Mike Dubee’s journey to employment with WSDOT took many years to complete and was full of twists and turns. The son of a retired 39-year WSDOT employee, he wanted to become a civil engineer and work for WSDOT. His father introduced him to some WSP troopers, which resulted in Mike being side tracked from his original plan. In 1975, he began his twenty-nine year career with the WSP. After retiring from that organization as a Spokane District Commander (Captain), he spent four years supervising the United State Marshal’s Service Courthouse Security program in Eastern Washington. Just over three years ago, he got back to his original plan when he was hired as the Eastern Region Safety and Health Manager.

“I love coming to work each and every day. I’m not the type to go quietly into retirement. I love the daily challenges of the job. Safety is so vitally important to all our employees. I spent a career seeing how collisions and the associated disabling injuries and deaths affect family’s lives. I’ve also personally seen what happens to a family when a trooper doesn’t come home from a shift.”
Even though our jobs often carry inherent risks, Mike believes our employees deserve the safest work environment that the Department can provide. Under Mike’s leadership, the Eastern Region Safety office is continuously striving for improvement in all areas. Maintaining the “status quo” is not good enough. According to Mike, there are no new ways to get into trouble, only new ways to stay out of trouble.

Mike thoroughly enjoys instructing safety classes. He is up front with his students and explains he may go off on tangents while talking, but he will eventually tie it back into the topic at hand. He also enjoys on-site visits and takes a hands-on approach. As example, he’s assisted with numerous guardrail jobs to get firsthand experience with our tasks. He also enjoys night time visits to construction sites.

Mike spends his spare time enjoying his two granddaughters, golfing, refereeing high school basketball, and traveling the Pacific Northwest. He spends time each summer at the lake with his granddaughters, boating and jet skiing. I could talk endlessly about my granddaughters, but I don’t think we’ve got enough time or ink. Let’s just say they are the best! About refereeing, “I still love to try to out sprint those young kids; but, I must admit I’ve lost a step recently…but only to the fastest ones!”

His journey has actually come full circle. After working all around the state, he always wanted to return Spokane. He now lives in the house in which he was born and raised. Now, if he could only convince WSDOT to let him design an off ramp for the North Spokane Corridor before he retires for a second time!

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