PUD hires staking engineer, communications manager

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The Jefferson County Public Utility District (PUD) has hired two new employees, Will O’Donnell and Jacob Medley.

Medley is to be the PUD’s newest staking engineerm and O’Donnell is to be the PUD’s first full-time communications manager.

O’Donnell is a longtime Jefferson County resident who spent several years as director of Jefferson County Farmers Markets before serving as executive director of the Washington State Farmers Market Association prior to joining PUD.

As communications manager, O’Donnell is to oversee public relations, marketing, advertising and outreach.

“I am hoping to do, in part, for local power and water what I helped do for local food and farms, a lot of which is just telling the stories of the good things that are already happening,” O’Donnell said. “The PUD is a cornerstone of our local economy in so many ways, and I am proud to represent it and help it grow.”

The Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce named O’Donnell its Young Professional of the Year in 2012. In the mid-2000s, he helped found both Mt. Townsend Creamery and Finnriver Farm.

As a staking engineer, Medley is to fulfill engineering duties related to electrical service requests, line extensions and system improvements. He also prepares drawings, cost estimates and material lists for use by others at the PUD prior to beginning a job, according to a press release.

Medley graduated from Washington State University this past May with a B.S. in electrical engineering, and worked for Tacoma Power in 2016 as an intern.

He is a second-generation public utility worker and grew up in the industry. His father works for the Grays Harbor County PUD as a meter foreman.

“I’ve wanted to work in utilities since I was a kid. My dad always made it interesting,” he said.