Behind the Resume #77 – Kaleb Ode

What is your title at EvCC, and what will you be doing in your day-to-day endeavors at the College?

Kaleb Ode new employee photo

Program Manager for Outreach and High School Programs. Along with the rest of the OHSP team, I will be developing and maintaining external partnerships and leading recruitment efforts to promote the offerings of Everett Community College. I am immensely excited to serve in this position.

Tell us a little about your professional background.

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Some highlights from my time at WWU. Top: Collegiate DECA, Bottom Left: WWU Viking Band, Bottom Right: My fellow Residence Life staff

I am a graduate of Western Washington University and former frequenter of the non-profit arena. I’ve had a variety of titles over the years including Camp Counselor, Office Assistant, Challenge Course and Marketing Manager, Outreach Coordinator, and Facility Director.

I also worked as the Club Business Director (formerly Assistant Business Director) for WWU’s Associated Students. I loved working with students and am thankful I was able to serve in that role. I’m not sure I would have pursued this opportunity with as much excitement if I hadn’t previously held that position.

What was your most memorable job? Why?

I’ll never forget my time at Lutherwood Camp & Retreat Center. I established lifelong friendships during those summers.

Kaleb with 2 male relatives in a kitchen
Lefse making with family

What is your favorite meal/ snack in winter? Favorite winter beverage?

Lefse. I have fond memories of making lefse with my family when we near Christmas. It’s not the most elaborate food to prepare, but the memories make it one of my favorites.

Kaleb in Quidditch uniform with his team
Taken after some very cold games of Quidditch

Tell us three things most people don’t know about you.

  • I played Quidditch competitively with the Rain City Raptors and competed at the National level twice.
  • I’m a drummer. Back in high school I performed in Symphonic, Marching, Field Show, Pep, and Jazz bands. I continued to play for WWU’s pep band during the four years I attended and was the section leader of the drumline for a time.
  • I aspire to design my own board game. I figure putting that out there like this will help keep me accountable to that goal.
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WWU Viking Band

What is your favorite book? Favorite movie? What makes these choices your favorites?

My favorite book is The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas.

As for a favorite movie, I’m going to go with Stranger Than Fiction.

I love stories about people being placed in extreme situations and the actions they take in response. Both of the main characters in these stories reach points where their fates seem sealed, but their journey to and beyond acceptance are so vastly different I can’t help but re-read and re-watch.

What are you reading right now/ what was the last book you read? Are you participating in any reading challenges?

The last book I read was Confessions of a Yakuza by Junichi Saga. I’m not reading anything currently. I’m trying to do more writing and game design instead.

Where is your hometown? Were you born and raised in the same place?

Kaleb in a raft with a black dog
An Opening weekend well spent

Bonney Lake, WA. I was born and raised in the state.

What do you like to do on your days off?

Depends on the day.

I’m an unabashed nerd. I play Magic the Gathering (Standard, Pioneer, and Commander for those in the know), tabletop roleplaying games, and own a sizable number of board games. Right now my favorites are Terraforming Mars, Captain Sonar, and Red Dragon Inn.

When the weather is better, and sometimes when it’s not, I like to get outdoors with friends. Hiking, fishing, and camping tend to be our defaults, but I also enjoy sailing and would love to go skiing and rafting again. If it’s outdoors and there’s a bit of risk, there’s a pretty good chance I can be talked into it.

I also dabble in social dance. Swing, blues, and fusion are my go-to dances, but I’d like to learn others.

Sleeping in sounds good too.

Kaleb with some friends and celebrities
Emerald City Comicon. Had our picture taken with Anthony Mackie, Clark Gregg, and Stan Lee

Do you have a favorite quote/ piece of advice?

What would you leave behind when all your fields are dead
When your territories are dried out and your cities drowned and swept?
What would you leave behind when those who bear your name Are born in that place that you wrecked?
What would you leave behind when you’re no longer there?

“No Longer There”
The Cat Empire

Behind the Resume #76 – Heather Mayer

Heather Mayer new employee photo

What is your title at EvCC, and what will you be doing in your day-to-day endeavors at the College?

Director of Educational Technology. As part of the Center for Transformative Teaching, the eLearning team manages and supports Canvas and Starfish, as well as instructional design and development for faculty teaching online or hybrid courses. Day-to-day, that not only involves understanding trends and emerging uses of educational technology, but understanding how it connects to and supports all of the different areas of the College; not just online instruction.

Tell us a little about your professional background.

Heather with her book and a drink in front of a bookshelf
My book release event at Powell’s books in 2018

My academic background is as a historian, focusing on gender and labor in the United States in the early twentieth century. My book Beyond the Rebel Girl even includes a chapter about Everett! I taught US history courses (primarily online) at Portland Community College from 2008-2019, and began working as the Teaching Learning Center Coordinator for the Rock Creek campus in 2014. I’ve also taught as an adjunct at University of Portland and Southern New Hampshire University.

What was your most memorable job? Why?

One memorable short-term job was doing a work abroad program right after completing my BA. I went to Cork, Ireland and worked at the concession stand at a movie theater.

What is your favorite meal/ snack in fall? Favorite fall beverage?

I am big on pumpkin spice everything. Probably my favorite would be the combo of either a plain bagel with pumpkin cream cheese, or a pumpkin bagel with plain cream cheese. For drinks, I love a London Fog.

Heather with her mother and children
With my mom and my kids celebrating the Blazers in the playoffs last season

Tell us three things most people don’t know about you.

  • I have a big tattoo on my back based on the 1895 Walter Crane illustration “A Garland for May-Day.” I got it to celebrate finishing my PhD exams.
  • I am super huge fan of the Portland Trailblazers. Probably the hardest decision about moving was that I had just bought partial season tickets to share with my brother.
  • I really don’t like the feeling of being scared. I will do (almost) anything to avoid a scary movie or haunted house.

What is your favorite book? Favorite movie? What makes these choices your favorites?

Heather with her husband and children, in traditional Nigerian attire
With my husband and children dressed for a ceremony welcoming me into the family in Nigeria in 2018

That’s tough, as favorites are always changing. One of my favorite books is Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. My husband came to the United States from Nigeria to go to college, so reading that booked helped me to understand a little more about what he experienced.

What are you reading right now/ what was the last book you read? Are you participating in any reading challenges?

I always have a big stack of books next to my bed I’m in the middle of reading. Currently I’m making the most progress on The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee by David Treuer and Fault Lines: A History of the United States since 1974 by Kevin Kruse and Julian Zelizer. For fiction, the most recent was There There by Tommy Orange.

Where is your hometown? Were you born and raised in the same place?

Portland, Oregon. I was raised in the same house my dad was raised in, and where my mom still lives. Our family are the only people who have lived there since it was built in the 1950s.

What do you like to do on your days off?

Heather with her husband and children at Disneyland
With my husband and children at Disneyworld last summer

I have two small children (Cameron is 4 and Maya is 1), and so weekends are usually a mix of some kind of activity and just playing around inside or outside.

Do you have a favorite quote/ piece of advice?

I really like the old Wobbly motto “An injury to one is an injury to all.”

Behind the Resume #75 – Teri Reade

Teri Reade new employee photo

What is your title at EvCC, and what will you be doing in your day-to-day endeavors at the College?

Employment Facilitator for Aerospace and Advanced Manufacturing Careers. I am privileged to work closely with the amazing teams of administrators, faculty and staff at AMTEC and Aviation. My role will include guiding students to relevant internships and employment that utilize their training and lead to rewarding careers. Toward this goal, I will work closely with faculty in recognizing and utilizing students’ strengths; coach students to see and develop their own value, envision their careers, and market themselves to employers; and align with industry to help close the loop and fill employment gaps.

Tell us a little about your professional background. 

With Doug (husband of 27 years)
With Doug (husband of 27 years)

Until the recession, I was in Marketing and Sales. It was just a job, but it paid well. Then suddenly, there were no sales. Then, there were no jobs. Our family went on TANF (Temporary Aid for needy Families), and I met Lisa Fritch (who works at EvCC) while trying to figure out what to do next. Her guidance led me to a new career path. Since 2008, I have focused entirely on Workforce Development, helping folks figure out the next steps on their career path, coaching and teaching Resume, Interview and other self-promotion skills, and guiding groups in developing confidence and their future. It seems fitting that I am back here, working with Lisa and others to coach and guide. I am home.

What was your most memorable job? Why? 

At the age of 16, I was able to work in the school library for a semester.  It opened my eyes!! I learned process, organization and efficiency, and have used those concepts ever since.

What is your favorite meal/ snack in fall? Favorite fall beverage? 

Harvest Soup (Butternut Bisque)
Harvest Soup (Butternut Bisque)

Autumn soups . . Homemade creamy potato, spicy sweet butternut bisque, and more. My mouth is watering! For my beverage of choice: eggnog latte, please.  

Tell us three things most people don’t know about you. 

Teri & bearded dragon
with Beardsley (the Bearded Dragon)
  1. I am the mother of a dragon. A Bearded Dragon, that is.  He’s a Citrine/Giant hybrid (orange/yellow, about 18” long). He eats from my hand, and loves baths. 
  2. I raise cockroaches. That is, we maintain a supply of food for our Beardy. They stay confined, and are surprisingly clean and easy to manage.
  3. My favorite kind of shopping is at a Hardware store.  I love McDaniel’s in Snohomish.

What is your favorite book? Favorite movie? What makes these choices your favorites? 

Picture of small puppy
Falkor (9-month-old Lab)

Favorite book: Anything by Mary Roach. I started with “Gulp,” which is an entertaining, educational, scientific and historical look at the alimentary canal, starting with the taste buds and going all the way down.

Favorite movie: Into the Woods.  The stage version with Bernadette Peters as the witch. Even Meryl Streep in the more recent movie couldn’t hold a candle to her.  Plus, the movie doesn’t include the song “No More Giants.” See the Broadway version. 

What are you reading right now/ what was the last book you read? Are you participating in any reading challenges?

Teri with husband and son
Family craziness

I recently finished “The Underground Railroad” by Colson Whitehead. Currently, I’m enjoying “Being Wrong” by Kathryn Schulz. Her perspective is liberating. 

Where is your hometown? Were you born and raised in the same place?

Born and raised in the Inland Empire of Southern California . . . SO smoggy back then. At the age of 20, I chose Washington State as my new home.

What do you like to do on your days off? 

Teri holding rocks
Happy Place beach-combing

Work in the yard/garden, play with our pup, road trips with Doug, beach-comb for stones and seaglass, braid wool rugs, and make stuff. Right now, I’m sanding and finishing a live-edge cedar mantle. 

Do you have a favorite quote/ piece of advice? 

(Listing three, but they really go together.)

  • “Once you choose hope, anything’s possible.”  Christopher Reeve
  • “I dwell in possibility.” Emily Dickinson
  • “That there is some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.” Samwise (through Tolkien)
Partially completed Bohemian Braided rug
Partially completed Bohemian Braided rug

Behind the Resume #74 – Naisha Williams

Naisha Williams new employee photo

What is your title at EvCC, and what will you be doing in your day-to-day endeavors at the College?

Program Specialist in the Center for Disability Services Office (CDS). 

Tell us a little about your professional background.

Previously, I worked in Mental Health, Social Services and Public Health. 

What is your favorite meal/ snack in fall? Favorite fall beverage?

Gingerbread Man Cookies and all of the Seasonal drinks (Pumpkin Spice, Eggnog, Candy Cane Hot Chocolate, etc)

Tell us three things most people don’t know about you. 

I love Science Fiction movies with bad acting. (Not 3 things, but not well-known, either!)

Where is your hometown? Were you born and raised in the same place?

I was born in Seattle, however, I spent the majority of my early childhood in California. I returned to Seattle for Middle School and High School. (Navy Brat)

What do you like to do on your days off?

Hang out with my family ☺ 

Do you have a favorite quote/ piece of advice?

 “Your past is a Lighthouse, not a Port” – Unknown

Behind the Resume #73 – Emily Duckworth

What is your title at EvCC, and what will you be doing in your day-to-day endeavors at the College?

My title is Program Assistant in the Testing Center. I’ll be responsible for administering placement, proctored, TS/ELA tests for new and returning students. 

Tell us a little about your professional background.

Once upon a time, from 2007-2012, I was employed by the College as a student employee in the Bookstore (07-09), and as a part-time hourly Office Assistant in Facilities (09-12). I left the College to pursue a culinary career. I became the College’s cook for three different contractors, and happily prepared, cooked, and served college students, faculty, and staff. I decided that I wanted to change careers for various reasons (but not my environment), and here I am; back where I feel I belong.

What was your most memorable job? Why?

My most memorable job is here at EvCC, because I have done a variety of tasks and duties in various departments, and have felt accomplished in each and every role. 

What is your favorite meal/ snack in summer? Favorite summer beverage?

My favorite meal in the summer is cedar-planked honey-bbq salmon. My favorite beverage is a cold-crisp IPA.

Tell us three things most people don’t know about you. 

I have identical twin girls who are 17, and a red-headed 14-year-old son. I call them my mutants. :). I have three pets; 2 cats and a dog. 

What is your favorite book? Favorite movie? What makes these choices your favorites? 

I enjoy a variety of books and movies, it’s hard to pick a favorite.

What are you reading right now/ what was the last book you read? Are you participating in any reading challenges?

The last book I read was “The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World”. Written by H.H. the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Carlton Abrams. I found it to be insightful and filled with wonderful philosophy to create lasting joy in troublesome times. 

Where is your hometown? Were you born and raised in the same place?

I was born in Seattle, and was raised in West Seattle.

What do you like to do on your days off?

I like to garden, paint, or hike.

Do you have a favorite quote/ piece of advice?

My mom always said, “Don’t sweat the small stuff, and it’s all small stuff.”