HSD Employee Spotlight—Judith Panlasigui

Judith Panlasigui is currently the Manager for the Mayor's Office on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, a unit within the Safe and Thriving Communities Division. She has been a part of that team at Seattle Human Services for 6 years.

What is your role at Seattle Human Services?

I serve as the Manager for the Mayor's Office on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, a unit within the Safe and Thriving Communities Division. In this role, I work with the Grants and Contracts Team who work directly with community-based service providers that serve survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and commercial sexual exploitation. I also work with our Planning Team, who convene stakeholder groups to coordinate our City's response to gender-based violence (GBV) such as the Domestic Violence Intervention Project, the Coordinated Effort Against Sexual Exploitation, and the GBV Housing Collaborative and Domestic Violence Prevention Council.

What made you want to work in human services?

Supporting and being there for others are values I grew up with. I learned from my immigrant parents who were always helping others-whether it was sharing food, lending their truck, or sponsoring family members to come to America. Growing up in that environment, it's no surprise that it led me to work in human services. Through my work in the non-profit sector for over 20 years, I've met amazing people who have worked, and organized, and fought to create opportunities on principles that everyone-especially those historically marginalized-should have equitable access to resources. When I was exposed to a whole movement of people organizing for social justice, it helped me put my experiences of sexism and racism into a larger context, and see that these systems of power and control are systemic. This led me into City government to work toward ending structural racism alongside our community members and with those in our department.

How has your job changed in recent years?

Many transitions happen throughout the years, but violence continues in our community; and safety needs continue to increase. The job of serving the community, addressing safety outcome disparities, and creating opportunities to better support survivors of GBV has not changed. The way that we have approached this work as part of supporting Safe and Thriving Communities has been an amazing change in HSD. Being under this Division allows us to have a comprehensive approach to violence and violence prevention.

What do you love about your job?

I love that I can continue to be a community builder; to meet and learn from amazing people. The people I work closely with in HSD, including the MODVSA team, Safe and Thriving Communities division, RSJI Change Team, and Asian-Pacific Islander Caucus group, are some of the most passionate and committed people I know. Getting to work with them is a big part of why I love my job.

How do you contribute to HSD's overarching goals related to racial equity?

Building a net that works is one way I believe we are contributing to HSD's goal related to racial equity. We can't do this alone. These relationships are important to ensure we are investing in solutions that support all communities, which means centering the experiences of Black and Indigenous People of Color.

What motivates you or keeps you going?

My family and kids are big motivators for me. I think about the next generation and the kind of environment they need to feel safe and supported and hope what we build or implement will help them thrive. Witnessing and hearing stories from our providers, both successes and challenges, are also motivating factors. Success stories are always nice to hear and reinforce what we do. But when I hear of challenges faced by survivors and service providers, these are also motivators for me to be better and facilitate helpful solutions.

What's one piece of advice for HSD newcomers or recent graduates in your field?

Domestic violence, sexual assault, and other forms of gender-based violence are fueled by all forms of oppression. I would encourage everyone to connect and build with others in HSD to discover the intersectionalities in our work and to collaborate together to produce even greater outcomes than we could on our own.