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(From left) GMS Tribal Planning Coordinator Bridget Ray, Tribal Liaison Michelle Gladstone-Wade and Deputy Tribal Liaison Al Andy attend the second COMTAC gathering.

Office of Tribal Relations hosts second annual COMTAC gathering

Tribal partners reviewed proposed updates
to the agency tribal relations policy and can now access all tribal-relations-focused team members through new shared inbox

Editor's note: Commerce is also home to an internal Tribal Resource Group that meets monthly. If you would like to join, please contact Senior Strategy and Performance Advisor Rebecca Stillings.

By MICHELLE GLADSTONE-WADE Tribal liaison On June 23, Commerce's Office of Tribal Relations (OTR) held our second annual Commerce Tribal Advisory Committee (COMTAC) gathering, graciously hosted at the Northern Quest Resort in Airway Heights. As our agency grows in the area of tribal relations, we have been shaping COMTAC to serve as a formal means of communication between our agency and tribal partners. This gathering marked the first opportunity for COMTAC to deliver on the request of our partners. First, I had the pleasure of sharing a welcome video that Director Mike Fong prepared specifically for COMTAC. Second, I had the opportunity to introduce our new tribal-relations-focused team members, including Al Andy, deputy tribal liaison in OTR, and Bridget Ray, tribal planning coordinator in Growth Management Services (GMS). Read more.

How do we 'demonstrate and
model pro-equity anti-racist principles' in our work?

All team members have access to GARE resources to grow our learning and skills

By REBECCA STILLINGS Senior strategy and performance advisor Recently, Director Mike Fong shared his Equity Commitment with the imperative that we “demonstrate and model pro-equity anti-racist principles to ensure fair and equitable outcomes for our customers and for our workforce." So how do we start or continue to implement this commitment? We each have the opportunity to evaluate or even challenge the way we do our work, and the agency invests in resources to help us do that, such as the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE). As we learn more, we can seek opportunities to operationalize equity in our policies, systems and practices and implement equity-centered approaches to how we measure success. Read more.

HR Weekly: RAIN offers free trainings on LGBTQ+ workplace inclusivity and best practices

​By SABRENA NEFF
Training manager

The Rainbow Alliance and Inclusion Network (RAIN) is a resource group for Washington state agencies. It is committed to diversity and inclusion efforts, including providing inclusive spaces, networking opportunities, events and education.

Through the rest of the year, RAIN is providing free trainings on LGBTQ+ inclusivity and best practices in the workplace, including “Supporting Trans and Non-binary Customers" and the “Importance of Pronoun Usage." You can register for these Zoom classes here.

Interested in having these trainings show on your transcript?

Because these trainings aren't currently a part of The Learning Center (TLC), they won't automatically appear on your transcript. But you can still have them show on your transcript by using the Self-Reported Training feature in TLC. You can find the instructions here.  

If you have any questions, please contact me.  ​

Commerce is hiring

Check out these positions.

Commerce community calendar

• Coffee with Kendrick, 8 to 8:15 a.m. weekdays, Zoom
• Ask a Coordinator Meeting (contracts questions drop-in), 1:30 to 3 p.m. Tuesday, July 11, Teams (add to calendar)
• Cultivating Connections (break time), 12:30 to 1 p.m. Wednesday, July 12, Zoom
• “Purchasing Requests Basic Training.” 10 to 11 a.m. Thursday, July 13, Teams, learn more and register
• Smartsheet User Group, 3 to 4 p.m. Thursday, July 13, Teams
• Let’s Meditate (break time), 10:45 to 11 a.m. Friday, July 14, Zoom
• Fun Books Lunchtime Club (break time), noon to 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 18, Zoom
• Real Talk on language usage with the Tribal Resource Group, 10 to 11 a.m. Wednesday, July 19, Zoom
• Toastmasters, noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, July 19, Zoom
• Virtual stretching and cardio, 7:50 to 8 a.m. Thursday, July 20, Zoom
• Let’s Meditate (break time), 3 to 3:15 p.m. Thursday, July 20, Zoom
• “Public Disclosure” training, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, July 26, Teams, learn more and register
• Tribal Resource Group, 2 to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 26, Teams
• Myth Mitigators, 2:45 to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, July 27, Zoom
• What’s Cookbookin’, Commerce? (break time), 12:30 to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 1, Zoom
• Toastmasters, noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 2, Zoom
• Virtual stretching and cardio, 7:50 to 8 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 3, Zoom
• Zoë Myers Retirement Potluck in the Park, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 3, Squaxin Park, Olympia (add to calendar)
• Zoë Myers Retirement Virtual Farewell, 11:30 a.m. to noon Tuesday, Aug. 22, Zoom (add to calendar)

Please send your calendar postings to IntraCOMeditor@commerce.wa.gov. Any item included must be open to all Commerce team members.

About Commerce

Commerce works with local governments, businesses, community-based organizations and tribes to strengthen communities. The department’s diverse portfolio of more than 100 programs and effective public and private partnerships promote sustainable community and economic development to help all Washingtonians thrive. For more information, visit http://www.commerce.wa.gov. For information on locating or expanding a business in Washington, visit choosewashingtonstate.com.

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