Five Questions with Christina Davidson, Supported Employment Program Manager, Human Resources Division
1. What is your role at King County and when did you start? I started at King County on April 20 as the Supported Employment Program Manager. 2. What is your background in supported employment? I have worked in the field of supported employment for the last 10 years at PROVAIL, the state’s largest private multi-service agency dedicated to supporting people with disabilities to fulfill their life choices. Since 2009, I served as a Program Manager in PROVAIL Employment Services department overseeing the work of 11 Employment Consultants who help individuals with… Read More
Mobile Identification helps law enforcement on the go
What does an officer do when a suspect will not cooperate and provide his or her name? One solution is to use a new tool called Mobile Identification. Mobile ID is a handheld fingerprint device paired with software that gives the officer the ability to search two fingerprints against the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) and receive results in minutes. Devices do not save data; fingerprints are searched against prints on file and are not stored in the database. “The Sheriff’s Office is very excited to be using Mobile ID,” King County Sheriff John… Read More
Delivering technology solutions with architectural precision
What does an IT Business Analyst have in common with an architect? According to Ina Percival, a senior Business Analyst with King County Information Technology, it comes down to the planning. “It’s probably not the best idea to build a house without an architect, and in the same way, we shouldn’t tackle an IT project without the help of a Business Analyst,” Percival said. KCIT Junior and Senior Business Analysts are now available to provide services Countywide on IT projects. If a department or agency knows there’s an upcoming IT or technology… Read More
Fighting truancy to keep kids out of court system
In Washington State, 75 percent of prison inmates do not have a high school diploma. That’s why Stephanie Sato, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney and Senior Specialist in Truancy Intervention, is passionate about education. “Basically education re-engagement is crime prevention. When I worked in our juvenile division I got to see it for myself. The students skipping school—they’re not bad kids—maybe there are problems at home. But, if you don’t catch truancy early, they fall behind,” Sato said. “It spirals out of control into criminal activity, and I don’t know if the kids even… Read More
Five Questions with Meredith Li-Vollmer, Risk Communication Specialist, Public Health – Seattle & King County
1, What is Risk Communications? Risk communications involves providing information and engaging audiences about issues of concern or perceived threats in ways that will help people cope, make informed decisions, and understand their risks. This means we need to show empathy for what people are experiencing, be as open and transparent as we can about what we’re doing and why, and start communicating as soon as possible. 2. What do you do as Risk Communication Specialist for Public Health? I support the health department’s programs that work with disease outbreaks and other health… Read More
Goat Hill gears up for spring gardening
Every morning on his way to work, Dan Malone stops by King County’s Goat Hill Garden for a few minutes to rip up some weeds and make sure plants are growing as they should. Malone and fellow Goat Hill Garden Coordinator Heather Whitten, along with other King County employee-volunteers, tend and manage garden maintenance and growth on their lunch breaks and before and after work at the garden located across from the Chinook Building in downtown Seattle. Malone, a new Goat Hill Garden Coordinator, and Whitten, a veteran coordinator, have a few… Read More
Employee finds new ways to deliver energy and cost savings
Ben Rupert has been the Energy Manager in King County’s Facilities Management Division (FMD) for a little over a year but has already made significant contributions to the County’s reduction targets for energy use and operating costs in its facilities. King County is on track to meet its 2015 goal of reducing energy use in its facilities by 15 percent over the baseline 2007 usage. For more than two years, the County has been meeting its goal of generating the equivalent of 50 percent of county government energy needs through renewable resources. At… Read More
New approach to youth who commit violence in the home
The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (PAO), in partnership with King County Superior Court and the King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention, plans to launch FIRS (Family Intervention and Restorative Services), a new juvenile diversion program geared to provide services to families who are struggling with domestic violence (DV). Unlike adult court, juvenile DV rarely involves intimate partner violence. Instead, the vast majority of cases in juvenile court involve youth acting out against their parents or siblings at a misdemeanor level. Many of these youth struggle with substance abuse and… Read More
Who is your favorite nonprofit?
If your favorite nonprofit wasn’t in last year’s Annual Giving Drive, now is the time to make sure they get in for this year. All nonprofits that turn in a complete, on-time application by April 30, 2015, and meet all of the eligibility requirements, can participate in the upcoming 2015 Annual Giving Drive and be eligible to receive payroll and time donations. “By being in the program nonprofits gain exposure and access to 13,000+ King County employees, payroll donations, which statistically are three to six times larger than one-time check gifts because… Read More
Public safety employees reach out to the community to build trust
To build trust between law enforcement and Hispanic community in Shoreline and Lake Forest Park, Sheriff’s Office Community Service Officer Dahlia Corona started a workshop series called “Nurturing Trust, With Family, With Community – Padres Unidos-Familias Seguras.” “You’ll find that when there is a language barrier or a cultural barrier then there’s a disconnect between the police and the community,” Corona said. The workshops focus on topics such as positive discipline, domestic violence and child abuse, bullying, drug prevention and leadership in the community, and the role that law enforcement plays in… Read More
Employee News 