January-March 2009 (Quarterly Newsletter)

Melissa Hala'ufia is a CCO in the Procurement Department. I find Melissa to be sweet and down-to-earth with a bright and sunny disposition. She has a delightful sense of fun and adventure but at the same time, is an extremely hard-worker. She is always willing to assist both the public and her fellow employees in any way she can. I've asked Melissa some rather boring Q&A Spotlight questions but she made them interesting:

Q: Please tell us about your job with Pima County Procurement.

A: I'm a Commodity/Contracts Officer (CCO) with the Design & Construction Division assigned to the Facilities Management Department. I handle the procurement process for construction of new buildings and remodels as well as for design and engineering services for County facilities

Q: Are there any upcoming projects that contractors should be aware of?

A: There are currently a few projects in design that should be up for bid in early 2009. These include work on the economizer coil in the Public Works Building, construction of a community center in Catalina, an addition to the Continental Family Medical Center in Green Valley and a new 32 million gallon per day Water Reclamation Campus.

Q: Tell us about yourself, what do you like to do for fun?

A: I am married and have five children, just enough for a basketball team. I'm an active member in my church, St. Mark's United Methodist. For fun I like taking walks in the desert with my family and playing board games and cards.

Q: If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

A: I'll go with Green Lantern's power which was generated from his ring. He could fly and put a force field around people so they could fly with him. That way I could travel the world with my family. Plus, I think he could make things materialize with his ring - although the things were colored green. Hmmm what could I make that's green…

Q: If you could live any where in the world, where would that be?

A: On an island in the South Pacific.

Q: What is your favorite movie. Your favorite actor?

A: The Shawshank Redemption, The Good the Bad and the Ugly, Where the Red Fern Grows, and Home Alone (I have to watch this movie every Christmas). Actors would be Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Meryl Streep, Jet Li, Jackie Chan.

Q. When you were a kid, what was your favorite game?

A: Tetherball, Monopoly and the card game “Speed.”

Thank you, Melissa! If you have questions for Melissa, you can reach her at melissa.halaufia@pima.gov. Next Spotlight: Yvonne Brumfield

If you have a suggestion for the Spotlight or anything else you would like to see in our Newsletter, send me an email at karen.dillingham@pima.gov.