Employee News

Posted on May 18, 2019 by Lilia Cabello Drain

Pet of the Week: Franco

Looking for an energetic, free-spirited companion? Look no further than Franco, our Pet of the Week!

This six-year-old American Bulldog mix is a genuinely happy boy who is eager to please. He always has a big grin on his face and his happiness is contagious! Franco is an active boy, so he’s one of our “Rambunctious Red” personality pets.

Bike Show, May 22

In support of Bike Everywhere Month, we will be hosting a Bike Show on Wednesday, May 22 from 2-3:30 p.m. in Chinook, Rooms 121 and 123. Join us for a chance to ask your colleagues how they make bike commuting work for them. There will be a variety of bike set ups to check out. For more information contact Heather Eliason at Heather.Eliason@kingcounty.gov.

Posted on May 17, 2019 by Lilia Cabello Drain

Featured Job: Transportation Planner III

Salary: $86,344.54 – $109,446.48 Annually

Location: Seattle, WA

Job Type: Career Service, Full Time, 40 hrs/week

Department: DLS – Local Services

Job Number: 2019MCK09868

Closing: 5/22/2019 11:59 PM Pacific

Are you an energized and experienced planner with a strategic mindset? Do you value collaboration, communication and high performance planning outcomes? Do you enjoy leading interdisciplinary teams to the finish line? Are you interested in managing a diverse portfolio of analytic, project and program responsibilities? The King County Road Services Division of the Department of Local Services is recruiting for a Senior Planner to join its Planning, Policy, Grants and Real Property Unit. This is an outstanding opportunity for a high performing individual to join a collaborative team. Our group enjoys a diverse array of colleagues within and outside of King County government. The unit’s diverse responsibilities include: Lean/performance management; business planning; operating the division’s grant program; preparation of transportation planning products such as the county’s Transportation Needs Report; division-wide coordination of activities that align with county-wide priorities including Best Run Government, King County’s Strategic Climate Action Plan, and King County’s Equity and Social Justice Plan; complex special project management; provision of real property services, and more.

Learn more about this position or view all available positions.

Posted on May 16, 2019 by Lilia Cabello Drain

Daw to manage external relations for Department of Local Services

Crossposted from Local Services

David Daw has joined the Department of Local Services, where he will lead the new department’s efforts to engage and collaborate with King County’s unincorporated communities.

A Seattle native, David attended Evergreen State College in Olympia and studied economic development abroad in both Central America and Africa. After earning a bachelor’s degree focused on public administration and intercultural communication, he returned to Seattle. With a friend, he co-founded The Initiative Newspaper, which ran stories about positive community action and provided resources and information about the local African-American community.

Let’s talk about it: Mental Health, May events

Crossposted from Balanced You

May is Mental Health Awareness month, an important time to learn more about mental health, change the conversation and understand the resources available whether you’re looking to support yourself, colleagues or loved ones.

Let’s work together to open up the conversation around mental health here in King County. Throughout the year, Balanced You will partner with several groups to organize, promote or support discussions around the County. Below are a few partner events taking place later this month. Please note: additional opportunities are in the works. Look for more information soon or contact us with your ideas.

Mental Health 101, Monday, May 20 from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., Administration Building, 5th Floor Training Room
Mental Health Accommodations, Wednesday, May 29 from 10 – 11:30 a.m., Administration Building, 5th Floor Training Room
Mental Health Awareness Lunch & Learn, Wednesday, May 29 from noon to 1 p.m., King Street Center, 4th Floor General Manager’s Room

Employee takes passion for equity and social justice beyond King county

Pictured: Lily with other members of the Washington State School for the Blind Board of Trustees.

Lily Clifton joined King County to provide administrative support to Deputy County Executive Rachel Smith and the Executive’s Senior Leadership and Government Relations team, while being part of an organization that can make a difference in her community, but her passion for equity and social justice is helping her make a difference beyond her County position.

“I have worked in public service, campaign, and nonprofit roles for years,” said Lily. “I was really excited to come work at the County and learn more about regional government.”

Since starting in January, Lily has participated in the annual Point in Time Count of people experiencing homelessness, assisted with the organization of the Executive’s State of the County address, and has been learning about the County’s work on the 2020 Census.

She has also started a new role that is making a difference outside her King County career. Lily was recently confirmed by the state senate as a board member on the Washington State School for the Blind (WSSB) Board of Trustees, one of 10 trustees who represent their U.S. Congressional District. She represents the Congressional District 7 seat for the school, which encompasses most of Seattle and Burien and all of Vashon Island, Lake Forest Park, Edmonds, Shoreline, and Normandy Park. It’s one way that she is giving back.

“The School for the Blind provides academic, employment, social, and community support to students throughout Washington State,” Lily said. “I attended Seattle public schools, and because I am legally blind, I received additional support and outreach services from WSSB. The school hosts an annual track meet that brings students from across Washington State to Vancouver (WA), and they run summer employment programs in coordination with the Washington State Department of Services for the Blind; so, I spent some time down there.”

The board serves educational needs of visually impaired and blind students throughout the state. It also develops comprehensive curriculum to maximize and develop students’ skills to live, work, and become capable, contributing, and independent members of their community.

“Anytime I’ve ever joined a board my biggest thing is, it’s really about service to others and service to something larger than myself,” Lily said. “Often these spaces are missing really unique voices and people with diverse and intersectional backgrounds. Barriers do exist in participating in these spaces so I try to serve and impact not only the community, but the structure that’s in place. I am really excited to serve on this Board, because it is a community that will always impact my personal and professional life.”

Lily is hoping to learn and grow from the experiences serving her community in both of these positions.

“I hope that my experience on this Board and my role at King County can shape my professional development and strengthen my service in both roles,” said Lily. “I am really excited to learn and grow from these opportunities.”

Lily also currently serves on the Board of Directors for Legal Counsel for Youth and Children (LCYC) in Seattle. LCYC aims to improve the well-being of youth and children by advancing their legal rights.

Posted on May 15, 2019 by Lilia Cabello Drain

Toastmasters Open House, May 16

Join Toastmasters for an open house to gain confidence and find your voice. Toastmasters is an international organization that provides both communication and leadership development opportunities for County employees. This event is free and open to the public. Visitors should check-in at the 7th floor reception area and follow signs to the Tipping Floor conference room. There will be an overview of the club and the new Pathways program, an online learning tool tailored to individual goals. Raffle prizes and light snacks provided. No RSVP required. For questions, email swdtt.clubcontact@gmail.com.

Thursday, May 16, from 12:10 – 1 p.m., King Street Center, 201 South Jackson Street, Seventh Floor, Tipping Floor conference room

Posted on May 15, 2019 by Lilia Cabello Drain

King County is the nation’s first local government to offer a certified carbon credit program that protects local forests

King County is the nation’s first local government to offer a certified carbon credit program that protects local forests.

The county’s new Forest Carbon Program offers local companies the opportunity to offset a portion of their carbon emissions within King County where their employees and their families can explore and enjoy the protected forests in both urban and rural communities.

“We are making it possible for local companies to help us protect forests, confront climate change, and promote healthy habitat right here where their employees live, work, and play,” said Executive Constantine. “Our first-of-its-kind carbon credit program has the potential to be a national model for public-private partnerships that improve the quality of life for people and wildlife in their own backyards.”

Posted on May 14, 2019 by kingcountyemployees

Speak Up! Employee Survey contest winners

Dear employee,

Thank you so much for participating in the 2019 Employee Engagement Survey. We hit our goal of a 70 percent response rate this year, our highest ever response rate. It’s also a 3 percent increase over our last survey, and an 11 percent increase since 2015 when we started conducting the survey annually.

I want to thank each and every one of you for taking the time to respond. Your feedback is valuable as we continue to build a supportive and respectful workplace culture through our Investing in YOU strategy, and measure how well we are doing in delivering on it.

This year we held our inaugural “Speak Up!” participation contest as part of the survey, and I am excited to announce the winners:

Congratulations to the winner of each class, and to our Honorable Mentions, who also reached 100% participation in their categories!

I will award each of the winners a trophy at a May 21 event to review the survey results, the same day that Executive Constantine will share the results with you. We will then start action planning to make sure we are acting on what you tell us in the survey.

Thanks again for having your say. I look forward to seeing the results and working together to act on what we learn.

Sincerely,