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October 2021 Spotlight ProfessionalCammy Coble – City of Wenatchee Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services DepartmentDescribe the scope of your position in parks and recreation. I am the administrative assistant for the City of Wenatchee Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services Department. I am the primary point of contact for the public for our department. In my role, I schedule facilities, oversee seasonal cashiers, register participants for programs, help coordinate special events and programs, prepare interfund billings, assist with hiring staff, process billings and purchase orders, maintain a variety of records, and help wherever I’m needed. I also get to answer the random questions and complaints that we receive. These range from “How do you spell McDonalds?” to “There are ants and squirrels in the park!” How long have you been with your present agency? I started working for the City of Wenatchee in 2012 as a temporary recreation leader and seasonal cashier at the City pool. In 2016, I was selected to be the full-time Administrative Assistant. Background experience and previous careers? I owned a beauty salon, Cammy’s Salon for about seven years and was a certified preschool teacher for three years. As a volunteer, I collaborated with the department, creating and coordinating a concert series with a cultural focus called “Tardeadas”. The program ran for three years until it outgrew the 18-acre park where it was held. I also worked at a couple of our local Spanish Radio Stations, as a Marketing Coordinator and as Radio Host/ DJ, translator, and producer of radio ads. I feel that working at a variety of jobs and learning new things has guided me to find my dream job with the City of Wenatchee Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services Department. How have you participated in WRPA? I haven’t participated yet. Why are you passionate about the parks and recreation field? My greatest satisfaction is helping others. I love how our department helps our local community in many different ways from mental health to personal safety and teaching life skills by providing a variety of activities and services that range from our beautiful parks and trails and public art program to youth activities, special needs programs, swimming lessons, recreational swims, concert series, and others. What has been your biggest professional challenge? An unhappy person came into our office, yelling profanity and very racist comments about a special event that was held in a park by an outside organization. After he was done talking, I noticed that he was also carrying a gun. Keeping my composure without getting my personal emotions involved was very tough in this situation, but doable. What’s the best advice you can give to someone starting out in the field of parks and recreation? Always have a smile on your face, especially when answering the phone. |