County Public Information Office Julie Williams-Hill
By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com
A natural disaster introduced Julie Williams-Hill to Los Alamos County.
In the wake of the Cerro Grande Fire, Williams-Hill, who was employed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), came to Los Alamos to develop policies and procedures for settling claims through the Cerro Grande Assistance Act. She also worked with Los Alamos County to settle its claims.
While here, she saw a job posting for a public relations manager at Los Alamos County’s Department of Public Utilities (DPU).
Williams-Hill said at that time she was living in California and had a young son. She decided to apply for the County position because she felt it would offer some stability. Williams explained that she had worked for FEMA for 10 years and would travel from disaster to disaster. She said her job had a lot of adrenaline and a lot of challenges and she felt being the public relations manager for a county government utility department would be nice and “normal”.
Williams-Hill officially started at the County June 2002.
After 19 years of being DPU’s Public Relations Manager, “the job has been everything but (normal),” Williams-Hill said. “It has been very challenging but very rewarding”.
Starting this week, Williams-Hill is assuming a new role with new challenges and rewards. She is the County’s Public Information Officer (PIO). Williams-Hill replaces Julie Habiger who retired in August.
She said being the PIO has opened her eyes to all that the County and its departments do.
“It is a broader perspective than just utilities,” Williams-Hill said. “I always knew about the other departments but now I am starting to understand a little more in-depth about all the valuable services other departments provide. My goal will be to support theses departments to keep our community informed and engaged with their county government.”
It’s a big responsibility but Williams-Hill described it as a pleasure to work alongside her peers.
“There are just really great people who work here in the County,” she said. “I immediately felt like I was a part of a family when I started in 2002. Everyone is very dedicated to their jobs and committed to their community. There has always been a real sense of collaboration.”
Williams-Hill added that she too appreciates the community she serves.
“I have met a lot of wonderful people in Los Alamos over the years. I relied on them to let me know if there was something more that the Utilities Department could or should be doing. My hope is that they continue to provide me feedback in my new position to assist me in providing good customer service to the citizens here.”
Stepping into the shoes left by Habiger is a big challenge, Williams added, but said she is ready to jump into her new role.
“It’s a new job,” she said. “It’s scary, it’s exciting, and I look forward to the challenge. I want to do a good job for the County, and I want to do a good job for the community.”
Williams-Hill lives in Santa Fe County with her family. She has three children, two attend high school in Santa Fe and her oldest lives in Albuquerque. When not on the job she said she enjoys working in her yard, doing home renovation projects, walking her dog, reading and watching movies.