Will is responsible for a lot of the communication that comes from SDPEBA. Odds are you’ve received an email, a phone call, or a presentation from him. He’s been with SDPEBA since it was founded, and has been helping San Diego Public Employees access their benefits for the past sixteen years. So, it only made sense that I’d sit down with Will and interview him so our members might get a chance to get to know him better!
Will’s official job title for SDPEBA is Senior Benefit Specialist, but he works across several departments. On a typical day, Will spends most of his time crafting presentations, contacting our members, and working on events for SDPEBA. He manages the newsletter, Webinar Wednesdays, and most of the educational material on our site.
While that might seem like a lot of tasks, I can assure you it’s the tip of the iceberg, Will is just too humble to go on about all the little things he does for our members. Which makes sense, because when I asked Will what his favorite part of the job was, he said the people.
He loves interacting with public employees and helping them however he can. Will pointed out to me that “I was there when a lot of the employees I work with regularly were hired. Since I meet with different groups 3-5 times a year, I get to see members when they first start, when they’re a year in, when they’re ten years in.” Will went on to say that “Seeing people grow in their roles is surprisingly satisfying.”
A lot of Will’s work revolves around education. His goal when interacting with an SDPEBA member is to impart his years of experience with different benefits so that they can make the most out of their benefits. Will’s always been driven by education, and it makes sense since he comes from a family of teachers.
When I asked Will about his motivation, he said it was a love for good customer service. Will calls helping people his foundation, and has always lived by the “platinum rule,” treat people better than they want to be treated. A sentiment I’ve heard Will echo a lot as I’ve gotten to work with him is the idea of always doing better and being better.
This drive to be the best for other people plus his experience with education means that his job is the perfect crossroads to impart that platinum customer experience.
The other thing I’ve learned about Will is that he’s a family man. There might not be much he loves more than getting to play sports with his son. In general, Will spends his free time hanging out with his family, playing sports, or just getting out of the house. He loves to cook or eat good food (usually his wife’s) and an avid fan of mountain biking.
But, its not all rainbows. I asked Will what his biggest work pet peeve was and he started by saying “I have a lot of those.” Makes sense when you’ve spent 16 years in a specific industry. He said his biggest pet peeve is needless bureaucracy, especially in the digital era.
The last thing I asked Will was “what advice would you give your younger self?” Without missing a beat, Will said “Accept the Disney stock he was offered in 1994.” Which, I mean, is probably what we’d all say if we were in that situation. So, he followed it up with something wholesome. He said “when you have a camera on, and you’re filming your kid opening presents or anything, turn the camera around and look at all the people there.” Will went on to say, he wishes he could spend even more time with his family, and that he wished he had more pictures of his dad.
While that is heavy advice, it’s also something we all can practice. Will and I work closely together on a lot of projects, getting to know him more was a treat, and I hope you think so too.
Next time you’re watching our monthly update videos, reading our newsletter, or listening to PEBA Talk, you’ll know a bit more about the man behind the webcam.