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King County Wins 2025 Geospatial Professional Network Award for Innovative AI-GIS System
Recognizing the service of Metro veterans
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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
Building a cleaner future with help of fourth grade class
When Doug Marsano heard that a fourth grade class was reaching out to King County proposing a plan to clean up the Duwamish River, he instantly wanted to be involved. Contacting the teacher and Susan Tallarico, Director of the Brightwater Education Center, they organized a plan. “It was the perfect partnership,” Tallarico said. “We get to work with kids to enhance their learning and build their interest in conservation that will hopefully continue as they become adults.” Marsano, a Water Quality Planner with King County’s Wastewater Treatment Division, said that WTD and King County are always looking for ways to provide information in the most appropriate way. Sometimes, the best… Read More
Walk in the Shoes of a County Employee – Jacquie Hermer, Public Health Nurse
For my most recent Walk in the Shoes of a County Employee, I visited Jacquie Hermer, a Registered Nurse in Public Health – Seattle & King County’s Nurse Family Partnership Program (NFP). The program pairs young, low-income, first-time moms with registered nurses from pregnancy through the critical first 24 months of a child’s life. That collaboration helps transform the lives of the mothers and their children, providing support and parenting guidance for a healthy pregnancy, and the best possible start in life for the baby. This program aligns with two important areas… Read More
Bus driver is also a professional French-hornist
You wouldn’t think that being a bus driver and orchestral musician necessarily go hand-in-hand, but a new Metro Transit recruitment campaign is highlighting what’s different about its jobs by highlighting what’s different about its drivers. The new recruitment campaign highlights the pay and flexibility of driving part time for Metro, while unmasking the secret identities of its drivers. The videos focus on these drivers, allowing them to tell their story and why they are proud to be King County Metro bus drivers. In this installment of the campaign, a video called Metro… Read More
Five Questions with Jameelah Cage, Training Coordinator, Department of Adult & Juvenile Detention
1. What was your first role at King County? I started my career with King County Department of Adult & Juvenile Detention close to 15 years ago as a Juvenile Detention Officer. 2. What does your work as DAJD Training Coordinator involve? As the Training Coordinator, I am responsible for scheduling, conducting, monitoring, evaluating and coordinating trainings for employees within the Department of Adult & Juvenile Detention, specifically the Juvenile Division. Within this position it is important that I research and fully understand national standards and best practices in the field of corrections… Read More
DCHS-funded August Wilson Place opens in Bellevue
August Wilson Place, named for the renowned playwright, officially opened its doors on May 26 at a grand opening celebration on the site in Bellevue. The project has a total of 57 units of housing, including 16 units set aside for individuals and families exiting homelessness. Eight are set aside for veterans and three will house families with a child with a developmental disability, thanks to a capital contribution from DCHS’ Developmental Disabilities Division. Adrienne Quinn, Director of the Department of Community and Human Services, joined members of Wilson’s family at the dedication, along… Read More
Five Questions with Karl Zimmer, Assistant Plant Manager, Wastewater Treatment Division
1. What was your first role at King County? My first role at King County was working as a Utility Worker at the West Point Treatment Plant. When I started in 1981, wastewater treatment was part of the Water Pollution Control Department for the Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle (METRO). 2. What does an Assistant Plant Manager at West Point Treatment Plan do? I am one of two Assistant Plant Managers for the West Point Treatment Plant and conveyance system in the West Section. My primary role is to assist in managing the operation, maintenance, and… Read More
Kudos! Public Health nurse receives Shining Star award
The King County Nurses Association selected Christina Enriquez (pictured left) from the Auburn Public Health Center as one of its two Shining Star Award recipients at the 2015 Annual Meeting & Spring Banquet on May 7. The KCNA presents annual awards to nurses who demonstrate excellence in their areas of practice or contribute significantly to the nursing profession. In recognizing Christina, the KCNA noted that “Christina Enriquez has been a nurse at Auburn Public Health for 29 years, providing maternity support services and infant case management, including services to Child Protective Services… Read More
A moment of remembrance
Since the founding of our nation, brave men and women have fought to protect the freedoms we hold dear. Many have made the ultimate sacrifice on battlefields near and far from home. Every year on Memorial Day, we pause to remember the more than 1.8 million men and women who have lost their lives in service to America since 1775. In mourning them, we also acknowledge the families of the fallen who share their service and sacrifice. We honor those who did not return by doing our very best to assist the… Read More
New Metro Transit recruitment campaign unmasks drivers’ secret identities
King County Metro Transit has launched a new recruitment campaign that highlights the pay and flexibility that being a part-time bus driver offers, and unmasks the secret identities of some of its drivers. The campaign features a video called Metro Secret Identity: the Photographer, which spotlights Nathan, a part-time driver and photographer, the first in a series of promotional videos. “By far the coolest and most awesome part of this job is getting to deal with all the people every day and it keeps me coming back to work every day and… Read More
Bridge Fellows graduate from development program
The first cohort of Bridge Fellows have graduated from the inaugural Bridge Fellowship program, part of King County’s commitment to empowering and developing its employees. The Bridge Fellowship program selected applicants from across the County to participate in a one-year leadership development program designed to advance participants’ careers with King County. The employees who participated in the program learned more about King County as an organization, shadowed employees in other County roles, created development plans for growth, and worked collaboratively on a team project designed to extend the knowledge of Equity and Social Justice across… Read More
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
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