King County Metro supports and respects our employees serving in the military reserves, and no one embodies these values more than Base Chief Lisa Dove, who was recently honored with the Patriot Award for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.

The U.S. Department of Defense presented the award to Dove on March 2 in a ceremony at our Atlantic Base in Seattle.

“This is very special to me,” Dove said at the ceremony. “It’s our duty and our obligation to support our reserve employees. This (award) just means the world to me.”

Phil Sanders, a retired King County employee and a volunteer with Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, presented the award. He called Dove an outstanding example of how to support employees who are simultaneously serving their country, their civilian employers and their families. “There’s nothing better than a supervisor or a manager who cares about their employees,” Sanders said.  “She’s been a constant source of support.”

Operator Chris Cappelletti, who serves with the U.S. Coast Guard, nominated Dove for the award. As his Base Chief, she helped make his transition to and from active-duty service easier than it might otherwise have been, Cappelletti said.

Chris Cappelletti puts his arm around the shoulders of Lisa Dove.

“Her relentless good cheer made all my communications with King County a positive experience and reinforced my confidence that my civilian employer not only understood my service obligation but also held it in high esteem,” he said.

When he struggled to reintegrate himself last year back into his civilian position, Dove shifted him to a schedule that helped return him to work with less stress, Cappelletti said. “Such a seemingly minor adjustment turned out to be a game changer for my mental and physical well-being.

“This is one of several dedicated efforts Lisa made in 2022 to ease my return to work after so much time away and I am deeply grateful for her eagerness to support my affiliation with the United States Coast Guard Reserve.”