 | | | Planning Dept. Administrative Assistant Raquel Segovia Photo Vera Kochan | | | | | | For first-time visitors to the town offices in Rheem, Raquel Segovia is often mistaken as the building's receptionist due to her desk's location. However, the new administrative assistant for the Planning Department is much more than that.
Segovia holds a degree in business administration/marketing management from Cal State East Bay. She has over 20 years of experience in the business field, and one of her earlier jobs was working over 12 years for the Federal Reserve Bank in San Francisco. "I worked for the IT Department and Disaster Recovery Business Resumption for the bank," she explained. "We were responsible to keep things operating in case of a disaster such as an earthquake." Her most recent work experiences were with the cities of Pinole and Richmond.
Hired in late September, Segovia has jumped right into her position as a primary point of public contact for the Planning Department. "Most inquiries are concerning plans," she said. "People want to do a modification for a home or business and want to know the procedures. I help educate the customers and then direct them to a planner for technical support. I`m the first level of communication."
Besides managing the front counter for customer inquiries and phone calls, she assembles packets for Planning Commission meetings, prepares rooms for meetings, handles accounting functions and performs support duties for the department.
When asked to compare working for Moraga as opposed to larger cities, Segovia replied, "I like working for a small town like Moraga, because I get to meet more people, and it's family oriented." As far as the job goes, "if I need anything to perform my duties, I don't have to go through a lot of red tape. I work with a good group of people in the Planning Department. They're very supportive and help me out when I need it. On my first day, the town manager introduced herself, and I felt very accepted. That was nice."
Segovia commutes to work from El Sobrante, but was familiar with the town thanks to friends who live here. "I love Moraga," she said. "It's such a unique place and really beautiful." |
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA