{"id":399,"date":"2019-08-14T12:58:50","date_gmt":"2019-08-14T19:58:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/humanservices\/?p=399"},"modified":"2019-08-14T12:58:50","modified_gmt":"2019-08-14T19:58:50","slug":"hello-pierce-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/humanservices\/2019\/08\/14\/hello-pierce-county\/","title":{"rendered":"Hello, Pierce County!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Greetings from the bunker! (That\u2019s my affectionate name for my office here on the first of 1305 Tacoma Avenue South. Let\u2019s just say I\u2019m well insulated.)<\/p>\n

My name is Heather Moss and I thought I\u2019d introduce myself to folks out there who used to hear from Pete Ansara. In case you were wondering what\u2019s going on, I am finishing up my third week as the new Director of Human Services.<\/p>\n

The bulk of my professional career has been with the State of Washington in Olympia, so as a 25-year resident of Tacoma, I\u2019m happy to be working in my own backyard serving my fellow County residents. I\u2019ll miss my colleagues in Olympia, but really look forward to the opportunities and challenges here with Pierce County. Plus, my new commute can be measured in blocks rather than interstate miles.<\/p>\n

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My husband and me playing in the large snowball fight at Wright Park this past winter.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While in Olympia, I worked for the state legislature, budget office, and two agencies. My most recent job was serving as the Deputy Secretary for the newly-formed Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF). It was an incredible opportunity to be part of creating a new agency, and the work of DCYF is so very important to every family in our state.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve spent most of my first 3 weeks meeting people \u2013 colleagues at the Human Services Department, the Pierce County Executive Team, Executive Dammeier\u2019s cabinet, contractors and community providers, members of our 8 advisory groups, and other stakeholders. All told, my current list of Important People to Meet is just over 60 names long, and I am almost halfway through it. It\u2019s an imperfect process, though, so if you are (or know of) someone I need to connect with, please reach out.<\/p>\n

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Speaking to the Pierce County Council during my confirmation on July 23, 2019.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I have been working on developing a vision for what comes next here at the Human Services Department. I look forward to working with many of you on the following initiatives that are on my short and evolving list of priorities:<\/p>\n