Jay Osborne to serve as Interim Director of HRD
Jay Osborne has accepted the position as interim Human Resources Division (HRD) Director, and will start full time on December 18, 2017. Jay has been with the County for nearly 30 years and comes with a wealth of skills and experience. Jay started his career as a summer hire with the Parks Division in 1988, and now he is the Deputy Director for the Road Services Division in DOT. Jay offers strong leadership skills, vast budget process knowledge, and a solid operations background in HR as a people manager and deputy director…. Read More
Five questions with Nick Howell, Administrative Specialist II, King County Elections
Why did you start in your role with King County? I started as a short-term temp in the Elections phone bank. A few of my family members had worked seasonal King County positions and they recommended I come in and give it a try. After five months in that role, I saw that the Voter Services section was offering three full-time positions. I applied and was selected, and I’ve been working here six years now. What do you do in your role? I work as an Administrative Specialist 2 (AS2) in the… Read More
My Story – One World
Crossposted from KC Employee Giving Story submitted by Beverly Hawkins, King County Assessor’s Office Listening to NPR, National Public Radio, I heard a story about the Ebola outbreak in Liberia a few years back. It spoke of the brave doctors on the frontline, fighting this horrible affliction. One doctor, after coming down with Ebola, was nursed by his mother in an old plastic raincoat and galoshes used as protective gear. As she nursed him past the worst part, he was airlifted to a hospital funded by Samaritan’s Purse, one of the non-profits that I… Read More
Prosecuting Attorney’s Office profile: Sean Goode
If you wanted to create a profile for the type of kid who would end up involved in drugs, in gangs, in the juvenile justice system, Executive Director of the Choose 180 Program Sean Goode says the description would match his childhood. Both of Sean’s parents struggled with mental health diseases: his father with schizophrenia; his mother with a personality disorder. His drug-and-alcohol-dependent father was also highly abusive. “We left my father when I was 8,” Sean says. “I lived in 12 different places in 12 different years of school. As a result, I dealt with… Read More
Kelly Washington wins 2017 Northwest Regional CIT Award
Shared from the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention’s SharePoint site On Oct. 4, DAJD Corrections Technician Kelly Washington won the Non-Commissioned Staff of the Year award at the 7th Annual Northwest Regional Crisis Intervention Team Conference, held in Bend OR. This was the first year for this particular award, and Kelly bested the competition with her outstanding work with the general public and her work with the inmate population. Kelly’s nomination letter said, “She is the beating heart of the intake, transfer and release section of the King County Jail. She keeps… Read More
A job with a view
This article originally appeared in the Seattle Transit Blog. It features Link operator Kevin Gumke. In a tight workspace with barely enough room to turn around, light rail operators enjoy some of the most unusual views of Seattle from their cabs as they traverse the city. Like all Link operators, Kevin Gumke started out driving for King County Metro Transit, before transferring over to the light rail side in 2010. To qualify, bus drivers must have a squeaky-clean driving record and complete 8 weeks of paid training, starting with a week of classroom instruction. “It’s… Read More
Employee models recovery to empower others
In celebration of October as National Disability Employment Awareness Month, we share a story focusing on employment and behavioral health. Meet Mindy. Mindy is one of the newest King County employees within the Behavioral Health and Recovery Division (BHRD). Mindy has a Master’s degree from Brigham Young University and has worked at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and Harborview Medical Center. She is also someone with a chronic mental health condition who has participated in BHRD’s Supported Employment Program. “I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety at age eight. In college,… Read More
Resolving conflict together for a common good
King County strives to be a workplace where every employee is supported to thrive and do their best work free from harassment and discrimination, which is why the King County Investigation and Resolution Office (KCIRO) was launched in July 2016 as a pilot program to work with department leaders and employees to help mitigate complaints under the County’s nondiscrimination and anti-harassment policy. “KCIRO seeks to minimize the disruption to the workplace, help the parties maintain a positive working relationship, and reduce the time, cost, and worry of resolving a complaint,” said Steve Zwerin, Investigation Manager… Read More
Kudos! Employee to be honored at DAJD event for excellent work
Angela Toussaint, Continuous Improvement Manager with the Office of Performance, Strategy and Budget, will be recognized for her exceptional work in identifying and making improvements to the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention Corrections Officer Hiring Process. She will be recognized at the DAJD’s Eighteenth Annual Employee Awards Ceremony on October 26 with the Distinguished Service award. Kudos to Angela for her dedication and professionalism in this achievement and for furthering the DAJD mission of providing safe, secure and humane detention facilities!
Success at work!
This article is featured courtesy of Karla Lynch, Employment and Community Access Program Manager, with Department of Community and Human Services When we think about our careers, and how we landed in our present jobs, we recognize that each path is unique. The same is true for persons with developmental disabilities (DD). In the early days of the supported employment movement, most people who experienced a developmental disability worked in sheltered workshops – segregated settings in which persons with DD worked together, typically performing a variety of manual tasks. As we’ve learned more about how to… Read More
Employee News 