Face to Face
Moria Ureda
Instrument Technician

Sometimes life zigs when you’re expecting a zag. But if you’re paying attention and open to the possibilities, you may end up in the place you’d always been destined to land. Just ask Moria Ureda, an Instrument Technician and 16-year TAPS veteran.

Born and raised in Ketchikan, Moria was living and working in Los Angeles, California, at the time of the oil spill in 1989. When she fortuitously got the chance to work on the clean up crew, she headed to Valdez and never looked back. After that stint, TAPS hired her as an administrative assistant, a position she held for eight years before being offered an internship in operations that would lead to more room for advancement. It was the professional springboard she’d been looking for. Someone in Human Resources was really doing their job that day.

What does an Instrument Technician do?
If there’s an instrument, it’s our job to fix it. All instruments enable us to control a process, whether it’s moving oil down the pipeline, filling a tank or loading a tanker, we need to open and close valves, control the temperature and regulate the flow. We fix the instruments that monitor the oil—how fast it’s moving, temperature, level, oxygen, pressure, flow—to make sure they are accurately sending the data to the Operations Control Center (OCC) and other operating areas. I am responsible for the tank farm and metering process areas.

What do you like most about working for Alyeska?
I like my job and the people I work with. My mentor, Joel Hodgson has been instrumental to my success. I work in the Instrument Shop, the best department at the terminal.

What do you do when you’re not at work?
I like to be outdoors, to walk, hike and ride snow machines. I love to travel to warm sandy places near the ocean and I pretty much groove on my family.

What do you like most about Alaska?
I’m a lifelong Alaskan. I’ve spent some time outside but I’m always glad to come home. Getting out makes you appreciate what Alaska has to offer. And Valdez is a great little town. People look out for each other and take care of each other. I’m glad I landed here.