King County Executive Girmay Zahilay and Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson Appoint Dr. Sandra Valenciano to Lead Public Health – Seattle and King County
Crossposted from Public Health Insider On Wednesday, King County Executive Girmay Zahilay and Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson appointed Dr. Sandra Valenciano to serve as the Director of Public Health – Seattle and King County. Dr. Valenciano currently serves as Acting Director for the department. Pending confirmation by both the Metropolitan King County Council and Seattle City Council, Dr. Valenciano will advance the department’s work to protect and promote the health and well-being of more than two million residents. The department works across a wide range of areas focusing on preventing illness and… Read More
Transit Appreciation Week: Celebrating the people who keep our region moving
Executive Girmay Zahilay and the King County Council officially proclaimed this week, March 22–28, as Transit Appreciation Week. This is a special time of year to recognize the more than 6,100 Metro employees who work together to get people where they need to go safely and reliably. While transit operators are often the most visible, behind every trip is a network of people planning service, maintaining vehicles, supporting customers, and ensuring operations run smoothly. Please join us in celebrating all the transit workers who keep our region connected. This week, and every week, we… Read More
King County Executive Girmay Zahilay Appoints Dr. Susan McLaughlin to Lead King County Department of Community and Human Services
King County Executive Girmay Zahilay recently appointed Dr. Susan McLaughlin to serve as the Director of the King County Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS). Dr. McLaughlin currently serves as the department’s Acting Director. Dr. McLaughlin will lead the department tasked with providing affordable homes for people experiencing homelessness, coordinating publicly funded mental health and substance use disorder treatment, promoting youth mental health, stabilizing immigrant and refugees in the region, supporting residents who have intellectual and developmental disabilities to participate fully in community life, and strengthening the human services workforce. “Dr. Susan McLaughlin is a thoughtful leader who… Read More
Career Cards: Learn what it’s like to be on King County’s environmental science team
Crossposted from Headwaters Many people are surprised to learn that King County has an entire team of scientists working behind the scenes to understand and protect our environment. In fact, the Science Section has nearly 50 dedicated professionals working in, for, and with communities throughout our region! Genuine connections and diverse perspectives make our work better, but if other people don’t know who we are or what we do, how can we forge relationships, welcome new views, and respond to community needs and concerns? If local students don’t know jobs like ours even exist, are we losing the opportunity to inspire a whole generation of homegrown scientists? Read more.
Emergency Management and partners feted at flooding recognition event
Crossposted from the DES Express Employees who had a role in the flood response in December gathered to receive recognition for their hard work late last month. They came from the King County Sheriff’s Office, the Department of Local Services (DLS), Department of Natural Resources and Parks (DNRP) and of course, Emergency Management in the Department of Executive Services (DES). Before the remarks began, the group in the packed Emergency Operations Center were treated to a bluesy song honoring their efforts. “December rains fell heavy, rivers overflowed,” crooned a male voice. “King County fought… Read More
New Executive Office organizational structure
From King County Executive Girmay Zahilay Our team continues to grow! I am excited to welcome these key leaders to our administration, who bring diverse skillsets, expertise, and strong commitments to serving the residents of King County. Read more.
Profile in Service: Deb Wilson
Crossposted from For the Defense Welcome to the King County Department of Public Defense’s Profiles in Service, a series that will highlight the contributions of our committed public servants and provide a platform for attorneys and professional staff to share their insights on the evolving practice of public defense. For our inaugural interview, recently retired attorney supervisor Deb Wilson sat down to reflect on her nearly 40 years as a public defender. Deb began her career as an investigator at The Defender Association (TDA), nearly 30 years before the four nonprofits that had… Read More
Thank you to King County employees who helped make the Annual Giving Drive a success
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the King County Employee Giving Program Annual Giving Drive (AGD) Celebration on Thursday, Feb. 26. The gathering brought together enthusiastic colleagues from across the county as we recognized the outstanding Ambassador teams who championed the 2025 AGD. Nearly 150 employees attended the celebration on the 13th floor of the Chinook Building, creating a warm and energetic atmosphere. Employees across King County participated in the campaign, helping make the 2025 AGD a record-breaking success with $2.53 million raised to support nonprofits doing vital work in… Read More
Employee Appreciation Day is Friday, March 6
Today is Employee Appreciation Day! Thank you to all King County employees for your hard work and dedication to providing top quality services to our community. King County values the contributions of each and every employee. We appreciate you and celebrate you on this special day! Employee Appreciate Day is celebrated the first Friday of March each year.
Executive announces new Chief Operating Officer
King County Executive Zahilay recently named his new Chief Operating Officer, Hyeok Kim, and highlighted her achievements on LinkedIn, saying: I’m excited to welcome an exceptional addition to our King County Executive Office as we continue to build out the strong collaborative team that is working hard to deliver meaningful results to all King County residents. Hyeok Kim will serve as our Chief Operating Officer. She will play a vital role on my senior leadership team and is responsible for directing and supporting day-to-day operations across all King County Cabinet agencies. She… Read More
Employee News 