Sherri Peña is an Administrative Specialist on the Seattle Office Admin Team for the Seattle Human Services Department’s Aging & Disability Services (ADS) Division—the designated Area Agency on Aging for Seattle and King County. She has worked here for 10 years as of June 2024.
What is your role at Seattle Human Services?
I am on the Seattle Admin Team in Aging & Disability Services, which supports the Care Coordination Program’s case managers, supervisors, and leadership. We provide case management in support of the COPES Caregiving Program, which pays for long-term care in your home or in a community setting, like an assisted living or an adult family home.
We do everything from receiving calls from the public and our clients, intake for various programs, reporting to the State of Washington, maintaining client records, providing office space upkeep, and also acting as liaisons for the IT Department and Motor Pool.
What made you want to work in human services?
I applied specifically for Aging & Disability Services because I love working with the aging and disabled populations, specifically because they need the most help. Which is why I was also a preschool teacher for 10 years. I love taking care of people!
How has your job changed in recent years?
In my opinion, not much has changed except the programs like WorkDay, and the people I work with. We have a lot of new faces in HSD.
What do you love about your job?
I love the clients!! I love going above and beyond to help them! I strive to get their questions answered, and if I do not know I will find out for them. When our floor was open to the public, I helped people get into shelters, I prayed with people in the lobby, and I always looked for helpful tools that may not be at their fingertips. I am currently looking for food for our clients so that we have emergency food bags on hand. I will find a way for them no matter what!
How do you contribute to HSD’s overarching goals related to racial equity?
I do not do equity work just because The City of Seattle has it embedded into our work as part of its Race and Social Justice Initiative. It is not a check box for me, but the way I have always lived. It is so easy to attend a meeting that is already set up for you. You have to find ways to achieve racial equity in your own way whether in the office, in your home, or in the community. I have helped employees who were preyed upon, I have held people’s hands when in crisis, I created a Change Team newsletter which was recently brought back, and I also did visual displays focusing on Brown, Native, and Black history. I hope to bring the displays back very soon! Racial equity is about all of us and how we can break down the walls of racism and discrimination.
What motivates you or keeps you going?
Standing still is not an option, and I was not raised to be weak or a quitter.
What’s one piece of advice for HSD newcomers or recent graduates in your field?
Never be afraid to ask a lot of questions! There are no dumb questions despite what some may think or say.