Twenty-two employees celebrated at Bridge Fellowship ceremony 

The 22 graduates from the 2017-2018 Bridge Fellowship Program were recognized at a ceremony attended by more than 100 colleagues, family, friends, and senior leaders last week at the King Street Center in Seattle. The Bridge Fellowship is an intensive leadership development program designed to enhance participants’ leadership skills and knowledge of County systems and operations, and advance their professional development and King County careers. “The Bridge Fellowship Program is a big part of my Investing in You strategy for King County,” King County Executive Dow Constantine said at the event. “It’s about offering… Read More

All Are Welcome Here 

Crossposted from Metro Matters As King County Metro grows and changes in our role as the regional mobility provider, there’s something we’ll never leave behind: our commitment to keeping Metro safe and welcoming for everyone who uses our services or works here. The recent terrible events in Texas, New York City and elsewhere are grim reminders of how important that commitment is. New signs you’ll see on our buses for the long term reflect our promise to always look out for one another. They assure customers that “all are welcome here,” regardless… Read More

Honoring King County employees who continue to serve our community

This weekend, we will pay tribute to those who served our country in uniform. Veterans Day allows each of us a chance to reflect on the sacrifices these men and women made to keep our nation safe and free. No matter where or when they served, we all owe a debt to our military veterans.  As a small token of appreciation, throughout this month King County managers and supervisors will present a special “Veterans” pin to employees who served or are serving in the U.S. armed forces, active duty or reserve. We… Read More

King County Noxious Weed Program launches web pages in four languages! 

Crossposted from Noxious Weeds Blog  Want to learn more about noxious weeds in Spanish—or know someone who does? How about Vietnamese, Chinese, Russian, or Somali? Well now, King County’s Noxious Weed Control Program has made a start to offer just that.  This week, the program launched a revised and expanded version of its Spanish web page, along with four brand new web pages hosting noxious-weed-related resources in an array of languages. You can find these pages gathered under a new “Languages” landing page as well as linked directly in the right column of the noxious… Read More

2017 Annual Giving Drive: Youth

Crossposted from KC Employee Giving Many of us have heard the old adage, ‘it takes a village to raise a child,’ but how many of us have reflected on helping a child during the Employee Giving Program’s 2017 Annual Giving Drive? With three week to go, you can still do your part to create a more equitable world for them.  Here are three of the many nonprofit organizations that are doing work with youth!  Read more at KC Employee Giving

Funding recipients for the 2017-2018 ESJ Opportunity Fund announced 

The ESJ Opportunity Fund is a competitive process overseen by the Office of Equity and Social Justice that provides resources to King County employees to develop and implement projects that work to advance equity and social justice and complement the ESJ Strategic Plan. This year 39 applications were received totaling over $290,000 in requests, with a 2017-2018 ESJ Opportunity Fund budget of $100,000. This was a highly competitive process that highlights the commitment across the County to equity and social justice work; commitment not only at the department and agency level but also of our… Read More

King County Veterans Court celebrates Veterans Day and Court graduates, Nov. 9

Regional Veterans Court will be holding a celebration of all veterans and a graduation for those successfully completing the court program on Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 1 p.m. at the King County Courthouse, Courtroom E-326. The celebration is open to all who wish to attend. Regional Veterans Court is a specialized track within King County District Court that connects veterans in the justice system to health and behavioral health treatment, housing and other services they may need to re-stabilize their lives. The Court helps veterans stay out of further involvement in the justice system, and reduces the use… Read More

Bridge participants use professional skills to address workgroup challenges

The 2017-2018 King County Bridge Fellowship cohort, which started in June, are continuing to explore leadership and development opportunities for themselves and for the organization. Twenty three employees are working through the course, participating in classroom learning, group projects, presentations and career development activities, as well as interviews and site visits to explore the County’s agencies and their priorities. The fellowship is expected to wrap up in November, with a formal graduation and presentation. The program is supported by the Learning and Development Team in the Department of Executive Services and is… Read More

Breaking down barriers with Supported Employment  

King County’s Supported Employment Program matches job seekers with developmental disabilities to jobs by identifying efficiencies and unmet needs throughout King County government. King County is celebrating Disability Awareness Month in October and recognizing the work that County employees do to serve and support people with disabilities in our community, including the Supported Employment Program. Many divisions have partnered with Christina Davidson, Supported Employment Program Manager, to hire through the Program to meet their business needs. Recent hiring Departments and Divisions include: Dept. of Natural Resources and Parks in the Solid Waste, Wastewater and Parks Divisions, Dept…. Read More

Historic labor agreement delivers on our employee-focused priorities

King County and the Coalition of Unions have reached a tentative agreement on a three-year Master Labor Agreement (MLA) that will, once ratified, help the County advance towards its goal to be a workplace where every employee has the tools, knowledge and support to innovate, achieve their career goals and deliver equitable, high quality service to our customers. “The MLA delivers on many of the objectives of my Investing in You, Best Run Government and Equity and Social Justice priorities,” King County Executive Dow Constantine said in announcing the tentative MLA. “It standardizes many work processes, large and small;… Read More