District 1 photo
By Meriah Miracle
District 1 public information officer
Even before she came to work here, Mellody Mallick had great things to say about Caltrans. Now in her new role as the District 1 employee recruitment and engagement coordinator, she helps future and current employees see the great things about working here, too.
Before starting in July 2024, Mellody had the chance to collaborate with Caltrans staff on Active Transportation and Safe Routes to School projects in her work as a senior health education specialist for the Humboldt County Department of Health & Human Services Public Health Branch.
“The people of Caltrans have always amazed me,” Mellody said. “Hearing how deeply they care about the community is so meaningful.”
Transitioning to a job at Caltrans wasn’t a given. Though Mellody is a second-generation Caltrans employee born and raised in Humboldt County, she didn’t see herself working for the agency because she thought of it as engineering and maintenance focused. Then she saw the new coordinator position advertised and knew, “That’s it. That’s what I want to do.”
Now nearly a year into the job, Mellody has already attended more than a dozen events to recruit new staff through Cal Poly Humboldt, College of the Redwoods and the California Conservation Corps, with high school job fairs also on the list. She said potential employees are looking for a wide variety of career pathways, and she really likes to help each person find the right fit at Caltrans.
Chief of Administrative Services Krista Ranstrom supervises Mellody and said she’s done a great job in a short amount of time. “This position is meant to bridge the gap between the community and Caltrans so we can highlight all of the opportunities available here,” Krista said. “She’s been a great addition to the team.”
Equally important to attracting new employees is engagement of current employees. Mellody said, “My goal is to build greater camaraderie across the district and provide opportunities for more interactions and connections between people and units.” Earlier this year, she launched a series of activities as part of the statewide Wellness Challenge, including Walking Wednesdays and Lunchtime Trivia, with more regular and special events in the works.
Mellody is based in the district office but isn’t only focused on the Eureka area, pointing out that there are efforts underway to plan more virtual opportunities to connect. She wants to hear what staff in outlying areas of Humboldt County as well as Lake, Del Norte and Mendocino counties would like to see in their regions.
“Geographically, we're so big, but I want to be out there so if there are things already happening, I'd love to come join,” she said. “Mostly, I want to get a feel for what people really want and then grow it so