since the green building program I helped administer there had a natural alignment with City Light’s conservation goals. When my current position came up, I jumped at it because it was a unique chance to revisit familiar territory from a new angle and with fresh inspiration. Also, the energy industry is going through massive changes these days and is an essential player in creating our sustainable relationship with our planet- to assist, even in small ways, with the sort of transformation we’ll need to effect as a utility… that’s fun and exciting stuff!”
 

Seattle City (Spot)Light: Margaret Owens

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Margaret Owens has been performing line work with City Light for 24 years. Currently, she is one of two Transmission Right of Way Crew Chiefs. “My job ranges from vegetation management, lake debris removal, right of way restoration, road building, responding to emergency callouts and providing line worker support” Margaret shared. “My crew and I are the eyes and ears for the 100 miles of transmission line which we take great responsibility in caring for.”

Originally from Iowa, Margaret also lived in Arizona before deciding to start fresh and turn over a new leaf in Washington. She now lives in West Seattle, where she loves the close vicinity to stores, restaurants and the short walks to the water, parks and work. “Most days I enjoy biking to work and I have many friendly neighbors who watch out for me and my dog Lucy- especially when emergency call outs take me away from home.”

In this week’s (spot)Light, Margaret shares about her educational background, her love for the outdoors and her work at City Light.

“Photography was always a love of mine and I actually studied it at a community college in Iowa for a short time. When I got to Washington, I went through the SCL apprenticeship program in linework and gained journey-level status in 2001. I also went to South Seattle College for numerous years while working full time to receive my arborist certification and almost my Associate’s Degree in Landscape Horticulture, with an emphasis in Landscape Sustainability (I still need a math and English course to finish!). I am also a Certified Arborist/Utility Specialist and I am Tree Risk Assessment qualified.”

“I enjoy all types of outdoor activities but gardening definitely tops the list as one of my favorites, especially with native plants. I have even converted my entire yard to a majority of native area plants! I never go by a nursery that I don’t want to stop and visit- the same can be said about wineries.”

“24 years ago, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. As time went on, I realized the wonderful comradery of the workers here in addition to the growth opportunities and ability to make a stable living. I greatly enjoy working with my crew each and every day. They are incredibly talented, knowledgeable and they have a fantastic sense of humor- even through a storm. Every day is different; I never know what the day will bring, but I know with my crew, we can get through it every time. I would also like to give a shout out to the Washington Women in Trades, of which I’m a member, and which accepts memberships from men who support women.”

Seattle City (spot)Light: Kelsey Hay

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Kelsey Hay celebrated her one-year anniversary with City Light in late June. She works with the Communications and Marketing division as a Communications intern, where she provides support on a number of projects and teams including community outreach (community meetings and related tasks), Skagit Tours, (spot)Lights, and more!

Growing up in Seattle and currently living in the West Seattle area, Kelsey attends the University of Washington and is majoring in marketing at the Foster School of Business. “It has been so cool to connect the concepts that I have learned in a closed, academic environment to real-world situations and projects at City Light! It has definitely made me that much more excited about what the future has in store and fuels my passion for the work I am currently doing.”

In this week’s (spot)Light, Kelsey shares about her travels, her hobbies, and her experience as an intern at City Light.

InWeb NetWork Kelsey Hay SpotLight

“I have been super fortunate to have traveled as much as I have in my short life so far and it makes me never want to stop! In January I had the opportunity to go to Europe for the first time. We originally had planned to only travel to Paris and London but ended up exploring Madrid and Rome for a short time as well. I definitely returned to the states just in time, but I can’t wait for the next opportunity to go back and further appreciate the beautiful countries! It has always been my dream to travel to Europe, but I have also traveled around the states, with Hawaii and New York being some of my favorites.”

“Living and growing up in Washington has made me fall completely in love with the outdoors; whether it’s camping, kayaking, hiking, or just going for a walk, I really enjoy taking advantage of the few clear-skied, sunny days we have. When the weather isn’t the best, and especially in the Fall and Winter months, I am usually indoors with schoolwork, but I’ll always make time for a Seahawks game. My family has always been huge Hawks fans. I guess that must have translated down to me because I never miss a game!”

“I had originally heard about the internship opportunities from a friend that interned in the communications department in the mayor’s office–he really loved the experience and suggested that I look into internships with the City as well. I am so glad that I did and that I found this internship with City Light! Never would I have imagined the amount that I have learned and experienced through my time at the utility. Going through the internship program last summer and meeting other interns, traveling up to the North Cascades National Park (which is hands down one of my favorite places now), and working with so many different and amazing people has really made this internship an overall fantastic experience!”

Seattle City (spot)Light: Chris Armstrong

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Chris Armstrong has been with City Light for a little over six years. After working as the internship coordinator, Chris transitioned to his current role as an outreach and engagement specialist on the Communications team.

Before coming to Seattle, Chris lived in Champaign, Illinois for twelve years where he received his master’s degree in Human Resources Management and then went on to work at the University of Illinois. Originally from Dayton, Ohio, Chris moved to Seattle to “experience a different part of the country, to explore the PNW, and to live in a big city.”

“I grew up around Dayton which many know for its history in powered flight, and as it turns out, I’m related to the Wright Brothers!” Chris shared.

In this week’s (spot)Light, Chris talks more about his favorite activities, his work at City Light and what he loves about City Light!
 

 
Chris at Firehole Canyon in Yellowstone National Park

“In the past two years, I’ve gotten into van camping in a big way. I have a small adventure van (named Grayson) that I outfitted with a customized camping conversion, mini kitchen, bed, canopy, and cargo pod to stash my inflatable kayak. I took it out for a weeklong road trip to Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and Montana. It was a blast!”
 

 
Grayson the adventure van among the Montana mountains

“My current role is as an outreach and engagement specialist on the Communications team. What that means is I support a variety of programs geared toward our employees and our customers. Many colleagues know me from all-employee meetings or strategic forum. But I work on other cool projects, like our Energy Heroes school education programs for students in grades 1-8 and our STEAM in Power Workshop, where we highlight career paths at City Light around science, technology, engineering, arts, and math for young women of color participating in a local community program called SPIN Girls. It’s always fun to find creative and new ways to reach our employees and the communities we serve.”

“I love that City Light is a non-for-profit public utility. I’ve mostly worked in the public sector and higher education, and I’m driven by the missions of these institutions. The fact that we are a green utility focused on environment, helping customers, and striving for equity all spoke to me. Plus, the job was a perfect blend of my background working with students, building programs, and having human resources experience. The number one thing I love about working for City Light are my colleagues—all y’all! It’s wonderful to partner with dedicated, caring, and hard-working people across this utility. They make those harder days brighter, and hopefully I can do the same for them. Stay bright, City Light!”

Seattle City (spot)Light: Greg St. Peter

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Greg St. Peter has been with Seattle City Light for five years. He is a part of the Communications and Marketing team as the graphic designer. “My role as the only in-house graphic designer is to support all aspects of visual information both internal and customer-facing, via print as well as digital media.”

Greg grew up in Poulsbo and still lives in the area currently. “My favorite thing about this area is the location: not too far from the city, mountains, ocean… Everything is accessible,”  Greg shared. He studied fine arts at Western Washington University, where he focused on graphic design.

In this week’s (spot)Light, Greg talks about his unique role at City Light, his passion for soccer and what he loves most about City Light.

InWeb NetWork Greg StPeter Spotlight

“The unique role as the only in-house graphic designer at the utility led me to City Light. The environmental emphasis and being part of an organization that is very customer-focused is what really attracted me most to the utility.”

“My favorite hobby is coaching soccer. I have too many injuries to keep playing myself, but coaching is the next best thing. I’ve been doing so for about 20 years and am the current coach for both the boys and girls’ programs at North Kitsap High School and also I serve as the Coaching Director for a local club team.”

“The large variety of projects, the people, and the culture are what I love most about working for City Light. Working for a utility in my field is fairly rare and being in this position to work for the public makes it even more fulfilling.”

Seattle City (spot)Light: Chau Ly

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Chau Ly has been a committed City Light employee for thirteen years. As a Senior Customer Service Representative in the Credit and Collection departments, Chau plays a vital role in solving customer inquiries or problems and improving strategies and procedures.

Originally from outside of Washington, Chau shares that she was “brought to the area for opportunities to earn a greater living within a diverse cultural lifestyle.” Currently Chau enjoys living on the boarder of Seattle and Renton where she “loves the diversity of both cities.”

In this weeks (spot)Light Chau talks about her passion for dancing, more about her work, and her involvement at Seattle City Light.

InWeb NetWork Chau Ly Spotlight

“My favorite activity is ballroom dancing- and I rarely have time for that because I am a busy bee who likes to throw big family gatherings as well as being a mother to my three wonderful kids. However, turn on any upbeat music and that will usually do the trick in getting me to dance to the beat!”

“My background is in accounting and I transitioned from Bank of America initially to Seattle City Light. The main attraction to City Light was the range of different departments and the growth opportunities that are supported by continual employee development and education.”

“What I love most about working at City Light is that management is approachable and encourage an open-door policy. Also, that there are plenty of opportunities to transition to new and exciting opportunities within the utility. I am very thankful to have a flexible supervisor and an amazing manager who support me daily, recognize my talents and kindly suggest ways for improving professionally.”

Seattle City (spot)Light: Jeff Fisher

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Jeff Fisher will celebrate his one-year anniversary working for City Light in July. “My official title is senior aquatic ecologist and strategic advisor,” Jeff explained. “My job is a bit of a meld of straight technical fisheries and water quality work with policy support focused on broader Endangered Species Act (ESA) and Clean Water Act issues that could affect the utility’s operations.”

Jeff’s father served in the Navy Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps in Hawaii. After his resignation, their family moved to Seattle in 1966. “I am essentially from Washington, though I have lived in many different states and a few different countries.” He currently lives in Olympia with his wife and two teenage sons. “Having grown up in Magnolia, I was ready for a change- and more affordable real estate, so we moved (to Olympia) in 2000.”

In this week’s (spot)Light, Jeff talks about finding City Light, his unique hobbies, and more about his work at the utility.

“I went to the University of Washington where I received my B.S. in fisheries biology, went on to get my master’s in aquatic pathobiology from Stirling University in Stirling, Scotland and earned my Ph. D in environmental toxicology from Cornell. I actually saw the position for City Light posted when I was living overseas in Ireland and working at Ireland’s Marine Institute. Given my background with ESA policy, the desire to get back and do more on the ground research, some family desires to return to the U.S., and my connection to the Skagit basin from early childhood, it seemed like a really good fit.”

“What’s nice about Olympia is the proximity to Puget Sound, the Olympic Mountains and the less crowded portions of the Cascades. Also, as an aquatic scientist who wanted to find a way to ‘keep my feet wet,’ I had the desire to find property where I might start a shellfish farm—which I did back in 2006. Some of my other hobbies include playing a bit of guitar, making wine, and I love to ski, fish and kayak- hanging out with my family is right up there too.”

“Much of the policy-focused work I do is related to regulatory actions on the Columbia River that may affect some of our operations. On the Skagit, my work is primarily focused on supporting the ongoing relicensing effort as part of the ‘Fish and Aquatic’ team, and I am particularly focused on reservoir related research that includes furthering an ongoing study with Bull Trout to better understand their movements and behaviors within the Skagit reservoirs.”

“The Environment, Land and Licensing business unit is very deep with talent and experienced scientists and managers—several of whom I have known for many years. There seems to be an expert in just about every relevant discipline, so it makes for a very collegial environment. It doesn’t hurt that the field work I do on occasion happens to be in one of the most scenic environments in the country, if not the world.”

Seattle City (spot)Light: John LeCompte

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John LeCompte has been with City Light for twelve and a half years. After spending nine years providing energy efficiency incentives for commercial and industrial customers, and the next two years working on emerging technologies, John was recently reassigned to the newly-formed Electrification and Strategic Technology Division. “We are focusing on bringing new technologies to City Light and its customer-owners with the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and modernizing our grid so we can offer more sustainable, reliable, equitable and customer-centric services.” 

Originally from Seattle, John has also lived in Eastern Washington, Arizona, Idaho, Colorado, Vermont and Boston. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from UW and a master’s in Mechanical Engineering from Colorado State University.  He is a licensed professional engineer, and holds certifications as a Certified Energy Manager, Certified Building Commissioning Professional, and Certified Measurement & Verification Professional.

In this week’s (spot)Light, John talks about his hobbies, his new work, and what he loves about City Light.

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“I currently live in West Seattle and I love the combination of a densifying suburb and sleepy semi-isolated neighborhood (more so now with the bridge issues), while all being within biking distance to work. I started practicing karate in 1983 and currently hold a 7th degree black belt in a peaceful, traditional Okinawan karate school- it really helps me frame life’s challenges as opportunities to grow my perspective and abilities. I also love Ultimate frisbee–a fantastic way to get a solid aerobic workout with good spirit, as well as rock climbing when I have the time!”

“I have worked in several areas of engineering and construction, having owned my own engineering company at one point, but City Light offered me the opportunity to give back to my home city. Most recently, my team has joined several other City Light employees in the Utility Next effort, a very focused mission to propose projects to get the economy rolling again in the aftermath of COVID-19. It’s very exciting, but all-consuming! In parallel to this work, I’m also serving as a shop steward to the members of PROTEC17, the largest union of City employees, where I am involved in efforts to improve employee morale and organization effectiveness through a collaborative approach. I feel I’m part of meaningful work in both of these roles, and I am honored to be working with teams of dedicated professionals working to help our city.”

“City Light offers the chance to be a part of significant work to rein in climate change, and I love that I can be a part of that alongside others who want to make a difference. Right now, I feel extremely lucky as a City employee to have continuity of work and income in this time of historic unemployment. We are able to use our position as a utility to prop up other struggling industries and people and this simple fact makes me feel grateful to City Light and responsible to my fellow Seattleites.”