King County named Public Agency of the Year
Crossposted from the DES Express
Submitted by the Finance and Business Operations Division
King County received the Public Agency of the Year Award at an awards ceremony last Friday evening, Oct 17. Ken Guy, director of the Finance and Business Operations Division (FBOD), accepted the award on behalf of the County, quipping, “Better never stops.”
The Northwest Mountain Minority Supplier Development Council presented the award, which goes to a public agency that demonstrates strong leadership, innovative ideas, and a genuine commitment to supplier diversity and economic inclusion. It recognizes organizations that do more than just meet requirements and actively work to create fair opportunities for minority, women, and disadvantaged-owned businesses through their purchasing and contracting.
“We are proud to receive this recognition,” said Sandy Hanks, manager of FBOD’s Business Development and Contract Compliance (BDCC) unit. “For King County, this honor recognizes the achievements made thus far and supports its ongoing commitment to economic justice and inclusive growth.” Read more.
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What keeps us going when the weeds keep growing
Crossposted from the Noxious Weeds Blog
“What do you say when the [Noxious Weed] work feels futile?”
This was a question that came to us earlier this season from Andrew Munson, a Noxious Weed coordinator over in San Juan County.
It wasn’t a rhetorical question — he was genuinely wondering how other weed professionals handle the hard stuff: the Sisyphean [no end in sight] reputation of Noxious Weed control, the thankless days, the public skepticism, the physical toll, the moments that make you ask what’s the point?
We felt it. Because we’ve all been there.
So we turned the question around and asked our own staff:
What keeps you going in this work? Read more.
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John Hurt’s career: family, service and new horizons
Within days of leaving active duty in the Army, he started as a corrections tech at the King County Jail — where both of his parents worked at the time. Decades later, he’s taking on new challenges as a supervisor. Read more.
Pictured: Corrections Program Administrator John Hurt, left, is congratulated by Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention Director Allen Nance.
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King County launches new Stop Hate Hotline
Recently, King County Executive Shannon Braddock, in partnership with King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn and non-profit Crisis Connections, announced the launch of the new Stop Hate Hotline, marking a significant milestone in the county’s efforts to combat hate crimes and support affected communities. The hotline can be reached at 833-786-7481 or 833-STOP-H81.
“The launch of the Stop Hate Hotline represents King County’s unwavering commitment to creating a community where every resident feels safe, valued, and protected from hate and bias. This hotline provides crime victims and survivors support, resources, and assistance in reporting the crime to law enforcement if they choose,” said Executive Braddock. “We recognize that hate crimes don’t just harm individual victims; they stoke fear in whole communities. By partnering with Crisis Connections, we’re ensuring that when someone reaches out in need, they’ll find compassionate, trauma-informed care that honors their experience and focuses on their healing.” Read more.
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King County Security Tips – Lock your screen
Locking your screen when you get up from your desk is a security action that is often overlooked and can have dangerous consequences. Failing to lock your screen can open you up to several vulnerabilities–some more serious than others.
Although many organizations have a policy which automatically locks your screen with a screen saver after a certain amount of inactivity, not all screen savers are password-protected, leaving your workstation defenseless.
Here are a few actions the bad actors can do when you leave your workstation unlocked and unattended:
- Files can be downloaded from the internet and executed on your computers, such as malware, spyware, keyloggers, and other types of malicious software.
- Emails can be sent from your email address to coworkers, your boss, or other business contacts.
- If you save passwords in your browser (another no-no), they now have access to your online banking, Facebook, and other accounts.
Locking your workstation before you get up from your desk is simple and can prevent you from ending up in a bad situation. Here are some ways you can lock your workstation: For Windows:
- Press the Windows key + the L key at the same time on your keyboard.
- Press and hold Ctrl+Alt+Del and then choose Lock This Computer.
For Mac:
- If using Mac OS X (2015 and later), be sure to enable the lock screen ability. Find this under System Preferences > Security & Privacy > and look for the “Require password…” setting under the General tab.
- Then, press Control+Command+Q on your keyboard, or do a quick web search to learn the keyboard shortcut for your Mac’s Operating System.
- Set up hot corners, which allows you to push your cursor to a certain corner of your screen to lock the computer. This can be set up under System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver then choosing Hot Corners.
Get in the habit of locking your screen. If nothing else, it will prevent coworkers from sending prank emails from your account!
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Celebrate World Animal Day and Adopt a Shelter Dog Month: Give back through the Annual Giving Drive!
October is a special time to honor our furry, feathered, floating, and four-legged friends. World Animal Day was on Oct. 4, which shines a global spotlight on animal welfare, reminding us of the joy and companionship animals bring. You can see all animals awaiting adoption at the Regional Animal Shelter of King County here.
It’s also Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, a chance to support the thousands of dogs waiting for loving homes. Through the Annual Giving Drive, you can donate to nonprofits that rescue, shelter, and care for animals in need. Whether you’re an animal lover, a proud pet parent, or simply passionate about kindness, your gift helps create a better world for all furbabies.
Here are a few Employee Giving Program (EGP) nonprofits that work in these areas. Read more.
To see the full list and discover more search online or review the 2025 Giving Guide of nonprofits by service category.
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Upcoming pulse survey on employee communications
The Department of Human Resources (DHR) will be administering a pulse survey to King County employees from Oct. 28 to Nov. 14, 2025. This short survey is focused on employee communications and tracking progress on the recent Employee Engagement Survey that was conducted in March. The survey will also help to better understand the Engagement Survey question, “There is open and honest two-way communication at King County.”
We want to hear from you so we can learn what tools, channels, and information you use and need to do your job effectively and thrive in your King County career. We will use your responses to check and adjust our current communications strategy in an effort to continuously improve.
All Executive Branch employees (excluding Short-term Temporary positions) will receive a survey invitation email on Oct. 28 from Qualtrics with the subject “King County Employee Pulse Survey: Together We Thrive.”
We look forward to listening to and acting on your feedback so we can create a workplace culture where all King County employees can thrive. We will act on your responses and move forward together in alignment with our value, “We are one team.”
If you have any questions, please contact employeeexperience@kingcounty.gov.
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Don’t leave history behind: Celebrate Archives Month
October is Archives Month, and King County Archives wants you to celebrate with us. We’re offering county staff tours of our beautiful space, including the areas where we store and preserve historically significant county government records.
What is Archives Month?
Many people don’t realize that the historical county government records at King County Archives are publicly accessible. Archives Month is a reminder to explore and make use of them. Preserving government records is essential for promoting democracy and government transparency. Read more.
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Balanced You Conversations with Debra Berliner
Balanced You Conversations is a series of talks about important topics related to overall health and well-being.
Karla Clark, Employee Health & Wellness Project/Program Manager III with the Balanced You team, sits down with Debra Berliner, Communications and Education Team Manager, Immunization Branch at Public Health – Seattle & King County. They discuss vaccine safety, access, and community impact. Deborah explains that children’s immune systems are strong enough to handle multiple vaccines at once, and that doing so is both safe and convenient. She shares that all children ages zero to 18 in Washington State can receive vaccines at no cost through the Washington State Childhood Vaccine Program, which has over 300 healthcare providers participating in the program. The conversation emphasizes the importance of vaccines for school and childcare, not only to protect individual children but also to safeguard vulnerable members of the community.
“When we as parents vaccinate our children, we are not just protecting them—we’re protecting the whole community,” says Debra Berliner.
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Knowing your role during winter weather and emergencies
Being prepared for an emergency helps us to keep one another safe and to continue providing essential services to the people of King County.
In the case of a significant disaster or emergency, county leaders must prioritize which functions and services will be provided, and which can be delayed or suspended. This prioritization informs King County’s employee emergency designations.
Executive branch departments are in the process of communicating employee emergency designations to their employees using three designations. Read more.
Employee News 