We Are DES: Meet Diana Huynh
This is a part of our featured story series “We Are DES.” These stories will introduce you to an individual at DES and the work they do to help fulfill the DES mission — you’ll also learn some fun details about how they spend time outside of work.
Name: Diana Huynh
Division: Finance
Job title: Fiscal Analyst 2
What year did you start at DES? 2021
What year did you begin working for Washington state? 2021
In two sentences or less, describe what you do at DES. I support the (amazing) Accounts Payable team with processing invoices for payment and travel reimbursements to DES employees. I also review Risk Management and EAP payments, State Surplus proceeds, credit card transactions, and some other monthly things like accruing recurring costs.
How do you believe your role supports the DES mission of strengthening the business of government? I believe my role in Accounts Payable supports the DES mission by helping to ensure that our financial obligations are met while maintaining professional and amicable business relationships within our agency and outside. In my role, I often apply the Statewide Administrative and Accounting Manual (SAAM) and sometimes even the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) to my tasks, which I believe strengthens the business of government by ensuring that State policies are adhered to and accountability is provided.
In what ways do you experience DES values in your everyday work? (respect; integrity; excellence; diversity, equity & inclusion) I have the fortune of being able to interface with a large variety of personnel daily — whether within my team and division, with other divisions in DES, other state agencies, or even with vendors that have provided our agency with some type of service or good. In my interactions, I try my best to uphold the DES values of respect, integrity, excellence, and DEI by focusing on the customer, whether internal or external. On the receiving end, I’m lucky to say that I’ve experienced nothing but the same in return. I’m proud to be a part of an agency that upholds wonderful values that I align with, and where we practice what we preach. :)
What did you do before working at DES? Before I started with DES, I worked for the federal government. I previously lived in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and worked for the U.S. Department of Defense, specifically for the Air Force. My job involved a combination of assisting aircraft mechanics and their leadership with manufacturing/production data analysis and a bit of administrative work. I designed my fair share of data graphs, wrote Excel formulas, and compiled official briefing material for our Section Commander.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work? I enjoy traveling. I love leaving the city and adventuring somewhere every weekend at a minimum and would love to explore more of the world when I’m able to once again. I’ve been to France, Japan, and a little bit of China thus far. I also like listening to music, watching cooking shows, or visiting bookstores. Ironically, I have not finished reading a good book in a while, however, I do enjoy the atmosphere of stores like Barnes & Nobles or Powell’s.
What is a fun fact about you? I love all things Disney. I may not have a thousand mugs or collectible pins from Disneyland (sadly), but I have consumed more churros at the parks than the average person should consume in an entire lifetime. I grew up on Disney movies and still watch every new one that releases in theaters (if anyone is interested, Encanto was fantastic). I’ve visited three Disney parks in my lifetime, including TokyoSea in Japan, and visit Disneyland in California pretty much every year. To top it off, I got married at the Disneyland Hotel in 2019.
