Employee of the Month > February

Please join us in congratulating Andra Flaherty, Manager Transmission and Standards Engineering, on being February’s PUD Employee of the Month. Andra was recognized for her skills as a manager and a leader and for outstanding work undergrounding overhead facilities at 196th St. SW in Lynnwood.

“Andra exemplifies so many of our values. Since coming to the PUD as a student worker, Andra has sought out growth. She’s taken bold approaches to challenges, and she’s gone above and beyond to foster a team environment that includes all,” said Guy Payne, AGM Distribution and Engineering.  “Andra has proven herself to be an exceptional leader and deserving of this recognition. I look forward to seeing how she continues to grow at the PUD.”

Andra began working at the PUD as a Student Engineer during summer and winter holidays from May 2007 through August 2009. After graduating from Oregon State University with a Master of Science in Nuclear Engineering, Andra began working at the utility full-time as a Designer in the Distribution and Engineering Service Division.

In June of 2013, she received her first promotion to Design Engineer. Between November 2014 and April 2021, Andra was promoted through the engineering steps from Senior Design Engineer, Engineer, Professional Engineer, and Principal Engineer. In April 2023, Andra earned the title of Manager Transmission and Standards Engineering.

As a Principal Engineer, Andra led a project undergrounding the overhead facilities at 196th St. SW in Lynnwood. This was a challenging task that took several years. Additionally, Andra was responsible for overseeing and maintaining the PUD’s underground and overhead facilities. Under her leadership, hundreds of bad-order poles and miles of depreciated cables were replaced. Much of this work occurred during the three years where COVID restrictions were in place, making work even more challenging.

“Any success I’ve had at the District has been because I have a great team with me,” said Andra. “The overhead to underground conversion of 196th St. SW in Lynnwood went smoother than it had any right, but that would never have been the case without the inspectors or some of my fellow engineers. I’m very proud of that project and how it turned out.”

Andra is known as a hard worker, a quick learner, and a person who cares about her employees on a personal and professional level. Whether it’s helping someone solve a problem, or organizing birthday celebrations, Andra’s leadership is appreciated by those who work for her.

“I’ve worked with plenty of leads over the years, Andra makes sure that your hard work is appreciated,” said Richard Dumo, Engineer III. “She takes the extra time to discuss any job and/or issues and do a follow up. Andra is level headed and open to new ideas.”

Andra frequently takes on the most complex projects, including agency relocation work, which often involves tight timelines, easements, and underground and overhead work. Being successful in her role has required her to create strong relationships with her team and other teams at the PUD.

“Andra is a super caring person. She’s always interested in her team’s success and helps them to perform at their highest ability,” said Mark Flury, Senior Manager, Transmission and Distribution, System Operations and Engineering. “She has also built strong relationships with construction. She regularly meets with construction leads and general foremen, and she always has a continuous improvement mindset.”

Whether she’s bringing her team together for a birthday party potluck or rallying a team to complete a challenging relocate, Andra regularly demonstrates superior leadership skills. Congratulations, Andra, on earning the recognition of February Employee of the Month!