I am Tukayote Helianthus ❤
THE THINGS I DO, AND THE THINGS I HAVE LEARNED:
Professional Summary
I’m Tukayote Helianthus—a community organizer, wellness advocate, and systems thinker passionate about human dignity, access, and healing. My journey has taken me through boardrooms, data centers, and war zones, but my heart belongs to the people often left out of the systems we build.
As the founder of Operation Water Drop, I’ve led a grassroots hydration initiative that’s distributed over 80,000 bottles of water to unhoused and water-insecure residents in Whatcom County. I’ve stood in parking lots handing out bottles during heat waves, and I’ve stood before city council demanding better shelter policies. My work bridges urgent response with long-term advocacy for health equity, mental health, and trauma-informed support.
Whether I’m coordinating volunteers, distributing resources, or showing up for someone in crisis, I bring the same principles to every effort: compassion, accountability, and the belief that everyone deserves to be seen and supported.
I’m here to connect with others who are building resilient communities—especially at the intersections of public health, peer support, mutual aid, and systems change.
Let’s build something better together.
Employment History
Peer Support Ally – 2022 – Present – Self-Employment
IT Systems Administrator – 2023 – 2025 – State of Washington
MECM/Active Directory Support Engineer – 2021 – Insight Global for Microsoft
Line/Prep Cook – 2021 – Northwater
Seasonal Dishwasher / Line Cook – 2021 – Skylarks Hidden Cafe
Delivery Driver – 2020-2021 – DoorDash
Systems Engineer – 2015 – 2021 – Whatcom Educational Credit Union (WECU)
Lead Help Desk Technician / Desktop Management Engineer – 2015 – Altair Advanced Industries
IT Service Desk Manager – 2014 – 2015 – Northwest Technology
Systems Administrator IV / Lead SCCM 2012 Engineer – 2012 – 2014 – Bernalillo County Government
Lead Microsoft Engineer – 2011 – New Signature
Lead SCCM 2007 Engineer and Administrator (Contractor) – 2007 – 2011 – Sandia National Laboratories
Lead SCCM 2007 Architect and Project Implementation Consultant 2010 – UNM Hospital
Systems Administrator / Active Duty Non-Commissioned Officer (E-5) – 2001 – 2007 – United States Air Force
Volunteer Work
Certified Peer Supporter – 2022 – Present
Certified Mental Health First Aider – 2023 – Present
Director and Logistics Volunteer – 2023 – 2025 – Operation Water Drop
Meal Server Volunteer – 2023 – 2025 – CAST (Interfaith Coalition)
Forest Fire Lookout Volunteer – 2025 – Washington Forest Fire Lookout Association
Road2Home Ally / Shelter Volunteer – 2023 – Present – Road2Home
Homeless Outreach and Shelter Volunteer – 2022 – 2023 – Bridge2Services
Neighborhood Association Representative – 2024 – Bellingham Mayor’s Neighborhood Association Commission
Member of the Board of Directors – 2024 – Lettered Streets Neighborhood Association
Web Dev / Founder / Logistics Volunteer – 2023 – 2024 – I Carry Narcan
Web Dev and Creator – 2023 – Whatcom Shelter Status
Social Media Marketing – 2022 – 2023 – Team Alex (Medical Charity)
Volunteer – 2015-2021 – Team WECU Volunteer Events, Bellingham, WA
Event Help/Photography – 2014-2017 – Girl Scouts of Western Washington
Cleanup / Trash Removal on Locust Beach – 2014 – Surfrider Foundation, Bellingham, WA
Youth Mentor / Recruiting Event Helper – 2005-2006/2009-2014 – Big Brothers Big Sisters of NV & NM
Fundraising / Web Development / Social Media Marketing – 2012 – Brandy’s Brassiere Brigade (Cancer Charity)
Fundraising / Web Development / Social Media Marketing – 2012 – HelpCrystal.org (Cancer Charity)
Continuing Education
Skagit County Health Department Veterans Suicide Prevention – 2025
Internal Family Systems Self-Study – 2023-Present
Trauma Informed Deescalation Training – 2022/2023/2024
Homelessness 201: A Deeper Understanding (Ryan Dowd) – 2024
Homeless De-Escalation 501: Verbal Tools for Conflict (Ryan Dowd) – 2024
Homeless De-Escalation 401: Managing Your Own Emotions During Conflict (Ryan Dowd) – 2024
Homeless De-Escalation 301: Preventing Conflict (Ryan Dowd) – 2024
Homeless De-Escalation 201: Nonverbal Tools to Eliminate Conflict (Ryan Dowd) – 2024
Homeless De-Escalation 101: Trauma Basics (Ryan Dowd) – 2024
NOAA Facilitation Basics for Managers – 2024
Advanced Resolution Therapy Self Study – 2024-Present
Mind Shifting Academy – Problem Shifting for Coaches – 2024
Introduction to Agile/Scrum/Kanban (20 hours) – 2024
Understanding People Through Strengths – 2024
Mental Health First Aid – 2023
Conflict De-escalation: How to Respond when Emotions Run High – 2023
Writing Documents in Plain Talk – 2023
Violence in the Workplace – 2023
Stress Less: How to Minimize Stress and Maximize Potential – 2023
Defensive Driving – 2023
Mitigating Implicit Bias in the Hiring Process – 2023
Team Trust: How to Build, Mend, and Maintain It – 2023
Improv 300 (Solid Scenes) – 2023
Microsoft Azure AZ-104 (Microsoft Azure Administrator) – 2023
Improv 200 (Advanced Spontaneity) – 2023
Improv 100 (Improvisational Comedy Basics) – 2015/2022
Certified Peer Supporter Training – 2022
Bernalillo County Extraordinary Leadership Course – 2013
System Center 2012 Operations Manager – 2013
VMWare vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage (v5.1) – 2013
Enterprise Linux System Administration – 2013
PowerShell for Administrators – 2012
Degrees and Certifications
Touro University International, B.S. IT Management Degree – 2009
Community College of the Air Force, AAS IT Systems Degree – 2007
Mental Health First Aid Certification – 2023
Certified Peer Supporter (Western Washington University / Growing Veterans) – 2022
CompTIA Network+/A+ Certification – 2009/2020
ITIL v3 Intermediate Certification in Release Control and Validation – 2013
ITIL v3 Foundation Certification in I.T. Service Management – 2012
MCTS Certification, System Center 2007 Configuration Manager – 2011
Awards
Extraordinary Performance Award, WECU – 2018
Employee of the Quarter, Bernalillo County IT Department – 2Q 2014
Two Time Recipient of Air Force Commendation Medal – 2006/2007
Eagle Scout – Boy Scouts of America – 2001