PUD Welcomes a New Team Player
Former college volleyball player joined the Northern Wasco PUD staff in October
By Rodger Nichols
Neticia Fanene, who joined Northern Wasco County PUD as a financial analyst in October, knows all about teamwork.
During her student days—when she was Neticia Enesi at The Dalles-Wahtonka High School—she set school records in swimming, track and volleyball.
Volleyball honors for Neticia’s senior year included first-team All-Intermountain Conference, Intermountain Conference player of the year and first-team all-state. She earned a volleyball scholarship to the University of Oregon, where she continued her winning ways.
In her junior year, Neticia set a school record with a season hitting percentage of .389 and helped lead the Ducks to the Sweet 16 for the second year in a row. As a senior, she was named to the third All-American team. She graduated with a degree in sociology.
After working briefly at U.S. Bank and Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Neticia joined Mid-Columbia Medical Center, working in several positions: certified pharmacy technician, clinical purchasing specialist and accounts payable specialist before becoming a data analyst at Mid-Columbia Health Foundation.
At the same time, she jumped at the chance to give back to the community by taking the position of junior varsity volleyball coach at The Dalles High School in 2012. Two years later, she was promoted to varsity coach, a position she held until last year.
Neticia and her husband, Aleluia, have jointly coached the high school track team in shot put and discus. Neticia has kept up her volleyball skills. When not working or spending time with her family, she competes in indoor and outdoor adult volleyball tournaments.
At 6’1,” Neticia has the stature and she has the experience to be an asset to any team. Although she played all six positions in high school, Neticia was best known as a middle blocker at U of O. Her high school coach, Dave Cornell, was so impressed with her that he told The Dalles Chronicle at her graduation in 2006 that although he “truly, truly loves the Beavers,” he would become an Oregon Duck fan for volleyball games only.
Neticia says she was pleased to join the PUD in October.
“It’s been great to work with my finance team,” she says. “Everyone has treated me like family and has been so supportive. One day, my team surprised me with a baby shower at work. There were so many gifts—baby clothes, diapers, everything. After being here only a month, I was not expecting this at all. I was so grateful.”
That was the arrival of the family’s second daughter, Charlee Rose, who joined big sister Kamryn.
Neticia says everyone at the PUD made sure she had what she needed to take care of her family.
“It’s a great group of people at the PUD, and I can’t thank them enough for their support,” she says.
Neticia says she is enjoying the chance to develop her accounting skills, which is in some ways a return to an earlier interest.
“At the University of Oregon, I started as a math major,” she says. “I ended up changing directions, but it looks like I’ve found my way back to this study.”
Neticia says the part of her job that intrigues her the most is the way the utility works.
“The implementation of the AMI meters over the last few months has been lots of fun,” she says. “Working through the challenges that surround this implementation has been exciting.”
