Kudos! King County CIO shares County successes in magazine article
King County Chief Information Officer Bill Kehoe was recently featured in StateTech Magazine talking about the importance of rolling out a robust communications platform for organizations. StateTech spotlighted KCIT’s efforts to roll out a comprehensive communications software that enables King County employees to stay connected via instant message (IM), phone call, and conduct meetings with a voice, video and content sharing. “We’ve seen tremendous increase in staff productivity and savings from not having to travel to and from meetings – and there are thousands of meetings that occur over a month’s time,”… Read More
KOMO News recently featured a King County Metro driver for his upbeat and positive attitude
Walid Underwood, a regular driver for the D-Line bus, was recently featured in a KOMO News exclusive. Host Eric Johnson and a camera crew tagged along for a ride, chatting with Walid and several of his passengers. ‘Walid doesn’t just drive a bus. He’s a singing, laughing, joke-telling tour guide, throwing out old-school references and corny one-liners and off-the-wall observations. “Welcome aboard Flight 106”, he says, as a handful of riders climb aboard.’ Read more at KOMO News. Image courtesy of KOMO News.
King County awarded for commitment to clean transportation
Crossposted from Inside Transportation King County’s efforts to address climate change and promote cleaner transportation were recognized this month with the “2016 Clean Cities Sustainable Commitment Award” from our partners at Western Washington Clean Cities. This is the Clean Cities most prestigious annual award, reserved for organizations that go above and beyond in their commitment to reduce fossil fuel use, promote alternative fuels, and improve air quality. King County is a Gold-level Clean Cities member, and under Executive Dow Constantine’s leadership, has taken bold steps to adopt clean technologies and promote equitable… Read More
Kudos! Metro’s solar-lit shelters recognized by Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council
King County Metro received an Outstanding Case Study Award from the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council for the solar lighting upgrades to the County’s bus shelters. SPLC’s annual Leadership Awards program recognizes public and private sector organizations for leveraging purchasing power to advance the long-term health and vitality of society, economies, and the planet. In January, Employee News featured Metro’s efforts in the Using the sun’s energy to illuminate bus shelters blog post. The Outstanding Case Study Award is in recognition of the County’s contribution of a valuable case study to the library… Read More
Kudos! Tobacco Prevention Program receives national recognition
The Tobacco Prevention Program’s King County Partners with CHWs to Provide Tobacco Interventions initiative addressed tobacco-related health disparities by integrating Community Health Workers (CHW) into tobacco interventions was recently selected as Model Practice by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) Model Practices Program. This NACCHO award nationally honors outstanding local public health practices throughout the country and is highly competitive. Selection indicates that a program demonstrated “Exemplary and replicable qualities in response to a local public health need.” All Model Practices winners will be recognized at the NACCHO Annual… Read More
Kudos! Detention Officer receives MLK Medal of Distinguished Service Award
Juvenile Detention Officer Joseph Townsend was recently awarded the MLK Medal of Distinguished Service award by Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer. The Metropolitan King County Council honor is presented annually to those who make a particularly strong impact on the County, with the hope to encourage others to renew their dedication to serve their community. Townsend was recognized with the award for his mentorship of young people throughout South King County. He coaches the Thomas Jefferson High School baseball team, as well as the school’s nationally ranked Girls Bowling team. Read more in the… Read More
Kudos from a Vets 4 HIRE participant to DNRP section
This kudos comes from James Ott, who participated in the Vets 4 HIRE Program this year with the Department of Natural Resources and Parks. My experience was incredible. I elected to do my entire time at the Bear Creek District due to child care. The crew there is wow, wow, wow. Parks District Maintenance Coordinator Joseph Hughes is a great leader and easily on par with any of the best military leaders I’ve worked with. I have decided to pursue a degree in Parks Management at the University of Montana. You certainly helped me figure out what I’m going to… Read More
Kudos! LHWMP wins award
The Local Hazardous Waste Management Program (LHWMP) won a 2017 EPA Safer Choice Partner of the Year Award in the Supporter Category. Safer Choice is an EPA program that helps consumers, businesses, and purchasers find products that perform and are safer for human health and the environment. LHWMP is a multi-jurisdictional program that focuses on reducing public and environmental exposure to hazardous materials. The award acknowledges LHWMP’s efforts to support the Safer Choice program through Safer Choice-related communications and safer chemistry innovation which included promotion via the LHWMP website, publications, presentations, technical… Read More
KCIT featured in Microsoft’s Customer Stories
Microsoft has featured their work with King County in a recent “Customer Stories” feature on their website. This story discusses how King County is using Microsoft Dynamics 365 “as a rapid application development engine to replatform legacy applications and create new information systems.” The prospect of dealing with a government agency puts a knot in the stomach of most Americans. … But, King County, Washington, is committed to changing that view, with a mission to offer residents the ‘best-run government’ with every interaction. -Microsoft Microsoft spoke with several KCIT leaders working to… Read More
EMAP Accreditation awarded to King County OEM
King County Office of Emergency (OEM) has earned full accreditation by the Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP) – a validation of the capabilities of our disaster preparedness and response systems. Accreditation from this internationally recognized program represents a significant achievement and compliance with sixty-four industry-recognized standards. The rigorous EMAP process required a year-long internal self-assessment of OEM’s organizational programs, plans, and procedures, capped by an on-site peer-review by a team of EMAP assessors drawn from programs across the U.S. “For the past five years, OEM has completed a top to bottom assessment… Read More
Employee News 