Yoshiro Ouye has traveled a long and winding career road

Kathy Davis
Communications

Talk about a diverse career path! Yoshiro Ouye, who is retiring from WSDA on Oct. 31, has worked in a variety of occupations before becoming an information technology professional. He is ending his state career serving as WSDA’s chief technology officer since January 2016. 

As a young man, Yoshi served in the U.S. Army in Erlangen, Germany. He received a Bachelor of Arts from The Evergreen State College in Olympia. 

After a stint as a training manager for a Federal Way food manufacturer, he became a correctional officer at the state’s Special Offender Center. 

He stayed on with state government, serving as an investigator, dealer licensing supervisor and administrative hearings officer at the Department of Licensing. At the Department of Labor & Industries, he pursued the IT track, promoting up to an IT program manager where he managed imaging and applications projects. 

At age 17, Yoshi was in the
U.S. Army, where he
served for four years.

WSDA’s important mission

His focus upon joining WSDA has been to “assist the IT staff and the agency to make our team a viable and successful part of the state technology infrastructure,” he said. 

Along the way, he’s had lots of opportunities to make changes and the support he needed to do so, he said. 

Among his most memorable experiences here was joining the agency’s Safety Program team and Human Resources director on an Eastern Washington tour of WSDA offices and agricultural facilities such as potato and apple processing plants.

Yoshi on a visit to a Yakima food bank, posing with a volunteer
(in pink shirt), and WSDA staff Jason Gambill, Julie Youmans
and Ron Hussung.

“It really made me aware of the importance of WSDA’s mission and how everyone working for the agency has such an important role in keeping our food and agriculture safe and viable,” he said. 

How well do you know Yoshi? You may not know that he placed second in the Kansas City Soap Box Derby and went on to stand by as the alternate in the Akron, Ohio race, in case the first-place winner could not compete. 

Next on this soon-to-be retiree’s to-do list is visiting several national parks on his way to his winter residence in Clearwater, Florida. Another goal is to work part-time at Walt Disney World because he said, “I love that place!” 

In summary: Yoshi Ouye, who has been WSDA’s chief technology officer since January 2016, will retire at the end of October. He ends his diverse state career with overseeing our agency’s information technology services team and direction.