To help you meet your co-workers, we randomly interview a DSS employee periodically. Today's lucky winner is...Noel Lossing!
1. What unit do you work in and where are you located?
I'm an Adult and Children Services Division Chief. I have countywide responsibility, but my office is in Lompoc. I sit right across from the Apollo Room.
2. What is your position within the department?
I'm a Social Services Division Chief in the Adult and Children Services Branch.
3. What do you do in your position?
I oversee investigations for Child Welfare and Adult Protective Services. This includes oversight of our 24 hour hotlines and our after-hours response programs.
4. What do you like about your position or favorite thing about your job?
I like to stay busy and there's never a dull moment in this job. There's so much going on all of the time and at all hours of the day and night. Every day is different and presents new challenges. It keeps me on my toes!
5. How long have you worked for DSS?
15 years
6. How did you come to work for DSS?
My husband and I met at UC Davis. Shortly after college his mother was diagnosed with cancer. As an only child he wanted to be closer to help out. His parents live in Lompoc so I got a job with the County and we relocated here.
7. What did you do before coming to DSS?
I worked for the Department of Child Support Services in Santa Barbara for one year.
8. Tell us something most people wouldn’t know about you?
I became a certified scuba diver at 13 years old. I was the youngest person in the class. They didn't have any wet suits small enough for me, so when I did my first ocean dive in December, I nearly froze to death.