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.”

Samuel Langi has an impressive 38 years working for the City of Seattle. He started at Seattle Public Utilities before moving to Seattle street maintenance. From there, he went to Seattle Parks and Recreation until he transferred to City Light as a laborer for the Skagit Hydroelectric Project. After eight years in Newhalem, he transferred to the Electric Shop at the South Service Center. Eventually, he completed the lineworker apprentice program and worked his way to his current position as a lineworker assigned locator. “This position is a lot easier on my old body!” Samuel said with a laugh.

Samuel is originally from Tonga Island. When he was 16 years old, he moved to the United States and lived in San Francisco for a few short years. “My parents left me at Tonga Island when I was 12 years old,” Samuel explained. “They were working on getting our green card filed. When the time was right, I joined them here in the states and eventually they sent me to live with my aunt in Seattle.” Samuel now lives in Auburn with his wife Julia Maria and helps take care of his mother who lives in Seattle. “I visit my home country now and then,” he shared. “We still have properties there.”

In this week’s (spot)Light, learn more about Samuel’s home country, family and his musical hobbies.

“I have six kids: three boys and three girls. My oldest is 36 years old; my youngest is 12 years old. My oldest son served in the Army. My second son is still in the Air Force; he’s ready to retire in four years. My youngest son just enlisted with the Marines, but I was trying to get him to join our apprenticeship program!”

“I like to play the piano and guitar at home. My cousin gave me a right-handed guitar in 1979. He was going to Boston for school and left it with me to keep. I’m left-handed so I had to teach myself to play. Also, when we bought our house in Seattle, my parents bought an electric piano. No one ever played it, so when I was bored I learned how to play it. I mainly play jazz and classical music; whatever floats my canoe! I don’t read music, but I could sure give it a try.”

“I’ve been training line apprentices for 18 years. I’m with the Underground Residential Distribution (URD) line workers. We take care of and maintain all the underground services from Denny Way in downtown Seattle to 160^th Avenue south. We keep everything running smoothly. It’s good work; we’re working hard for the city and loving every minute! I love working for the City. There are great people and great opportunities. There is always room to learn and the people I work with keep me humble and motivated.”

Crew Chief Joe Andrade has worked at City Light for 29 years. “As a relief crew chief lineman, I work out on the line and restore electricity,” Joe said. “I also install new services to new customers.” He’s part of the utility’s Transmission and Distribution Operations division and is based at the South Service Center.

Joe served in the United States Airforce for seven years. “I was a cable splicer,” he shared. “I was stationed in Texas, Germany, Ohio and Tacoma. The northwest is beautiful, so I decided to stay here when I finished; it’s been 45 years!” He applied to City Light’s lineworker apprenticeship program and never looked back.

Joe and his wife Amanda live in Federal Way. He has two children, his daughter Brittnii and his son Jordin. In this week’s (spot)Light, he talks about his childhood on Africa’s Cape Verde Islands, his family (hint: Jordin is an Olympian) and his hobbies.

“In my role, every day is different. You do the same work, but there are new challenges daily. And that’s what I like about it—finding solutions for each problem. It’s exciting when you start from scratch and finish with a perfect result. In the end, we provide power and service to customers, making everyone happy. The only thing I don’t like is the weather!”

“I was born and raised on an island called Brava which is part of the Cape Verde Islands off African’s western coast. It’s rugged; the weather conditions make it hard to get on and off the island. There’s nothing on the island but rocks. We lived very primitively; our house was on top of a volcano. We survived mainly on fish and potatoes. I remember being barefoot and walking on dirt. When I was six, my family left the island on a rowboat. It was a long journey, but after stops in Portugal and Rhode Island–and after planes and larger boats—we ended up in Sacramento, California. My dad was already there. He raised money to send for us. I remember kissing the ground when we landed and thinking, ‘What is this?’ It was concrete! Things changed for me once we moved here; I was introduced to so much; everyday things like lightbulbs and toilets. It was all incredible.”

“Jordin visited the island recently and confirmed everything I’ve shared with him about my childhood. He was there because he represented Cape Verde in the 2016 Olympics in Brazil and will compete in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. He’s a track and field athlete. I was his coach in Brazil. I, too, ran track and field. When I was in high school, I ranked third in the United States for hurdles. Ten years later, my brother ran hurdles and was ranked third in the world. And twenty years later, my son is running hurdles in the Olympics. I like to think I inspired the sport in my family!”

“I don’t run anymore—heck, I can barely walk! But I do love photography. I love photographing stationery things and snap pictures around the South Service Center for our events. My wife and I also love to travel. We visit Europe often. We also like the Caribbean. I’ve been to China, Mexico, Hawaii, Alaska and recently came back from New York. Cuba has been my favorite place; I loved it.”

Janet Hart began her City career 17 years ago as a land surveyor for Seattle Public Utilities (SPU). She joined City Light nearly five years ago as part of the Generation Operations & Engineering division and manages the technical resources group. “I changed specialties and moved into design and engineering when I joined the utility,” Janet explained. “My team does design drafting, historical research, 3D laser scanning and document management to support our engineers and operations employees with capital improvement and maintenance projects. They transform napkin sketches and design concepts into beautiful construction plans.”

A Colorado native, Janet moved to the northwest to attend Western Washington University. She graduated with a degree in environmental science and a minor in geology. “Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always had this draw to the outdoors, to environmentalism, to electricity and to hydro,” Janet shared.

She now lives in Tacoma with her wife Molly and their two dogs Lobo and Ringo. In this week’s (spot)Light, Janet talks about her career, her hobbies (hint: you can find her on the water) and her family trips to hydroelectric facilities.

“When I first started with SPU, I was lucky enough to be placed on City Light’s land survey crew. I traveled to Boundary, Skagit and Tolt; in a way, it served as an introduction to the utility. My main job was deformation monitoring of the dams. It involved a lot of measurements and working outside. It was wonderful. Through that work, I came to know the City Light family, so when I got my job at the utility, it was like coming home.”

“Before the City, I managed the operations of a plant nursery. It was so nice to be in touch with something natural. Working there I realized that I wanted to be outside; it’s something I enjoy. So, I went back to school again and got an associate degree in survey technology. That line of work fit me well because it encompassed everything: I was outside, I like math and problem solving and there was a process to it. I also worked with engineers all the time; they needed my data!”

“I grew up visiting hydroelectric facilities. My dad was an electrician and we took our family vacations to dams. I remember being ten years old and thinking ‘Another dam. We’re going to tour another dam.’ Looking back though, it was a great experience. I also remember helping my dad pull wires in the attic. When I look at my career, I can see how these things influenced me.”

“My wife and I restored an old wood boat. It was a 1961 Chris Craft Constellation. It took us 15 years, believe it or not! We now own a fiber glass Tollycraft which turned our sanding and varnish time into more time for fun. We’re always on the water. Our favorite place is Jarrell Cove on Harstine Island. We were married there, actually! We had a campground style wedding; it was an absolute blast. We also like to fish, crab and cruise the San Juan Islands and the South Puget Sound. We’re actually planning a 6,000 mile boat trip called The Great Loop; I’d love to boat the Bahamas once we finish. I also love to golf, especially in Bend and Palm Springs.”

Irina Lusby has worked in City Light’s Regulatory Affairs division for four years. As a Sr. Compliance Analyst, Irina focuses on North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) and critical infrastructure protection (CIP) for the utility. “I work on cyber-security standards across the utility to ensure that all of our critical assets are protected, “Irina said. “We read and interpret regulations to make sure they are implemented quickly and correctly.” Irina enjoys her work because there isn’t any routine to it—she has new and different projects all the time.

Hailing from Rostov, Russia, Irina has lived in Washington for over 20 years. “In about a year, I will have been here longer than I was in Russia,” she shared with a laugh. Though she graduated with a degree in psychology from a university in Russia, Irina found herself working in the compliance world. “I used to work for the State of Washington as a Program Manager for federally qualified health centers and that was my first involvement with compliance. I continued in healthcare with Kaiser Permanente as a Compliance Analyst, and then I came here! It’s definitely a different field of work from healthcare.”

In this week’s (spot)Light, read about Irina’s journey to the United States, traveling with her family, and their active, outdoorsy lifestyle.

“I grew up with my mom in Russia. We lived in a big city, so it was a completely different pace when I moved to Olympia; it was a culture shock! My husband Brian is from Washington and I met him when he was opening a new office in St. Petersburg for Boeing. We dated long distance, got married and I’ve been here ever since. I still have extended family in Russia, but my mom moved here when we had kids. We have an 11-year-old son named Nicholas and a 13-year-old daughter named Sasha.”

“Most of my time is occupied with my kids because they’re heavily involved in sports. My daughter plays club and school volleyball and my son plays football and lacrosse. As a family we travel a lot. We went to Europe for a few weeks in the spring and we’ve gone to Mexico and Hawaii as well. We also like to hike and do RV camping in the summer. We’ll go out to the lakes and do watersports. We really like Banks Lake in eastern Washington. This year will be our eleventh year going there. My kids love wakeboarding and surfing, so we do those a lot. When we travel we try to incorporate outdoors activities like ziplining!”

“I like to run, bike and practice yoga. I’ve checked off two items on my bucket list: run a marathon and skydiving. Last year, I ran a marathon in Victoria B.C.; it was a gorgeous setting. I decided on that location because it was listed as one of the best marathons for beginners. I also went skydiving in Las Vegas. I’ll continue running half marathons but probably not full ones. I’m doing a couple of cycling races soon! As for traveling bucket list items, I want to visit Australia and go on an African Safari.”