BRG Leadership Excellence Award for Individual Contributor
Alicia Martinez, from the Department of Community and Human Services/Developmental Disabilities and Early Childhood Supports Division, has been honored as the winner of the Best-Run Government Leadership Excellence Award for an Individual Contributor.
Executive Constantine launched the Best-Run Government Awards – formerly known as the Performance Excellence Awards – in 2018. Best-Run Government is our commitment to continuously improve the equity, efficiency, and effectiveness of how King County operates.
The awards recognize individuals and project teams in the Executive branch for their exceptional contributions in innovation, leadership, and continuous improvement at King County. The Leadership Excellence Award for an Individual Contributor honors someone who is not a manager of staff but has demonstrated leadership qualities.
Alicia was selected because of her creation of visionary and accessible opportunities to build Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health knowledge and skills for hundreds of providers and caregivers who work with young children and their families across King County. She did this by creating tailored and transformational learning opportunities using foundational principles and approaches that center racial justice.
Alicia’s approaches have included:
- Reducing barriers by making learning opportunities available in peoples’ first languages, creating weekend times more accessible to childcare providers, and offsetting some of the organizational costs of staff participation.
- Intentionally pairing community facilitators with varied backgrounds and cultures to build our local capacity of leaders across many topics.
- Rooting Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health theory in community-based and cultural approaches to childrearing while providing space for practical application discussions for everyday life.
For example, Alicia led a unique collaboration to create the Centering Relationships and Social Justice in Early Childhood certificate program. This one-of-a-kind program was developed to reduce barriers to access to high quality Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health education. Nearly 100 participants are enrolled in the first cohort currently underway.
Alicia has also grown and diversified one of the largest early childhood Reflective Consultation programs in the country, reaching hundreds of providers with over 60 monthly groups. Reflective Consultation gives early childhood program staff a chance to improve the ways they hold and support the families and children they serve.
“Alicia has helped us all to always ‘see the babies’ in their families, relationships, and communities,” said Wen Harris, Early Childhood Team Co-Lead. “When early childhood providers can hold and support families in strengths-based, culturally rooted ways, children’s social-emotional development and resilience can be well supported. All the reflective consultation and learning opportunities that Alicia has designed hold these core values in mind, while also honoring the unique needs of culturally diverse families and communities.”
Through her work, Alicia has impacted the lives of many early childhood providers from a wide variety of backgrounds in King County, which in turn has had a significant positive impact on the families we serve.
Congratulations Alicia, for modeling our values and making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive.
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King County program successfully creating jobs and long-term housing
In 2021, King County established the Jobs and Housing Program to combat the region’s homelessness crisis using funds from the American Rescue Plan. The program connects people experiencing homelessness to subsidized employment, housing, and career services to help them permanently exit the homelessness system.
The program is an excellent example of how multiple King County departments and community organizations come together to help some of the most vulnerable individuals and families in the County. It’s designed to provide temporary job opportunities and housing resources with the goal of eventually developing into more permanent employment and stable housing.
“One man living in his car was motivated to find steady employment,” said Sasha Gourevitch, a Program/Project Manager on the project. “He had two children not living with him, one with special needs. He got a temporary position at Parks, as well as housing through the program. His kids were then able to move in with him, and he also got a permanent position at Parks with all the benefits for his family.”
An end-to-end program
Finding stable housing without an income can be nearly impossible of course, and without stable housing it’s difficult to focus on finding a job. The Jobs and Housing program was originally planned to provide 400 jobs for individuals experiencing homelessness, as well as housing support such as rent, moving expenses, furniture, and other household items. By providing stable income and short-term housing program participants are able to rebuild their economic security that enables them to transition to more permanent housing.
The first program jobs made available were in the Department of Natural Resources and Parks (DNRP), as part of a Parks Beautification program to plant new trees, remove invasives, and maintain trails. Program positions were eventually made available through several other departments, including the Department of Human Resources, the Department of Elections, and Regional Animal Services (RASKC). All the program positions supplemented existing positions, which allowed the County to complete important work with minimal disruption to existing staff and positions.
“During the development of the program, we knew we couldn’t provide 400 positions through King County,” said County Executive Assistant Steve Stamper, “so we began working with various organizations to help implement the program to as many people as possible.”
Working with the Department of Community and Human Services for housing support, Metro for transportation services, as well as other organizations for clothing, food, and anything that might assist people in doing these jobs, the team put together a cooperative system that has successfully employed 783 people (60 at King County) and moved 341 into permanent housing.
The work for King County was made available by various departments. In Elections, participants were engaged in an effort to update voter signatures and also helped during election days. Animal services had participants work directly with the animals, taking care of them at the shelter and helping customers with pet adoptions. With the Roads division, program participants provided litter abatement services in our unincorporated areas.
A foundation for long-term success
“The model provides a comprehensive set of services for program participants, including one year of housing support with our Rapid Rehousing partners,” said County Executive Assistant Nancy Yamamoto. “Our goal is that participants gain more economic security as the year goes on that can lead to permanent employment and housing after they leave the program.”
According to Gourevitch, the departments and supervisors that took on participants put their hearts and souls into the program. “They were not all success stories, but participants felt they were really supported.”
Participants supported important work at the County while also being given a foundation in their housing search and career planning. “The priority was the good work experience for the people,” Yamamoto said, “and the departments also benefitted from the work being done.”
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BRG Leadership Excellence Award for People Leader
Congratulations to Mike Bacnis, Finance/Accounting Supervisor for DES/FBOD, for winning the 2023 Best-Run Government Leadership Excellence Award for a People Leader.
The Executive launched the Best-Run Government Awards – formerly known as the Performance Excellence Awards – in 2018 to recognize individuals and project teams In the Executive branch for their exceptional contributions in innovation, leadership, and continuous improvement at King County.
The Leadership Excellence Award for a People Leader honors someone who manages staff and has made significant and tangible leadership contributions to developing the Executive branch values in others, improving our workplace culture, and leading organizational change and inspiring others to lead change as well.
While Mike is currently the Accounts Receivable supervisor, he exemplified the ‘We Are One Team’ value and provided leadership coverage to both the Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable teams for six months. During this time, he provided day-to-day management support for the 14 employees of the Accounts Payable team, ensuring that over 45,000 invoices, representing just over $2 billion, were paid in a timely manner during a critical transitionary period.
Despite covering two teams, he worked on multiple high-impact projects:
- Updating the Accounts Receivable Executive Policy,
- Improving the banking structures that support procurement card use at the County, and,
- Assisting the Department of Public Defense with a rate adjustment that reduced or eliminated the co-pays for legal services provided by the County.
Mike has established a culture in his teams where problems are opportunities, so when the team identified that payments made through a portal on KingCounty.gov, which should require minimal manual work, were landing in a queue for manual processing, Mike worked with KCIT and quickly reduced the number of invoices being misdirected.
The number of manual payments dropped by 2,000 payments or 12% from 2022. There were at least two factors that drove this improvement — making the portal user friendly (a collaboration with KCIT he empowered his team to contribute toward) and the quick fix Mike achieved that was causing payments to be sent to the manual processing queue in error, noted above.
Mike leverages his two decades of experience at King County, the relationships he has made during that time, and the reputation he has worked hard to earn and sustain as a person who gives wise counsel to affect change where it is needed. One of his Accounts Payable colleagues recently stated, “Mike is a true leader who is always there to provide support for his team in a very professional manner.”
As a leader, Mike builds teams that consistently exceed expectations for delivering results by promoting a culture of innovation and problem-solving, empowering team members to raise opportunities to make their own lives or the lives of their customers easier and better, and empowering team members to solve problems while removing barriers.
“Mike leads by example, showing his teams direct and effective ways to apply the values in their collective work,” said Ken Guy, Division Director, DES/FBOD. “He then challenges and empowers them to follow his lead.”
Thank you, Mike, for being a champion of innovation and continuous improvement.
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What’s on at City Hall Park this spring and summer?
City Hall Park, adjacent to the King County Courthouse, is offering movies, workshops, and more this spring and summer in addition to the daily buskers in the park.
There will be three free movie screenings this summer starting at noon:
- Wednesday, July 3 – Legally Blonde
- Wednesday, July 31 – The Pelican Brief
- Wednesday, August 14 – The Firm
The Bike Mobile truck is providing free to low-cost bike maintenance and bicycles at City Hall Park on select Tuesdays in 2024. Upcoming dates include: June 4, June 18, July 2, July 16, August 6, August 20, Sept. 3, Sept. 17, Oct. 1, Oct. 15 (all from 1 to 4 p.m.), Nov. 5 (1 to 3 p.m.), Dec. 3 (1 to 3 p.m.).
You can also enjoy lunchtime music in the park and relax on comfortable bistro furniture from Monday to Friday, noon to 4 p.m., subject to rain-out cancellations.
The park is open between 6 a.m. and 10:30 p.m., seven days a week. Find out more.
King County’s City Hall Park Neighborhood Outreach Team continues to assist neighbors around City Hall Park. The team was created to connect unsheltered people around City Hall Park with access to services, shelter, and housing, as well as helping people in crisis. It provides supportive services in an area from Yesler Way to James Street and Second Avenue to Fourth Avenue. You can speak with a Neighborhood Outreach Team member directly, or if you see someone in crisis within the service area and don’t know what to do, call 206-537-3770.
King County continues to work with its government and community partners to ensure a safer, more welcoming environment in and around employee facilities. For more information on employee safety programs and resources, see this printable one-pager.
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Danotra McBride receives 2023 Fred Jarrett Leadership Excellence Award
King County Executive Dow Constantine announced the winners of the 2023 Best-Run Government Awards on May 9, with eight King County employees, leaders, and teams recognized for their outstanding performance, leadership, and innovation.
In a surprise ceremony, Executive Constantine announced that Danotra McBride, Director of Jail Health Services, was the winner of the 2023 Fred Jarrett Leadership Excellence Award, the awards’ highest honor.
The Fred Jarrett Leadership Excellence Award – named for former Deputy Executive Fred Jarrett, the driving force behind Lean and continuous improvement for nine years at the County – is presented to a senior county leader who embodies King County’s True North and values, and incorporates them into their processes, decision-making, and teams.
A 22-year King County employee – the last four of which she has served as Jail Health Services director – Danotra has helped set the standard for high quality medical care for people incarcerated in King County’s jails and improving their health, safety, and well-being.
The Executive cited Danotra’s transparency and openness as a leader, her “one King County” mindset, her commitment to continuous improvement, and her collaborative approach to partnering with other agencies to deliver measurable results.
“She has led Jail Health for the last four years, proving herself to be an open and collaborative leader who is always looking for what can be improved, using data and process mapping to understand root causes,” Executive Constantine said.
Two significant Jail Health achievements under Danotra’s leadership are its response to the opioid crisis for people in custody and the recent healthcare services reaccreditation of the King County Correctional Facility.
“Jail Health has brought innovation and a laser focus to the opioid crisis by developing and maintaining a medically assisted treatment program to help people manage withdrawals and treat their addiction while in custody, setting them on a path toward sobriety upon their release,” Executive Constantine said.
This year, the National Commission on Correctional Healthcare reaccredited the King County Correctional Facility for its healthcare services. Of the 39 essential standards applicable to the facility, all 39 were found to be in full compliance, an exceptional result well above and beyond what is required to maintain accreditation.
As a leader, Danotra believes in building accountability in others by “leading the way” and modelling our values and the behaviors that support them. She values her staff and all they do to provide high quality care to their patients, always making herself available for checking in on issues and ideas. Even with what can be difficult work, she brings a warm, optimistic attitude and approach.
And she is a strong advocate of equity, racial and social justice in Jail Health and the importance of advancing pro-equity and anti-racism work for the people in our facilities and their families, and the employees who care for them.
“Congratulations Danotra and thank you for being an exceptional leader,” Executive Constantine said. “Congratulations to all the winners and nominees and thank you for your hard work and innovative thinking.”
Previously known as the Performance Excellence Awards, the Best-Run Government Awards recognize exceptional contributions to performance, leadership, and innovation in eight categories: five innovation awards – people, cost, service, climate and environmental stewardship, and equity, racial and social justice – and three leadership awards – for people leaders, individual contributors, and the Fred Jarrett Leadership Excellence Award for senior leaders. The name was changed to the Best-Run Government Awards in 2024 to reflect efforts to become a Best-Run Government, King County’s commitment to continuously improve the equity, efficiency, and effectiveness of how it operates.
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Retirement-related calls and emails are not from King County vendors
Several King County employees have reported receiving suspicious calls and emails about retirement and deferred compensation plans. Should anyone claiming to represent King County employee retirement or financial services contact you directly, do not provide them with personal information.
Calls are from someone stating they work for Equitable financial services who wants to discuss your deferred compensation plan. This caller does not represent any King County retirement or financial programs. In addition, Equitable is not a provider of any King County retirement or financial plans.
In addition, emails have been received with the subject “Retirement Reviews” from “Mr and Mrs Restore” at no-reply@vcita.com. These emails look like invitations to attend meetings about your retirement benefits. These emails are not from King County or an approved King County vendor. Do not use the links – delete the email.
As a reminder, employees should verify that incoming emails are legitimate. You should never give out any personal information to anyone that you did not first contact.
To learn more about your King County employee retirement benefits, you can attend an education session listed in the events calendar on the Benefits home page. You can also go to the Retirement page or contact King County Retirement Navigator Carmen Johnson. To learn more about the King County Deferred Compensation Plan, go to Deferred Compensation Plan. If you have any questions or additional concerns, please reach out to KC.Benefits@KingCounty.gov.
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May is proclaimed Jewish American Heritage Month
King County Executive Dow Constantine has proclaimed the month of May as Jewish American Heritage Month in King County.
“Jewish immigrants to America, since their first arrival to our shores in the 16th century, have played a central role in the creation, growth, freedom, prosperity, and strength of the United States of America,” Executive Constantine states in his Proclamation. “Since 2006, the month of May has been celebrated as Jewish American Heritage Month, pursuant to a bipartisan resolution of Congress.”
Executive Constantine also recognized the significant contributions Jewish Americans have made “to the arts, entertainment, science and technology, government, business, and other fields in King County.”
Read the full proclamation below.
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King County receives recognition at annual Women in Trades event
The Washington Women in Trades Job Fair held recently at the Seattle Center brought together a diverse array of talented individuals in the trades industry. The event served as a platform for showcasing the exciting career opportunities available at King County, while highlighting the county’s support for diversity and innovation.
The job fair was a vibrant gathering, where attendees had the chance to connect with skilled professionals and explore various career pathways. From carpentry to electrical work, participants engaged with representatives from different trades, gaining insights into the industry’s latest trends and developments.
“It was inspiring to see so many skilled and passionate individuals who are driving innovation in the trades industry,” remarked one of the Light Rail attendees. “The job fair provided a valuable opportunity to network and learn about the diverse career options available.”
King County’s support for Women in Trades was also recognized at the event. Chief People Officer Whitney Abrams accepted an award marking May 3 as King County Day. Over the years, the County has been committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in the trades, and this commitment was evident in its active participation and support for the job fair.
Several King County departments and divisions were represented at the event, include Department of Executive Services, the Department of Human Resources, Department of Natural Resources and Parks, Department of Local Services, and King County Metro.
The Washington Women in Trades Job Fair at the Seattle Center was a testament to King County’s dedication to fostering a diverse and inclusive workforce. By providing a platform for networking and showcasing career opportunities, the event not only highlighted the county’s support for Women in Trades but also celebrated the talents and contributions of individuals in the trades industry.
Seated, left to right: Trish Parker, Rail Transit Admin Support Specialist; Sarah Farahani, Rail Internal Communications Specialist; Jacky Lu, Human Resource Analyst; Natalia Strom, Human Resource Associate;
Emily Clark, Sr. Human Resource Analyst
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Celebrating National Correctional Officers and Employees Week
King County is celebrating National Correctional Officers and Employees Week, which started on Sunday and runs through May 11.
King County’s corrections officers and juvenile detention officers perform a critical role in managing people during the most turbulent and vulnerable times of their lives—when they are accused of compromising the safety and wellbeing of the community, resulting in their incarceration.
The professionalism and persistence of these employees should make us all proud. They show courage, sacrifice, and resolve that demonstrates commitment and dedication to public safety, while also ensuring that people in custody are treated with the dignity and respect that they deserve.
King County Executive Dow Constantine has proclaimed this week as National Correctional Officers and Employees Week.
“Our correctional officer are well-trained professionals who regularly face challenging situations, but remain dedicated to providing safe, humane, and equitable care to all residents,” he said in the Proclamation. “The sacrifices of correctional officers and their families often go unnoticed, yet their contributions to the community are invaluable.”
National Correctional Officers Week started in 1984. In 1996, Congress officially modified it to “National Correctional Officers and Employees Week.”
Please take a moment to show your appreciation for employees from the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention and the difficult work that they perform 24/7 every day of the year.
You can read the full proclamation from King County Executive Dow Constantine below.
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Executive Constantine proclaims May as Mental Health Month
May is Mental Health Month, dedicated to prioritizing our well-being and promoting open conversations about mental health. At King County, we recognize the importance of mental health and the impact on our personal and professional lives.
To support this, King County Executive Dow Constantine has proclaimed May as Mental Health Month. Read the full proclamation below.
Employee News 