What is your title and Department?

Project Communications Specialist in the Project Communications Department
 

How long have you been with the Flood Control District?

A little over 16 years.
 

How did you get your start at the Flood Control District?

Before I started here, the Flood Control District was my client for four years when I worked at an interactive advertising agency! At the ad agency, I was part of the team that built the very first Flood Control District website. I also assisted in building the TSARP (Tropical Storm Allison Recovery Project) website, which was the first interactive FEMA regulatory floodplain mapping tool for Harris County.
 

What does your job at the Flood Control District entail?

It is never the same thing each day. You know when job descriptions state “and other duties as assigned?”: that absolutely applies to Project Communications. Our team is responsible for proactive and reactive communications about different projects and programs within our assigned watersheds. We produce general project communications messaging (for the website, email blasts, construction advisories, social media) as well as communicate directly with a single resident or special interest group(s) about projects or concerns within a community. We draft the scripts and presentations for Community Engagement Meetings and handle all the planning required to host successful meetings. We also attend press conferences or special events hosted by community partners and stakeholders, which can mean working nights and weekends. A lesser-known job duty is that we handle the resident complaints, or citizen service requests, during times of active construction. So, we really stay in contact with the Engineering Project Manager as well as the Construction Manager as necessary throughout a project’s lifecycle.
 

What is your favorite thing about working at the Flood Control District?

My favorite thing is honestly “knowing stuff.” I really like to be helpful to my coworkers and Harris County residents to help them find the information they need in the most streamlined way possible. Because I’ve been here for over a decade and a half, I’ve seen things and therefore I know things (ha!). It sounds funny to say, but that really is my favorite thing right now at this point in my career...and I’m still learning something new every day!
 

What’s the coolest thing you’re working on right now? 

I would say the Inwood Forest Stormwater Detention Basin project. The project is made up of 12 interconnected stormwater detention basins that are being constructed on a former City of Houston golf course. This project was in the works for a very, very long time (as in, before my time here), and we finally got to the construction stage this year. We are dealing with waterline shutoffs in the wee hours of the morning, street closures, aquatic life relocations due to golf course ponds being drained, tree protection and trying our best to keep residents comfortable and informed during the inconveniences of construction.
 

What has been your favorite project so far? 

A few things come to mind, but I am going to land on the Shady Lane Park interactive signage that we installed near the Bretshire Stormwater Detention Basin. A playground and a splash pad were constructed on park land next to our basin. We created three interactive signs with moving parts and tactile elements (for kids and adults) to help explain concepts such as stormwater storage for mitigation purposes, the water cycle, and bird migration in our area.
 

What is the best career lesson you’ve learned so far? 

A former coworker named Mr. Jim Greeson told me that doing a job to the best of anyone’s ability won’t always make everyone happy...that a career and a job will have many ups and downs, but if you like what you do and you know you are good at it, then stick with it during the lows and time will work out the rest.
 

What is something about yourself that most people don't know?

I play a high intensity sport called pádel. When I tell people, they will usually try to correct me and say “Oh, pickleball.” I say, “no, pádel.” Then they say, “oh, paddleball.” and I say “no, pádel.”
 

What is something about you that people would be surprised to know?

In 2021, I bought a house and built a pádel court in my backyard. It is one of just seven courts within the City of Houston – and two of those courts are at The Houstonian.
 

What was your first job?

My first job was working for the City of Lafayette (Louisiana) as a summer camp counselor at a public park facility.
 

What do you like most about your job?

I like the variety and the opportunity to be involved in community-changing projects. Before transferring from Creative Services to Project Communications, I had a different view of the work that we do at the Flood Control District. I learned so much in Creative Services as well, but from a different viewpoint. Project Communications digs a lot deeper into the weeds of a project and we must emerge with a potted (native) plant that we can present to the public.
 

What motivates you to wake up and go to work?

My team. We keep each other motivated and positive during challenging times because we rely on each other to be successful in our efforts.