October-December 2008 (Quarterly Newsletter)
Spotlight!
Jennifer Moore is our Spotlight for this quarter. Jennifer is a Commodity/Contracts Officer with Pima County Procurement Materials & Services Division. I have worked with Jennifer for four years now and have always found her to be thoughtful, hard-working, and intelligent. Jennifer has a wonderful way with words and is always willing to answer your questions.
Q: Please tell us the types of commodities that you purchase for Pima County.
A: I have purchased numerous commodities for Pima County , ranging from alarms to zippers. However, over the past few years, the concentration has been primarily with services. I have facilitated with departments, solicitations for such services as health benefits, legal, towing, drug screening, advertising, language interpretation and hearing officers to name a few.
Q: What do you find most rewarding about your job?
A: Facilitating the procurement process. It is awesome when you work with a department and at the end of the procurement process they believe the solicitation resulted in a contract that will allow them to purchase the best product at the best price.
Q: Tell us about yourself, where did you grow up?
A: I grew up in Tucson , although I was not born here. My father, was stationed in Marysville , California at the time of my birth. My mother moved the family, four older brothers and myself, to Tucson when I was a toddler in order to be closer to her parents during my fathers many tours of Vietnam . My father honorably served the Air Force for over 20 years and consequently he was not a constant figure in my life until I was the age of nine, upon his retirement. I graduated Rincon High School , University of Arizona and University of Phoenix with a MBA. I am blessed with three wonderful children, a son , two daughters and the most recent addition a beautiful grandson. I like to read, vacation at beaches and visit Hard Rock Cafes. So far I have been to about 11 Hard Rock Cafes across the United States from California to Florida . The most exciting and vibrant Hard Rock Café that I have visited is Key West , Florida Keys.
Q: What makes you smile?
A: Family, friends and people. The ocean. A sexy song by Marvin Gaye or upbeat Country tune song by Dolly Parton. A good clean joke.
Q: If you weren't working for Pima County , where would you be?
A: Good Question. I probably would be working in a Hospital setting or for a Non-Profit organization. I am a certified Mediator and might be working in that capacity. I would definitely be doing something that I believe positively impacts human life
Q: What was the last book you read?
A: I am currently reading John McCain's book, “Worth the Fighting for: The Education of an American Maverick.” However, the last book that I finished reading was back in January of this year, “The Audacity of Hope” by Barack Obama. I read the book for many reasons. Like many Americans, I wanted to know more about him as a person and politician. I must admit that during past elections, I have not been as involved/informed about the issues and candidates as I should have. Also, USA is facing so many challenges that it is imperative that each of us know as much as possible and make informed decisions in this presidential race. What I took away from the book is that America 's history is rich with bi-partisan answers to national and global issues facing the USA today.
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Presidents of both parties, Republican and Democrat have provided each of us (citizens) with a great foundation by which to build. Those past presidents that come to mind are Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, Sr. , Harry Truman, Jimmy Carter, Lyndon Johnson and William Clinton. I am so proud to be an American.
Q: What famous figure, living or dead, would you like to meet and why?
A: Assuming he is alive and he was captured by the USA , I would like to meet Osama Bin Laden. I would like to ask him, “Is/was it all worth it and why?” |
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Equally, I would like to meet Martin Luther King, Jr. I would like to know, if he believed without a doubt that he was going to be murdered so soon and was it all worth it?
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I know you only asked for one-person and I have given you two, but I must add a third, Marie Curie, the 2x nobel prize winning physicist, the only person honored with Nobel Prizes in two different sciences. Her achievements include the creation of a theory of radioactivity , techniques for isolating radioactive isotopes , and the discovery of two new elements, radium and polonium . It was also under her personal direction that the world's first studies were conducted into the treatment of neoplasms ("cancers"), using radioactive isotopes. I would ask her the same question, “Was it all worth it and why?”
These three figures provide deep contrast to each other and profoundly show by example, how to be and not to be and how best intentions can be misconstrued.
Thank you, Jennifer! If you have questions for Jennifer, you can reach her at jennifer.moore@pima.gov. Next Spotlight: Melissa Hala'ufia
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.