From the Hip: Pat McLaughlin, King County Solid Waste Division Director
‘Book ‘em’, and they will come We are in the midst of collecting responses for the 2016 Employee Engagement Survey. I cannot express just how important it is for each and every one of us to complete this survey (I know I’ve already submitted mine). As King County Executive Dow Constantine has shown, your opinions directly influence the changes division, department, and county leadership implement to make your work life more enjoyable. The Solid Waste Division is no exception, and for the past four years we have used the results of the… Read More
We’re hiring and training drivers, reducing canceled trips
Crossposted from Metro Matters (Editor’s Note: This blog post includes a message from Metro Transit Interim General Manager Rob Gannon, followed below by a detailed accounting by Operations Manager Ted Harris, who outlines Metro’s efforts to hire drivers during our time of growth. Learn about the opportunity to #DriveForMetro.) At Metro Transit, we strive to provide safe, reliable and consistent transit service. We know that hundreds of thousands of riders depend on us every day to get to work, to school, to shopping, and to an amazing variety of locations. And we… Read More
King County welcomes new Rideshare Fleet Operations Chief
King County welcomed U.S. Army veteran Craig Foster as its new Chief of Rideshare Fleet Operations Tuesday, June 14. A native of Boston, MA, Craig’s military service found him at Ft. Knox (Kentucky), Korea, Ft. Hood (Texas), Germany, here at Ft. Lewis, at Ft. Stewart (Georgia), and then back at Ft. Knox as a Drill Sergeant. After his second tour at Ft. Knox, he became a Warrant Officer in the Automotive Maintenance field and continued on to Ft. Rucker (Alabama) and Germany, finally returning to Ft. Lewis in 2012. Craig said his… Read More
Five Questions with Brooke Bascom, Employee Engagement Manager
1. Why did you start as an Employee Engagement Manager with King County? My work with Healthy Incentives led me to employee engagement. We started examining workplace stress and what contributes to it. Turns out that there is a lot of crossover between the factors that cause stress and the factors that lead people to be engaged in their work. For example, if there is conflict in your team it can cause stress. On the other hand, if your team works well together, appreciates each other and encourages everyone’s best, that can… Read More
From the Hip: Natasha Jones, Director of Customer Service
King County customer service: making it easier, faster, and better “So what do you do?” Love it or hate it, this common ice breaker question often becomes an opportunity for me to tell people about the great work county employees do, and how I get to help people and make our government better through my job. As Director of Customer Service, for the past five years my team and I have worked with employees from every department to improve how the county delivers its service by focusing on four main areas: Developing… Read More
Employee shares County business insights with other staff and students
King County is a public sector leader in using technology to help customers access services and complete transactions online and on the go. It takes a dedicated team of problem solvers to identify solutions that make sense for customers – inside and outside the County. One of those people is IT Senior Business Analyst Barb DeLauter, who uses her people skills to impact both her work at King County and her community. Initially, she began her 11-year career in Elections, but has since moved throughout King County before moving to the Department… Read More
From the Hip: Lorinda Youngcourt, Director, Department of Public Defense
A promising program helps young people take charge of their lives As public defenders, we’re often representing people who have already experienced considerable trauma in their lives, people in need of much more than a good criminal defense lawyer. We represent people who are homeless and mentally ill, who are poor and jobless, who have few resources and little support. That’s why I’m so pleased when we’re able to take steps that help to address some of the underlying issues that bring a person into the criminal justice system. And one such… Read More
From the Hip: Patty Hayes, Director of Public Health
How I Spent National Public Health Week Crossposted from the Public Health Insider blog Last week we celebrated National Public Health Week, my favorite time of year. As the director of the department, I am steeped in public health on a daily basis, but I am always ready to learn more. I met with different staff – people I don’t get to see too often – to find out more about what they do. As always, I was inspired by their work and their dedication to our important mission.
Dr. Gene Mueller: Lean supporter, employee advocate, animal lover
With the success of ensuring nearly 9 out 10 cats and dogs find a loving home and lowering the euthanasia rate to an all-time low of 12 percent, people are wondering what’s next for Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC). For this reason KC employees reached out to RASKC Manager Gene Mueller to learn what their secret is and the future direction of the agency. Originally from Illinois and a longtime licensed veterinary practitioner, since 2012 he has worked with King County to build on the work being done and further… Read More
Five questions with Paige Shevlin, Economic Development Policy Advisor
1. Why did you start as a policy advisor with King County? When I moved to this area for my husband’s job I considered opportunities across the region including in philanthropy and the private sector but local government appealed to me most. It’s an opportunity to use my federal government experience but have more of a direct impact on people’s lives. King County is especially appealing because it represents the whole region and people live and work across city lines.
Employee News 