Human Resources
HR Lunch & Learn – Panel Discussion on the Employee Impacts of Menopause and Perimenopause
Join us in this panel discussion to explore the impacts of menopause and perimenopause for state employees. This panel features state employees with varying jobs and in varying stages of menopause and perimenopause. We will share our experiences and dive into topics that help leaders across the enterprise better understand how to approach the topic of menopause with empathy and understanding.
_____
Speaker Bios:
Amy Elliott (she/her) is a Program Specialist for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Hunter Education Program. She has twenty years in public service, first in a volunteer role, and for the last eight years as a staff member. With diverse professional experience in the private sector as well, she has collaborated with people from a wide range of backgrounds and life experiences. She believes a people-centered approach brings better collaboration and productivity, and it can make all workplaces better. Recognizing and honoring what is unique about us builds a stronger workforce.
Betsy Vandrush-Borgacz (she/her) is the Director of Workplace Culture and Development for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. She has 12 years in public service. As a leader, she fosters a growth mindset to create connection, increase trust and empathy, and model operational programming. This approach helps cultivate a diverse, equitable, accessible, and inclusive work culture that fosters belonging and is modeled and championed by leaders throughout DNR.
Carri Comer (she/her) is the program administrator and health care policy and systems advisor in the Office of Infectious Disease at the Washington State Department of Health. Carri has worked at Washington State Department of Health since 2005, taking systematic approaches to promote and advance health care engagement and interventions that are person-centered, apply a life course approach to sexual and reproductive health, and integrate sexual and reproductive health care into primary care and health care delivery systems.
Felicia G. Mullins, MBA (she/her) is an Inclusion, Belonging, and Well-Being Strategy Manager at the Washington State Department of Health. She brings a systems-thinking, equity-centered, and trauma-informed lens to workplace well-being and organizational culture, shaped by 15+ years in consulting and education, and 10+ years as a military and private-sector paralegal.
Genee Grimmett (she/her) has been blessed to have been a part of Washington state government service for five years now at the Department of Health. As a member of the PrEP DAP Health Systems Integration team, I have been fortunate to continue in the work I began in the late eighties and early nineties in HIV. Flash forward to today, and we are addressing treatments allowing for aging with HIV for those 50 and older! I could never have envisioned that I would be a part of a team like the PrEP DAP, Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Drug Assistance team, which provides support and medication, allowing individuals to guard against infection from HIV. I am so grateful that this professional journey led me to State Government work. I love what I do!
Herminia Esqueda (she/her) has worked for DSHS for 37 years. She is a Strategic Alignment Administrator for the Access, Impact and Mobilization Team at the Department of Social and Health Services. She is also the Chair of the Latino Leadership Network Business Resource Group. She believes in the power of story and leads bilingual story circle workshops to support immigrant leaders. Her grandchildren call her “Lita”, short for abuelita. She enjoys family traditions like making tortillas and tamales. She acknowledges that none of us travel alone. Our ancestors come with us.
Jessica Murphy (she/her/hers) is the Culture and Development Strategist on the Workplace Culture and Development team at DNR. With a background in data analytics and as a certified Project Manager, she works to build a culture of continuous learning by strengthening the agency’s culture, designing training programs, and supporting employees by adopting practical, people-focused ways of working.
Nikki McCoy (she/her) serves as Deputy Director for Internal Communications with the Dept. of Natural Resources. Nikki believes in the power of strategic storytelling to help inform and inspire audiences. Her background includes communications management in higher education, private healthcare, and state government. A lifelong learner, she’s passionate about helping people feel included and supported in the workplace.
OFM is committed to hosting accessible events that promote belonging for everyone. To request an accommodation, please send an email to SHRplanning@ofm.wa.gov. We encourage you to send requests at least 14 days before the event to allow time to make appropriate arrangements.
