Wednesday, April 1, 2015

CDD Profiles: Anahid Arakelian

Anahid Arakelian welcomes challenges with open arms. 
Anahid Arakelian is an Office Services Specialist in the Community Development Department. She is one of those employees that form the backbone of the City of Glendale. She provides administrative services to the CDD and is seen as an employee that exemplifies loyalty and dependability, with a reputation for being conscientious and caring.

Anahid began working at the City of Glendale 15 years ago in the Redevelopment Department. She provided administrative assistance and acted as a Project Manager overseeing over 22 facade improvement grants totaling $1 million  to local businesses. When the grant program was later audited, Anahid’s grant administration files were flawless. When a State Law mandated the dissolution of Redevelopment, Anahids duties changed and she was given more responsibility. She rose to the challenge and after receiving limited training, successfully took on her new duties. Anahid is always looking for ways to grow professionally and welcomes the opportunity to take on new responsibilities. 

Today, her work involves processing virtually every kind of payment type used in the City, including invoices, credit card statements, petty cash reimbursements, payroll, and deposits. She also processes purchase orders, manages contracts, and maintains over 160 vendor insurance requirements. She provides numerous secretarial services including scheduling meetings and maintaining filing systems. She also acts as an Emergency Operations Center liaison, by helping to coordinate evacuations, trainings and ensuring that staff is prepared for emergencies.

Anahid’s work philosophy is to listen, be respectful, and inject love into her work, which she believes positively impacts her interactions with the public and fellow employees. She believes in treating the public with dignity, and goes home happy about the fact that she works with good people and that she is able to make her Department better. She believes in the saying, “The best preparation for good work tomorrow is to do good work today” by Elbert Hubbard.