Pets are family, especially now

Kathy Davis
Communications

Smokey (Chery)

The stuck-at-home nature of the COVID-19 pandemic has shined a spotlight on the important role our non-human family members play in our lives. Pet adoptions have skyrocketed this year as people seek companionship. Teleworkers and folks spending more time at home have developed closer bonds with their household pets.

The WSDA culture tends to attract people who appreciate animals – whether those that live in the barn and the pasture, or those that prowl our homes.

How has this unprecedented time affected our experiences with pets and animals? The Insider asked agency employees to submit their stories and photos. Here’s a roundup of those stories.

From Chery Sullivan, Dairy Nutrient Management Program

Theo was here (Natasha)

After 17 years, we said “Rest in Peace” to our handsome cat Harley. Working from home gave me a front-row seat to watching our other cat Maxine mope around the house calling piteously for Harley. We said “No more cats!” But two months later, my husband was scrolling through a kitty rescue Facebook page and showed me a picture of a grey and black tabby kitten. Smokey joined our family July 24. Maxine seems to have forgotten about Harley; she’s too busy hissing and spitting at Smokey.

From Natasha Ames, Financial Services
My parents and I moved into a new house in February. As it began to settle, we noticed cracks forming in some of the walls. The builder came and put some plaster over the affected area. After he left, my cat Theo decided to investigate the builder’s handiwork. See the picture of his signature on the wall. He’s definitely brought us a lot of joy (and some headaches) during this pandemic.

Marge and Homer (Jaclyn)

From Jaclyn Hancock, Natural Resources Assessment Section
We adopted a second dog in the spring since we knew we would be home and able to do some training and take plenty of dog walks. In the beginning, six-year-old Marge resisted her new brother Homer, but now they are great companions. Homer came from Texas, and we are showing him around the Northwest by taking him to the Puget Sound and on plenty of hiking and camping trips.

From Christina Zimmerman, Pesticide Licensing Program
Since we moved to Washington three years ago,
my daughter and I had been without a pet, and she’s

Barbie and Bowie (Christina)

been wanting to adopt a cat. I, being a lifelong dog person, kept putting it off. Finally in February, we adopted a seven-month-old black tabby from the Mason County Kitten Rescue and named her Hokulani (heavenly star in Hawaiian). When we noticed she wanted more playtime than we could give her, we decided to adopt another kitten, but somehow came home with two – a brother-sister pair. It’s fun, exciting, and frustrating at the same time! I have scratches everywhere and every toy I get for them is destroyed in a day.

Charles and Miss Goose (Catherine)

From Catherine Bowman, Pesticide Compliance Program
One night we were out after dark, in bare feet, chasing one of our rabbits, Cotton Tail, in the grass, through the berry patches, and around the shed. We finally cornered and caught her in the tall grass. I am tired of these rabbits! But I am only teasing when I tell my son Charles I’m going to put them on Craigslist. Charles says, No! Sometimes it is fun chasing the rabbit. About a month ago, we added Miss Goose to our farm. Where else but on a farm would we get these experiences?





From Annette DeLong, Fruit and Vegetable Inspection

Harley and Bella (Annette)

Days before we were sent to telework, our family found out our two-year-old, four-legged fur child, Bella, had lymphoma. It was a complete shock and heartbreak for our family, our pack. WSU oncology gave us information on chemo and possibly extending her life. We felt she was way too young to leave our family, so we fought beside her for five months. One day a week we spent long days driving over to Pullman for her treatment. We lost her on August 3. In the midst of it all, our older dog Harley also fell ill. Two months battling his liver cancer, he left us two weeks after Bella. While the loss has been devastating, I am thankful for being able to telework, which enabled me to take care of Bella and Harley and to spend every moment with them during their last days.

From Abbey Nickelson, Natural Resources Assessment Section
Dale is a six-month-old kitten who found us after being a stowaway in a horse trailer. He fit right in from the start and landed a permanent home. He’s my constant companion during my workdays at home and has even gone camping with my husband and I.

Dale (Abbey)

From Mindy Buswell, Animal Service Division
Sassy Buswell is the cat-tiest cat. Since adopting her in 2009, she has welcomed my husband and begrudgingly allowed our baby to co-exist in her home. But she never predicted the COVID-19 pandemic with subsequent work-from-home order and temporary closing of our two-year-old’s daycare. For 10 weeks, Sassy’s sunning, napping, cleaning, and alone time was nonexistent. She stalked around the house yelling at us, refusing to come out from under the bed, and constantly wanting to be let out. Since the daycare reopened and I went to work upstairs, Sassy has claimed the downstairs as a “Mindy-free zone” and

Sassy Buswell

gives me taciturn looks when I come in her sight line.
In summary: How has this unprecedented time affected our experiences with household pets and animals? The Insider asked agency employees to submit their stories and photos. Check out the roundup of those personal stories. 

Joel Kangiser leaving a legacy of pesticide regulation

Kathy Davis
Communications

In his quiet, earnest way, Joel Kangiser has made a lasting impact on Washington State’s agriculture industry over his 30 years with WSDA’s Pesticide Management Division.

On Sept. 1, Joel will start a well-deserved retirement from state service. He leaves a legacy of regulating pesticide use to protect the safety and health of ag employees and the public. 

“While supporting agriculture, we are obligated to keep people safe from pesticide exposure,” he said. “It is this balance that can sometimes be challenging.” 

For the past six years, Joel has been the program manager for the Pesticide Compliance Program. Since starting with the division in 1990 as an investigator, he has served in a number of positions, including case review officer, assistant program manager, registration program manager, and policy assistant. 

He also did two short stints with the Food Safety and Consumer Protection Division, as a food safety officer and a compliance officer. 

“I have appreciated Joel’s approach to detail in his work and striving for our program to be at its best,” said Tim Schultz, who is now acting manager of the Compliance Program, where he has spent many years. “His leadership has improved our program. It has been an honor working with Joel.”

Happily ever since

Joel graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in crop science. He worked in industry jobs and ran his own business for three years. 

Joel during a chemigation tour in 2008 pictured with Monte Spence, who
was then with Windflow Fertilizer, Mattawa. 

“But I never landed a position that really satisfied me,” he said. “I decided to give WSDA a try and have happily worked here ever since.”

Along with pesticide compliance investigations and enforcement, Joel earned a reputation for the non-glamorous, but crucial, work of developing the laws and rules that regulate industry and guide government activities. 

He recalled that he had only been on the job for about a year when he was assigned to draft rules for wood destroying organism inspections for the pest control industry. He spent three years working with industry leaders to simplify and consolidate “very old, archaic rules” for restricted use herbicides in Eastern Washington. 

“It seems each project we work on has an impact on our stakeholders and sometimes the impact can be pretty major,” he said. 

Robin Schoen-Nessa, Pesticide Management Division assistant director, has worked with Joel since 1991. She remembers a collaborative project on which they were simpatico, and another where “we butted heads constantly and argued like siblings!”

She added, “We both matured and got to a place of appreciating each other’s perspective. I will miss him and his knowledge, expertise and friendship.” 

Joel has plenty of ideas for ways to keep himself busy after he leaves WSDA. He plans to do more volunteer work, especially at his church. More fishing, traveling, golf, hiking, hunting, painting, gardening, cooking……Whew! Enjoy yourself, Joel. You will be missed.

In summary: In his quiet, earnest way, Joel Kangiser has made a lasting impact on Washington State’s agriculture industry over his 30 years with WSDA’s Pesticide Management Division. On Sept. 1, Joel will start a well-deserved retirement from state service.

Nine win prizes in two-quarter QUICK Award drawing

Kathy Davis

Communications

Julie Gubbe

Nine WSDA employees became eligible to select a prize because their names were randomly selected in the most recent QUICK Awards drawing. 

Due to disruption from the agency’s COVID-19 response, awards from the first two quarters of 2020 were combined for this prize drawing. Agencywide, employees handed out 98 awards to their coworkers from January through June.

QUICK Awards are presented by employees who see their peers demonstrating good work and service to others – either inside or outside the agency. Here are the prize recipients from the drawing and what their coworkers said about them.

Vanessa Gillaspie, Administrative Services, Payroll, Olympia

Kerrie Pfalzgraf

“Vanessa goes above and beyond for her customers. She always is willing to help and take the extra steps to ensure customer satisfaction. Her service over self-mentality is greatly appreciated.”

Julie Gubbe, Administrative Services, Financial Services, Olympia 

“On February 18th Julie provided extraordinary training about travel requirements while on state business. Thank you for taking time to provide such precise, yet understandable training for the Administrative Services Division. You always provide top notch customer service, second to none professionalism, and impeccable work ethics every day.”

Kyle Thomas

Stacy Laney, Food Safety and Consumer Services, Food Safety, Olympia 

“Thank you for volunteering in the Safety Program’s deescalation pilot by helping the agency potentially identify new, dynamic, and relevant training for our employees. Your participation allowed us to strengthen our understanding of human nature…helped us develop better processes at every step to move behavior management programs away from models based on control to a model based on cooperation and understanding.”

Vanessa Gillaspie

Wade Peterson, Plant Protection, Pest Program, Olympia 

“Thank you Wade for coming in every day and quietly working away to identify the invasive pests threatening our food supply! We appreciate you.” 

Kerrie Pfalzgraf, Animal Services, Animal Health, Olympia 

“Kerrie provides excellence in customer service inside and outside the program. Kerrie has historical knowledge that helps the Animal Health Program remember how we got here, where we have been, and has embraced change to make us better. Her recent work to improve data accuracy and timeliness in the RAD database is greatly appreciated and allows the vets to monitor disease trends in our state.”

Anthony Pleasant

Anthony Pleasant, Commodity Inspection, Fruit and Vegetable Inspection, Yakima 

“For doing an outstanding job supervising the Selah/Gleed area! You have gone the extra mile to help the area and program. We appreciate your get-it-done approach.”

Kyle Thomas, Commodity Inspection, Fruit and Vegetable Inspection, East Wenatchee 

“Stepping up and taking on the challenge of supervising cherry staff! Kyles’ calm demeanor and experience have made this cherry season a success!”

Stacy Laney

Ramona Vickers, Commodity Inspection, Seed Inspection, Yakima 

“Great job interacting with the auditor during our rectification ISO audit! Knowing your experience and knowledge of the Seed Program and our Quality Manu, helped us get through the audit. Thank you for all the hard work and effort you put in daily.” 

Christina Zimmerman, Pesticide Management, Pesticide Registration and Licensing, Olympia 

“Thank you Christina for being here and for helping track down the answers to questions. I am glad you are here for the testers also. It allows them to keep working and protecting our food supply.” 

September 30 next drawing deadline

When you catch one of your coworkers doing something special for staff or customers, why not let them know with a QUICK Award? You can find the award form on the intranet. 

In summary: WSDA staff presented nine QUICK Awards during the first quarter of 2020. Ninety-eight names were randomly drawn to receive prizes. See who they are and why they were recognized by their colleagues.

Working in a COVID-19 world; here’s the latest

Kathy Davis
Communications

Since the COVID-19 pandemic upended many of our daily routines, WSDA has adapted to a stream of changing circumstances no static playbook could ever address. And the situation keeps changing.

Months into this global crisis, what do our work lives look like, and what can we expect going forward? And what is expected of us?

Based on where we are today, here’s a look the latest guidance for WSDA employees. But the nature of this virus requires us to be flexible and adaptable. As the situation changes, our guidelines, plans and requirements also may need to evolve.

Jobsite requirements and responsibilities

Many WSDA employees have continued to support the essential business of agriculture by conducing inspections, staffing labs, or doing other onsite work. Some may have to report to agency offices, regularly or for occasional visits.

These employees are expected to follow the practices described below that prevent and slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the workplace.

Self-screening – Employees must complete a COVID-19 symptom self-screening and submit confirmation to their supervisor each day they are scheduled to work at an agency office or other jobsite. The online screening tool and instructions for can be found on the Resources for Employees webpage.

Face covering - All employees must wear face coverings for work, unless you are working alone, for instance in a vehicle by yourself. See this Labor & Industries webpage for what “working alone” means. This is a state requirement.

Face coverings can be temporarily removed when eating or drinking. Store your face covering when not in use, such as in a clean plastic bag.

Social distancing - Stay at least six feet away from coworkers and the public, whenever possible. Eat meals, perform activities, or take breaks in shifts to reduce group size and maintain distance.

Social distancing requirements apply to workstations, common areas, restrooms, entrances and exits, and potential choke points where the risk of close contact increases.

Personal hygiene - Wash hands with soap and water often, for at least 20 seconds, or use hand sanitizer if soap and water is not available.

Limit touching your face, including mouth, nose, and face covering. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when sneezing and coughing, and promptly dispose of the tissue. If a tissue is not available, cough or sneeze into a bent elbow.

Cleaning and sanitizing - Regularly clean all frequently touched surfaces in the workplace, such as workstations, counter tops and doorknobs. Use disposable disinfectant wipes, if available, to wipe down surfaces before and after use.

Sick employees

Stay home if you are feeling sick. Anyone who has a fever, cough, shortness of breath or other symptoms associated with COVID-19 must stay home for 72 hours after symptoms are gone. Complete the online employee self-screening tool to check for symptoms.

WSDA has developed protocols and a contact tracing tool to respond quickly when an employee is confirmed or presumed to have COVID-19. These tools are available on the agency’s COVID-19 resources intranet page.

More guidance

Meetings and travel – Keep non-essential business travel to a minimum. Limit in-person meetings; go virtual as much as possible. Use Skype, WebEx, conference calls or other secure technology for meetings and collaboration.

Feeling stressed? – The state Employee Assistance Program provides lots of resources to address effects on emotional and mental health and well-being of state employees and their families. Along with resources and links, EAP offers live and recorded webinars on self-care and other topics.

Stay informed – Again, the circumstances and the guidance around COVID-19 will likely keep evolving and changing. Keep up with the latest by following WSDA communication tools, such as this Insider blog, the weekly Connect e-bulletin, and the agency’s intranet.

Pay attention to email messages from the Director’s Office, Human Resources, and your division or program leaders. For the most up-to-date information on Washington State’s response, check coronavirus.wa.gov.

Ultimately, it is up to all of us individually, pulling together, to stop the spread of this deadly virus. We are all in this together – doing our part to keep ourselves, coworkers, customers, families and communities safe.

In summary: Since the COVID-19 pandemic upended much of our normal daily routines, WSDA has adapted to ever changing circumstances. Months into this, what do our work lives look like, and what can we expect going forward? And what is expected of us? This blog post presents the latest guidance for WSDA employees. 

Debbie Hacker, longtime WSDA employee, set to retire

Kathy Davis
Communications

Debbie Hacker started working for Washington State government when she was a high school senior in 1982. 

She was hired by the WSDA Grain Inspection Program in 1989 and has served as the executive assistant to the agency’s deputy director for several years. Debbie’s last day at WSDA will be July 31, as she heads into retirement. 

The Insider asked Debbie to reflect on her years of public service and her career at WSDA. 

What brought you to WSDA?  

Back in the day (I sound like my grandma), hiring was done a little differently than it is now. You could take a test to have your name put on registers for future job openings. WSDA was looking for an administrative assistant for the Grain Inspection Program and I was called to interview.  

One embarrassing side note – when I got the call, I thought they said the “drain inspection” program. I didn’t admit that for several years.

Why did you want to work here?  

I interviewed with Bob Gore and it was the most relaxed I had ever been in an interview, so I thought it would be a good fit. Bob and I worked together for 21 years, working our way up through WSDA, including nine months in the Director’s Office.

What was your first impression of WSDA?  

It didn’t feel like any state agency I had ever experienced. Only about 15 of us worked in a small office in west Olympia containing administration for Commodity Inspection, Grain, Fruit and Vegetable and the grain lab. I wasn’t used to having most of your staff located in field offices around the state. 

What has surprised you most about working here?  

I was surprised by the broad range of everything we are involved in. For instance, when the Lottery was less automated and they used ping pong balls to draw the numbers, WSDA had to certify the weight of the ping-pong balls. I always found that interesting.

Debbie, far right, with other 2014 WASDA meeting planners. From left are
Leisa Schumaker, Megan Finkenbinder, Becca Sotelo, Joe Bippert, Rianne
Perry, and Tracie Lindeblom. 

What specific project or incident has been the most memorable?   
I really enjoyed being on planning committees for national and regional (state agriculture departments association) meetings - NASDA in Seattle (2007) and WASDA in Leavenworth (2014). You attend so many meetings to plan and sometimes it’s frustrating to be in the 35th one going over minute details. Who’s going to pick up ice for the water coolers on the bus tours? But then the meetings happen, and it’s all worth the work.

What has been most challenging about working at WSDA?  

Anyone who sits near me (like Megan) knows that I can’t handle animal stories to the point that I put my hands over my ears. It has proved challenging at times and almost always leads to questions about why I chose to work at the Department of Agriculture. Luckily I spent most of my time in Commodity Inspection - no animal issues there.

What might others be surprised to know about you?  

Well, I’ve had a few interesting interactions with governors during my career. I once may or may not have dozed off during a meeting when Gov. Booth Gardner was speaking in a rather small conference room…not good!  

I also found Gov. Gardner’s dog once. He followed me back to the office and when I finally read his tag, I decided I should probably call someone. His name was Charlie (named after former Seattle Mayor Charles Royer). I called the number on Charlie’s tag and a state trooper came and picked him up. He was apparently a free-range pup. One of the restaurants downtown ran a tab for treats he received when he visited.  

In her backyard bar, where she "plans to spend a
lot of evenings!" Cheers, Debbie; we'll miss you!

Gov. Gregoire used to call and say “Hello, this is Chris.” I had not taken calls from any governor before moving to the Director’s Office, so I asked for her last name. She replied “It’s Gregoire; do you need me to spell it?” I only made that mistake once.

What’s next? What are some things you plan to do after leaving the agency?  

I have lots of home and yard projects that have been waiting for me. My husband and I have two adorable granddaughters that we love spending time with. We like to go RV’ing and host family events.  

Not working will definitely take some getting used to. So, if I show up at the NRB after July 31, kindly remind me that I don’t work there anymore.

In summary: After a 31-year career at WSDA, Debbie Hacker is retiring at the end of July. She worked her way up from an admin assistant in the Grain Program to the Director’s Office, where she is executive assistant to the deputy director. Read her reflections on her long career. 

Hiring summer intern is win-win for WSDA program

Kathy Davis
Communications

Anna Howard

WSDA’s Animal Feed Program is in the home stretch of a five-year effort to meet federal regulatory standards. To help carry them over the finish line, program staff hired a college intern for the summer. The arrangement is a win-win, for the program and the intern.

After recruitment and a virtual interview process, the program hired Anna Howard. 

Anna is a recent graduate of the University of Washington-Tacoma, where she majored in healthcare leadership. As a student, she conducted research into healthcare delivery for minorities and was granted a research scholarship. 

She plans to pursue a master’s degree in public health, studying food security and safety. 

“I’m incredibly excited and grateful for this opportunity,” Anna said. “I’m hopeful this position will allow me to gain a better understanding of the role that state and federal government have in regulating animal feed and ensuring public health and safety.”

Anna is helping the Animal Feed Program prepare for an in-depth audit by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in August. The audit caps off the last year of the five-year cooperative agreement to meet rigorous federal standards. 

The Animal Feed Regulatory Program Standards establishes consistent quality among the nation’s feed regulators. The set of 11 standards covers activities such as inspections, sampling, recalls, emergency response, laboratory services, training and outreach. 

“We thought this would be a great opportunity for an up-and-coming professional,” said Ashlee-Rose Ferguson, program coordinator and Anna’s supervisor. “Anna is gaining valuable experience in project management, food safety, public administration, agriculture and communications.”

Working on the regulatory standards project is giving Anna an immersive education in the government’s role. 

“I appreciate being able to work closely with experienced program staff, learning about their roles and what it’s like to work for an agency like WSDA,” she noted. 

If other WSDA programs are interested in building an internship program, contact Ashlee-Rose Ferguson. 

In summary: WSDA’s Animal Feed Program hired a college intern this summer to help complete a five-year project of meeting rigorous federal standards, culminating in an in-depth audit in August. Meet Anna Howard and learn how she is gaining valuable experience, while helping the program. 

Tina Zimmerman earns prestigious management leadership award

Kathy Davis
Communications

Christina (Tina) Zimmerman led her team to streamline processes that cut pesticide licensing renewal time from more than 60 days to an average of only two days. 

That’s just one of the accomplishments that earned Tina a 2020 Governor’s Award for Leadership in Management. 

She is the manager of the Pesticide Licensing Program and was one of 21 state agency managers honored with the award last month for “hard work, dedication and measurable success on 2019 projects.” 

Since moving from her home state of Hawaii to join WSDA in April 2017, Tina has spearheaded a number of innovations. Her program licenses more than 30,000 pesticide applicators in Washington State, and provides testing and certification to support them. 

“Over the past three years, working for and alongside so many dedicated and knowledgeable WSDA employees, partners, and industry stakeholders has been a pleasure and sometimes a challenge,” Tina said. 

“This program would not have accomplished as much as it had in the last year without their guidance and input. I’m excited to see what the next few years will bring for this program.” 

Top achievements

She was instrumental in providing a credit card payment option for online license renewals. Licensees and their employers had been asking for this convenience for years. 

Tina and her team worked through the complexities and glitches to bring the 18-month project to fruition. (Read more about it in this Insider blog post.) Now, 75 percent of business licensees and 40 percent of all other licensees renew online with the credit card function. 

Tina also wrote WSDA’s new Pesticide Certification and Training Plan. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) required this plan under rules adopted in 2017. States had not had to update these plans in more than 40 years. 

Tina facilitated planning calls and stakeholder workshops, worked with EPA and neighboring states, wrote the entire 250-page plan, and submitted it on time in March.

“This was a huge undertaking and Tina embraced the challenge, producing a document we believe exceeds EPA’s requirements,” said Robin Schoen-Nessa, assistant director of the Pesticide Management Division. 

Currently, Tina is leading the rebuild of her program’s 20-year-old licensing database. The goal of this multi-year project is to provide a more user-friendly portal for licensees and more efficient tool for agency staff. 

“This honor is so well-deserved,” noted Robin. “Tina’s competence and friendly demeanor make her a pleasure to work with. She is respected and well-liked.”

Tina cites a Henry David Thoreau quote to sum up her leadership approach - “The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when one asked what I thought, and attended to my answer.”

Other WSDA nominees

Every year, the Governor’s Office solicits nominations for these prestigious leadership awards. Earlier this year, WSDA nominated four agency managers for the award. Besides Tina, the following managers were nominated by their assistant directors.

• Brenda Book, Organic Program Manager, Food Safety and Consumer Services Division
• Paula Moore, Seed Program Manager, Commodity Inspection Division
• Natasha Roberts, Budget Manager, Financial Services 

In summary: Christina (Tina) Zimmerman was one of 21 state agency managers to receive the Governor’s Leadership in Management Award this year. Read about the accomplishments that earned her this prestigious recognition.