For this blog post, I was tasked with interviewing a supervisor, so I chose Lorizelda Stoeller (not a vampire or even close to a bloodsucker, like so many in government). She is my supervisor and an Administrative Assistant II in Solid Waste.
What are her main job responsibilities?
Lorizelda manages the budget for the Special Projects division. She maintains the positions in Specials Projects, working with HR to code them correctly. She is in charge of monitoring all contracts. Solid Waste have vendors to do everything from washing trucks to buying ice for drivers. She does other duties as assigned, such as working on the Reimagine Phoenix campaign and Chapter 27 (City Code related to Solid Waste).
Lori actually never thought that she would be in solid waste. She got her undergraduate degree in marketing and worked in the private sector for 5 years, for companies such as Pepsi. Her goal was to get an MBA and become a CEO. However, after getting laid off in 2008, Lori wanted to choose a new career path. Jaded by the private sector, Lori had always enjoyed volunteering and helping others and discovered the MPA degree. She went back to school, pursuing the ASU MPA degree. While at ASU, she did an internship in government relations for the City of Phoenix, which gave her a great introduction to local government. At the City, she discovered that Solid Waste had a need for her marketing skills and interned there for a while. She pursued the prestigious City Management Internship with the City of Phoenix after graduation, and after her year of interning for the City, was offered a job in Solid Waste. She hopes to eventually move on to city management.
What type of education or training is needed for this position?
- Bachelor's degree
- Good project management and time management skills
- Willingness to learn
- Contract management knowledge is helpful
- Be able to handle sensitive financial information
What advice would she give to someone interested in this field?
Lori's advice is to be willing to start from the bottom. A lot of staff in Solid Waste started at the bottom and worked their way up (many started as garbage truck drivers). She also said it is helpful if you are willing to do all kinds of work to help you learn, and be open to field experiences such as ride alongs. She often does invoices herself, even though she could assign them to someone else. This is so she understands how to do them so when she is supervising others, she has firsthand experience.
Does she notice any new trends in the field?
The biggest trend in solid waste is a focus on efficiency. Solid Waste is constantly analyzing drivers, routes, and services to see where we can cut down and be more efficient. Another trend is more transparency in government, and more interaction with City Council. City Council is more involved with Solid Waste than ever. There is also great focus on the goal of diverting from the landfill- Phoenix's goal is 40 by 20 (40% diversion rate by 2020).
I totally agree with the point that the biggest trend in solid waste is a focus on efficiency and I think this point applies to every department in the city, for even the whole government. Trying to find the better to work and more efficiently and economic effectively. Hope you have more fun intern there in the city! Miss you!
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