Get to know the new Office of Emergency Management Director
The King County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) welcomes their new director, Brendan McCluskey. Brendan comes to King County from the State of New Jersey, where he was the director of emergency management for their state health department.
Brendan has more than two decades of experience in government, emergency management, homeland security, and public health. Before joining New Jersey state government, Brendan was the deputy emergency management director for the state of Maryland, and led the emergency management program for the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.
Programs under Brendan’s leadership included BioWatch, medical materiel management (such as the State Stockpile, Chempack, and the Strategic National Stockpile), Health Command Center, emergency and continuity planning, training and exercises, situational awareness and resource management, regional emergency coordinators and healthcare coalitions, infrastructure protection, and intelligence.
Brendan already is familiar with King County OEM, as he was the on-site assessment team leader for the Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP), which OEM achieved in 2017. His positive impression of the OEM program and staff is what led him to apply for the position.
Brendan is looking forward to being part of a team that promotes quality, flexibility, and innovation. He will be key to our efforts to further enhance standard work at OEM, approach emergency management with an equity lens, and prepare us for EMAP reaccreditation in 2022.
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Celebrating Administrative Professionals Recognition Day
King County Executive Dow Constantine and the King County Council both proclaimed today, Wednesday, April 24, 2019, as Administrative Professionals Day in King County. Administrative Professionals Day is observed annually on the fourth Wednesday in April to recognize the many contributions of administrative professional employees.
“I encourage all residents to join me in thanking administrative professional employees for their work and in expressing gratitude for their many contributions to our government,” Executive Constantine said in his Proclamation. View the Executive Proclamation here, and the Council proclamation here, or view them below.
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A new easy way to protect against phishing, to be implemented May 1
Phishing is hitting us hard at King County. A common phishing tactic used by the bad guys is sending emails in which the display name in the “From” field looks like it’s been sent by someone within King County. But that email address is fake and actually from someone trying to phish you. Unfortunately, we don’t always notice when such an email is a phishing attempt. That makes us vulnerable to viruses and other problem.
To help you identify these phishing scams, KCIT is adopting a new security feature to easily let you identify emails coming from outside email addresses.
When any email is delivered from an outside email address, the following will be added:
- In the “Subject’ line, the word “EXTERNAL” will be added.
- A warning message will be added to the body of the email message.
This warning message will let you know the email came from outside the county and has the potential to be a phishing scam.
Some cybersecurity tips
- If you receive an email from what appears to be another King County employee, but the external warning message has been added to the email, this is a potential phishing scam.
- If you receive an email from an external email address, do not click any links or open attachments unless you know the content is safe.
- If you’re not certain if the links or attachments are safe and the email came from someone you normally get emails from, call the sender and verify they actually sent you the email.
- Do not reply to the email to ask them if they actually sent the email. You could be communicating with a phishing fraud scammer.
- If you don’t know who sent an email, delete it.
This new process will be implemented May 1. For questions or concerns visit the KCIT Support Site at https://helpdesk.kingcounty.gov.
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Featured Job: Clean Water Ambassadors-High School Intern
Salary: $16.46 Hourly
Location: Seattle, WA
Job Type: Intern
Department: DNRP – Natural Resources & Parks
Job Number: 2019SN09628
Closing: 5/15/2019 11:59 PM Pacific
The Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) education and outreach team is partnering with the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust to provide a high school summer internship program. We are seeking 12 interns interested in learning how government agencies, nonprofit organizations and local communities influence the health of the waterways in the Puget Sound region. Interns will gain a deep understanding of the role we all play in this issue, and the careers that contribute to improving water quality and protecting the environment. The hope is for interns to pass on the knowledge they gain to members of their school and community.
Learn more about this position or view all available positions.
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Training Spotlight: Introduction to Public Speaking and Lean Basics
Introduction to Public Speaking, May 16: Would you like to reduce stage fight and gain more confidence in speaking in front of a group? Whether you need to give a formal presentation or an informal presentation at a staff meeting, learning key skills will increase your effectiveness and self confidence. In this course you will learn strategies to deal with nervousness, plan and deliver an effective presentation, and practice presentation techniques to capture audience attention. This course offers a supportive enviornment in which you will practice and recieve feedback and from the instructor and fellow participants. Register and learn more.
Lean Basics, July 18: Have you heard about Lean before? Have you wondered if Lean could be applied on your job? Come and join us in the Lean Basics course where you will become familiar with the fundamental principles of Lean; such as Waste Identification, Visual Management, and Continuous Improvement. Students will engage the materials through instructor lead classroom discussions, and interactive hands-on learning. Register and learn more.
View more training and development opportunities at www.kingcounty.gov/learning.
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Join King County for Pride 2019, June 30
Bring your Intersectional Selves and join your colleagues Sunday, June 30, as we march in celebration and support of Seattle’s LGBTIQQA community! All are welcome; feel free to bring your friends and family! Can’t make it to the parade? You can still order a t-shirt to show your support for the community (details to come).
Please email Mariah Taylor at mariah.taylor@kingcounty.gov with “Pride 2019” in the subject line.
- To remain informed: Get on the distribution list to stay up to date on Pride related activities including important dates, t-shirt sales, and Parade details. Mariah will send out updates as information becomes available.
- To get involved: We need individuals interested in serving on the Pride planning team and/or as cross departmental contacts to help coordinate activities along the way.
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Pet of the Week: Annie
Crossposted from Tails from RASKC
The sun is out for Annie, our Pet of the Week!
This young Chinese Shar-pei/Pit Bull mix was a little shy when she first arrived, but her caregivers were patient and took time to get to know her. Once she realized how much they cared for her, Annie opened right up! She also has velvety soft fur that everyone loves to snuggle!
Read more https://tailsfromraskc.com/2019/04/12/pet-of-the-week-annie/
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2019 State of the County address
Dear fellow King County employee,
Yesterday I delivered my 2019 State of the County address at the Preston Community Center in East King County around the theme of our “True North”: Making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive.
These words sum up all that we’ve been working toward in the almost 10 years that I have served as your County Executive, and what we will continue to focus our efforts on in 2019 and beyond.
In my address, I announced a new Public Health model for maternity and nutrition services that includes the creation of four Mobile Teams to deliver maternity and nutrition services, and a new Community Support Program offering one-on-one visits by a social worker or other health professional to the highest-needs clients, allowing us to more effectively serve women, families, and children in our communities.
I also announced transit technology upgrades – beginning as early as next month – to provide better real-time information for apps like “One Bus Away”, so customers can get alerts when their bus trip is canceled or a bus stop is added or closed.
I also highlighted the actions we are taking to fight homelessness in our region, and the innovative solutions we are continuing to implement to get people into shelter, connected to services, and on their way to permanent housing. This summer, we will open SODO Interim Housing in modular dorms previously used to house oil field workers. By the end of the year, we plan to open the Elliott Avenue Shelter, modular housing and enhanced shelter services for 72 currently homeless people.
None of this work is possible without you and your colleagues, and I thank you for your dedication and commitment to your customers. I used yesterday’s address to say a special thank you to Metro operator Eric Stark, who after being shot in Lake City on March 29, safely steered his bus and passengers several blocks out of danger. I also acknowledged the Department of Local Services roads crew – some of whom work out of the Preston Maintenance Facility – for their tireless work during February’s unprecedented snowstorm. Their efforts, and the efforts of every employee, bring us closer to that True North, which you will hear more about over the coming months.
I encourage you to read the transcript or watch the video of my State of the County address to learn more about the initiatives and priorities I set out yesterday. I will also deliver my address to the King County Council on Wednesday, April 24, and you are invited to watch the live stream (more details to come).
I look forward to continuing our work together for the people of King County as we fix our sights on our True North and the promise it holds for this region.
Sincerely,
Dow Constantine
King County Executive
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With one year until Census Day 2020, Executive Constantine, Mayor Durkan, and Seattle Foundation announce first-ever $1 million Regional Census Fund
Joined by community members at El Centro de la Raza, King County Executive Dow Constantine, Seattle Mayor Jenny A. Durkan, and Seattle Foundation President and CEO Tony Mestres created the first-ever Regional Census Fund to provide $1 million in funding to help community organizations prepare for the 2020 Census, which will be conducted April 1, 2020.
The Regional Census Fund is a $1 million pooled fund that will allocate money to Seattle and King County-based community organizations to help fund outreach and other activities for the United States 2020 Census.
Read more in the official press release.
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Local Services’ first Economic Development Program Manager looks forward to helping businesses succeed in unincorporated King County
Crossposted from King County Local
One of our goals at King County Local Services is to help our unincorporated communities thrive. This week, we took a big step in that direction as Hugo Garcia, our first Economic Development Program Manager, joined our team.
Hugo brings nearly 15 years of economic development experience, serving both rural and urban communities. He’s worked directly with small businesses during prosperous and tough economic times, and understands the dedication required to run a local business. Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, he immigrated to Seattle with his family in 1988. His father ran a restaurant here for years, which allowed Hugo to see first-hand the kinds of challenges small businesses face just to keep their doors open.
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