Michelle Allison confirmed as Metro General Manager
Cross-posted from Metro Matters
Michelle Allison, nominated by Executive Dow Constantine to lead King County Metro, was unanimously confirmed by the King County Council. Allison was previously deputy general manager and now becomes only the second woman to lead Metro.
Allison is proudly leading Metro as it celebrates its milestone 50th anniversary in 2023, and the agency is carrying energy and enthusiasm forward as it heads into the next 50 years. Read more.
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Supporting people and communities affected by Türkiye and Syria earthquakes
On Feb. 6, a massive earthquake struck Türkiye and Syria, flattening entire cities and communities. Tens of thousands of people lost their lives and many more were injured. Hundreds of thousands of people have been left homeless in freezing temperatures, without access to basic needs such as shelter, health care, sanitation, food, and water.
Now through March 15, King County employees can give support through a special Employee Giving Program by making donations to organizations that are providing humanitarian aid and support for the people impacted by the earthquake. Read more.
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Ready for the next rainy season? The work to shore up clean water systems begins now
Cross-posted from Clean Water Stories
It’s certainly not news that Western Washington is a wet place. That means a lot of water can flow into King County’s treatment plants on a daily, or even hourly basis.
Rain doesn’t belong in the sewer, but it gets in there through cracks in sewer pipes or from drains on building roofs and foundations that are connected to the sewer system. In some parts of Seattle, sewer and stormwater systems are combined. And while the Wastewater Treatment Division is dealing with the rainy season, they're also planning and strategizing for the work to be done during the dry times. Read more.
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Salvation Army and Sheriff's Office collaborate to assist family living in their vehicle
From the Sheriff's Newsletter
In the early morning hours of Feb. 16, Master Police Officer (MPO) Omar Jackson contacted the occupants of a vehicle parked outside a gas station-car wash-laundromat. He learned that a family of seven was living in that car. In speaking with the father, MPO Jackson was told that the entire family had moved recently to the area from the southeast and the father had also lost his job.
MPO Jackson and Mental Health Professional (MHP) Daisy Espinoza reached out to the Salvation Army Street Level team to assist the family. The Salvation Army coordinated a hotel stay for them until they move into their new home. Read more of the story.
County Supervisors recognized for Military and Guard employee support
The Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Patriot Award recognizes supervisor support for employee National Guard and Reserve members, highlighting the contributions, awareness, and care that enable their employees to both serve their country and their organization. Such support includes creating flexible schedules, providing time off before and after deployments, supporting families, and much more.
The ESGR, an official Department of Defense program, has recently bestowed two Patriot Awards to King County supervisors:
- Jane Corcoran and Amanda Gudmunson from the Department of Executive Services Business Resource Center for their outstanding support of employee Ashley Baker throughout her ongoing service in the Air Force Reserve.
- Chief Lisa Dove from Metro Transit for outstanding support of employee Chris Cappelletti during his career in the U.S. Coast Guard.
ESGR serves to foster a culture of understanding between employers and members of the Reserve and National Guard. If you are a Reserve or Guard member who wants to nominate your supervisor for the Patriot Award, please visit the ESGR website for more information.
Pictured above, left to right: Chris Cappelletti, Patriot Award recipient Lisa Dove, and ESGR representative Phil Sanders.
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Contribute sick or vacation time to help coworkers in need
King County’s various leave donation programs allow you to help colleagues affected by catastrophic health conditions or injuries, or those who are caring for family members, by donating sick or vacation hours. For more information and FAQs, click here.
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King County Disability Equity Network business meeting March 10
King County Disability Equity Network (formerly the King County Disability Affinity Group) meetings are open to King County employees. The purpose is to center and support those employees who self-identify as a person with a disability. Employees will not be asked to disclose any information regarding one’s disability.
The next meeting agenda items include an update on disability equity work across King County departments and initial conversations related to disability-focused celebration events in July and October 2023.
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Friday, March 10 from noon to 1 p.m. Click here to join the meeting. Live captioning is available. Future business meetings will occur on the second Friday of each month.
If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in the meeting, please email disabilityequity@kingcounty.gov. Future meetings are scheduled for the second Tuesday of each month at 1 p.m.
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Latinx Affinity Group Winter Social March 12
The King County Latinx affinity group (KCLx) is hosting a Winter social at the Kent Library for its affinity group members. The KCLx mission is to build an equitable and inclusive environment where King County Latinx employees and the Latinx community can thrive. The groupe welcomes new perspectives and seeks to provide a space where Latinx voices can be heard. Join this event to learn more about the KCLx mission, 2023 plans, and to connect with other KCLx members. All Latinx employees, allies, family and friends are invited. Food, games, and music will be provided.
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Sunday, March 12 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Kent Library large meeting room, 212 2nd Ave N in Kent
Public transportation options: Kent Library has plenty of parking space and is also only a three minute walk from the Kent Metro Station. Kent station is served by routes 150, 153, 160, 161, 162, 165,168, 183, 566, as well as Metro Flex services. To help plan trips, you can use Google Maps or Metro's Trip Planner.
For questions or additional information contact maria.jimenez-zepeda@kingcounty.gov or yoli.gerasimov@kingcounty.gov. For day-of questions contact Margarita Aguado at (206) 586-2433.
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Balanced You self-care webinars: Wellness tips for women
For Women's History Month, Balanced You is hosting a special webinar to honor the women here at King County. Join a discussion with a panel of experts who will talk about women’s nutrition, mental health, physical health, and managing perimenopause and menopause.
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Training Spotlight:
Building gender inclusive spaces: Supporting trans and non-binary people in the workplace – Online – In this two-hour workshop, participants will learn about the long history of gender diverse peoples across the globe, foundational knowledge of gender and sexuality, and best practices to support a gender diverse workforce. Participants will have the opportunity to move through real-life scenarios, apply their understanding of pronoun use, and develop strategies to advance gender equity at King County.
Please visit the King County Eventbrite website, Learning and Development website, and Career Support Services website for more learning opportunities. For more information, contact the Learning and Development Team at KCTraining@kingcounty.gov or visit Learning and Development at www.kingcounty.gov/learning.
Genomics Epidemiologist II
Salary $96,699.20 - $122,574.40 annually
Location: Seattle, WA
Job Type: Special Duty Assignment or Term Limited Temp (TLT)
Department: DPH - Public Health
Job Number: 2023SD18234
Division: Prevention
Closes: March 14 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time
This position supports the Analytics and Informatics team, which is part of the Communicable Disease Epidemiology and Immunization Section (CD-Imms), accountable for the investigation and surveillance of more than 60 notifiable conditions. This position will work closely with program managers, public health nurses, disease investigators, and epidemiologists to support communicable disease surveillance, as well as case and outbreak investigations. In coordination with the Washington State Department of Health and other local partners, this position will support the development of tools and systems leveraging genomic datasets, and application of bioinformatics and molecular epidemiology in a case and outbreak investigation setting.
Learn more about this position and view all available positions.
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King County Headlines
Public Health Insider: New report indicates increased food needs in King County
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