Five Questions with Nori Catabay, Green Building Team Program Manager, Department of Natural Resources & Parks
1. What was your first role at King County? I started at King County in 2002 as the Senior Policy Analyst to King County Councilmember Carolyn Edmonds working on legislation related to Natural Resources and Parks and the Board of Health. 2. What does your work with the Green Building Team involve? As a service provided by the King County GreenTools Program funded by the Solid Waste Division, I coordinate King County’s internal Green Building Team which includes representatives from multiple departments that manage and operate capital assets, as well as have an… Read More
Kudos! DCHS employee named Outstanding Woman Veteran of the Year
The Washington Department of Veterans Affair’s Women’s Advisory Board named King County employee, Debra Wood, its 2015 Outstanding Woman Veteran of the Year. A Vietnam-era veteran, Debra received the award for her dedication and volunteer work as an advocate for veterans and their families with a focus on military sexual trauma survivors. Debra manages the administrative staff for King County Community Services Division in the Department of Community and Human Services. While her work hours are filled with helping the community, her enthusiasm extends past work hours. In her free time, Debra… Read More
DCHS employee honored for veterans employment efforts
Rich Garmong, King County Veterans Business Outreach Coordinator with the Department of Community and Human Services (pictured far right), was honored by the International Association of Workforce Professionals (IAWP) for his work in helping returning veterans find new careers when they leave the military. The “Group Service to Veterans Award” was presented to the South King County Veterans Team at the IAWP annual conference. In addition to Rich, the team includes staff members from the Washington State Employment Security Department in the Renton and Auburn WorkSource sites. The team won the award… Read More
Volunteer policy helps parents give back to schools
One Tuesday in February, Jeff Switzer went back to school with his two sons as part of a King County program that allows employees to volunteer at local schools. Dressed in a white t-shirt with the WATCH D.O.G.S logo on the front, he picked up his itinerary for the day from school officials and made his way to the cafeteria to help feed students on reduced priced meals. Switzer, a Public Affairs Coordinator for King County Department of Transportation, was using one of his allowed school volunteer sick leave days. The code – School Volunteer Leave, section 14.5 in the… Read More
Making Life Easier for employees and families
Everyone tries to keep work life and personal life separate. But what happens when personal life starts to affect work life? King County understands that sometimes personal life can subsume everything else, and when that happens the Making Life Easier program is there to help. A free service offered to all King County employees and their dependents, MLE can help with personal counseling, financial and legal help, along with providing support with child, adult and elder care. “No matter what the problem is, whether it is substance abuse, legal advice or advice… Read More
Kudos! King County’s leading digital services earn national honor
King County has been named one of the nation’s “Top 10 Digital Counties” in a 2015 survey conducted by the Center for Digital Government and the National Association of Counties. This is an honor King County has received in 10 of the past 11 years. As a King County employee, you undoubtedly use technology to get your work done. The same is true for many of our 2 million residents, who are accessing and engaging with our services in exciting new ways. Throughout the County, technology is playing an increasingly important role in… Read More
Employees celebrate “Equity for All” at Pride Parade
In the wake of a landmark Supreme Court ruling on marriage equality, more than 300 King County employees, along with their families and friends, joined together to march in the Seattle Pride Parade on June 28. Tens of thousands of people decked out in rainbow colors thronged Fourth Avenue in downtown Seattle to support the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community and celebrate the decision that legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states. The One King County group was one of the largest in this year’s parade, wearing bright “Equity for… Read More
Slowing the flow to keep local waterways clean
Most people don’t think about what happens to what they flush or the sewer systems it flows into, unless things back up and cause a problem. But for King County’s Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) employees, part of their jobs is to think about everyone’s sewage. In King County’s regional sewer system, everything that goes down the drains from homes and business ends up at a few regional treatment plants that clean all of our water. However, in the oldest parts of our regional system, pipes were designed to carry a mix of… Read More
Show your Pride this weekend
On Sunday, June 28, King County employees, along with their family and friends, will be marching together for the first time ever in the annual Seattle LGBT Pride Parade. Led by King County Executive Dow Constantine, employees from across the County will take part in the parade in support of the “Equity for All – One King County” theme. “I invite you, your family, and friends to join me and hundreds of fellow King County employees from across our divisions, departments, and branches of government to march as One King County in… Read More
Five Questions with Elizabeth Berris, Attorney-Guardian Ad Litem, Superior Court
1. What is your role with King County? I am an Attorney-Guardian Ad Litem with the King County Superior Court Dependency CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) program. I complete independent investigations and advocacy for the children’s best interests in cases where parents have been accused by Child Protective Services of abusing or neglecting them. 2. What is a typical day like for you? I am always on the go! I drive all over the county and beyond to meet with children, their parents, their caretakers, and then also to attend court hearings on my caseload… Read More
Employee News 