Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 10-1-21

Feature
Promoted To Chief Of Operations In City’s Solid Waste Dept.
Excited for the future and thankful for my past. Life is and will always be what YOU make it!
BY MONIQUE STAMPS Sentinel Staff Writer
Last Monday, September 20, 2021, Larry A. Wash- ington was promoted to Chief of Operations of the Department of Solid Waste & Environmental Management for the City of Tampa.
The promotion puts Washington in charge of all garbage collection efforts for the City of Tampa, including residential and commercial accounts.
Washington’s passion is helping people in any way he can. He prides himself on his ability to always leave a
Larry A. Washington with Mayor Jane Castor
Prior to working within the Solid Waste department, Washington had an exten- sive career. He entered the Air Force in 2007 where he focused on Aviation Mainte- nance Technology receiving an Associate's Degree in the discipline. He was promoted to Crew Chief on KC135 Air- craft stationed at MacDill Air Force Base and had several deployments around the world.
Washington says that his most rewarding missions involved transporting in- jured civilians, service mem- bers, and families for emergency medical evacua- tions.
He values giving back to the community and helping others. When he left the serv- ice in 2016, he and a group of friends rallied together to supply 36,000 bottles of water to the residents of Flint, Michigan.
Washington also con- tinued his education at the University of Tampa where he received a Bachelor's de- gree in Sociology .
While at UT, Washing- ton interned for the Ameri- can Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). During this intern- ship, he organized a criminal justice and immigration re- form discussion panel with three professors to gather and give information to the 150 attendees.
Washington, 34, also
modeled for Benz and ProfP agencies. He has been in sev- eral advertisements, com- mercials, and been in a Hallmark movie.
He started at the City of Tampa in the Transportation Department in 2019. He worked and went to school and earned accolades in both arenas.
In December 2020, Washington successfully completed his Masters of Public Administration (MPA) from the University of South Florida’s School of Public Affairs while being the City of Tampa’s Program Su- perintendent over Residen- tial Services. In that position he began taking on increas- ingly difficult assignments with greater responsibility.
Washington is origi- nally from Aurora, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. He has an 8-year-old son who loves Pokémon, Mario, and the solar system.
positive impression on em- ployees and clients. His ef- forts to bring a shared atmosphere to the workplace has resulted in significant de-
creases in overtime. By col- laborating with his team, em- ployees now work to ensure they are home with their families.
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