Becoming a great place to work
King County was recently named to Forbes Magazine’s list of the 500 best places to work in America, the first time the County has appeared on the list. In his latest employee video, King County Executive Dow Constantine talks about what this national recognition means as well as what we’re doing to become a more supportive, empowering employer. Watch the video below:
Message from Executive Constantine: Amid terror, hope and courage
Dear fellow King County employee, The mass shooting in Orlando – the deadliest in modern U.S. history – is shocking. An outrage. But yet somehow, sadly, not unexpected. Years of hateful rhetoric in our nation’s politics and press has predictably led angry, fearful, frustrated individuals to misdirect the blame for their own disappointing lives toward the “other” – people of another race, religion, country of origin, or sexual orientation. The addition of easy access to military-grade weapons, as we have seen over and over, can quickly turn these warped beliefs into unspeakable… 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
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
Meet our new Lean Transformation Director
Crossposted from the Lean In King County blog A message from our King County Executive: I am pleased to announce that we have selected Gary Kurihara to lead us on the next phase of our Lean journey as our Lean Transformation Director. Gary comes to King County with experience across several industries and, most recently, led a Lean transformation of a major corporation with more than 18,000 employees in the United States. Read more at Lean in King County
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.
Executive calls for historic investment to connect the region with high-capacity transit
In his 2016 State of the County address on Monday, King County Executive Dow Constantine called for an historic investment in high-capacity mass transit to ensure the region’s long-term prosperity amid rapid population growth. His strategy to improve mobility includes Sound Transit 3, an initiative he proposed for the November ballot in his role as Chair of the Sound Transit Board. It will expand light-rail service to connect Seattle, Everett, Tacoma, Redmond and Issaquah, as well as West Seattle and Ballard. It will also build a new tunnel in Seattle with stations… Read More
IT Governance: What it is and why it matters
This article is featured courtesy of Bill Kehoe, Chief Information Officer, Department of Information Technology Governor Inslee’s investigation into the Department of Corrections’ early prisoner release issue cited “IT Governance” as a key contributing factor. What exactly is IT Governance? In short, it analyzes the need, researches the solution, takes advice from public and private sector experts, and creates an open environment to expose and fix errors quickly. More technically, IT Governance is an approach to IT solutions that integrates business needs, technology trends, innovation, best practices and quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC)… Read More
Walk in the Shoes of a King County Employee – Family Law Facilitator Program
My job as King County Executive requires advocating for and balancing the needs of residents, employees, and the region as a whole. My years as an attorney working on behalf of clients taught me that fighting it out until there is a winner and a loser is usually less productive than figuring out what would work best for everyone involved. So I was excited for my first Walk in the Shoes this year – with legal staff in King County Superior Court’s Family Law Facilitator Program.
Join Exec for 12th Man flag-raising Friday at noon
The Seahawks begin their playoff run on Sunday and we’re kicking off their drive to the Super Bowl by raising the 12th Man Flag over the King County Administration Building! Join King County Executive Dow Constantine at noon on Blue Friday, Jan. 8, as he raises the 12th Man flag in the Administration Building Plaza (Fourth Avenue side, 500 Fourth Avenue). If you are on break or at lunch, or not working at this time, you are welcome to put on your Seahawks gear, join in the flag-raising and help fire up… Read More
Employee News 