(♫ Music)
My name is Jenifer Chao,
and I am the director of the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods.
I was born in Thailand,
but I grew up in the Central District, and I consider Seattle my home.
I came to the Seattle as a refugee,
because my Dad fought for the U.S. in the Secret War in Laos.
(♫ Music)
In my journey,
here in the U.S, I really saw my parents struggle,
with their language barrier
and lack of knowledge and how to access resources.
My mom was the first, Mien women to go to school to learn English.
And the reason she did that against cultural norms, was to make sure
that she could advocate for the Mien community,
and that we would have access to resources.
Seeing, our community
not being able to thrive, really compelled me into public service.
It is very personal to me, this work.
How I define neighborhoods is that it is community building.
I felt community wherever I created it.
So what that meant is that regardless if I grew up in the Central District
and then moved to Beacon Hill and then even further south.
We were able to,
shine in our differences,
and knowing that there was still commonality in our humanity.
As the director of the Department of Neighborhoods,
I believe it is critical in order to build towards
the One Seattle vision that we help neighbors connect to government
and connect to each other so that all communities can thrive.
whether it's in Ballard,
Lake City, Magnolia, CID, Center District, like to name a few.
Capitol Hill, just being in spaces with people and building relationships
and being connected in humanity is what brings me joy in this role.
(♫ Music)
My husband definitely is the grounding force in our household,
he keeps us all together.
So, my son is a powerhouse,
and he’s always been that way since he was born.
I would describe my daughter as strong and resilient.
I really enjoy coffee,
and I love spicy foods. So eating, coffee,
and just spending time with my children is my life.
sayings and words of affirmation always reminds me of my purpose,
and the root cause of, again, why I do what I do and how I lead.
The main one,
since I've taken on this role
as director, as to whom much is given, much is required.
That just means that
we have a lot of responsibility, and we have also have a lot of accountability,
and that is to our community and that is to our neighborhoods across Seattle.