Employee News - April 24, 2019

final

 Click here to view this email in your browser.

Highlights

exec

Executive’s 2019 State of the County address   

On April 18, King County Executive Dow Constantine delivered his 2019 State of the County address at the Preston Community Center where he unveiled a new Public Health model to deliver maternity and nutrition services across the region, acknowledged Metro driver Eric Stark, and announced improvements to transit apps.  

In his address the Executive explored the theme of his “True North”: Making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. 

“By combining progressive policies and the nuts and bolts of effective government, we orient ourselves towards that True North,” said Executive Constantine. “Those two components – ideas and practice, values and governance – make King County what it is today.” Read the transcript and watch the video here.


2proclains

Celebrating Administrative Professionals Recognition Day 

King County Executive Dow Constantine and the King County Council both proclaimed today, Wednesday, April 24, 2019, as Administrative Professionals Day in King County. Administrative Professionals Day is observed annually on the fourth Wednesday in April to recognize the many contributions of administrative professional employees.

“I encourage all residents to join me in thanking administrative professional employees for their work and in expressing gratitude for their many contributions to our government,” Executive Constantine said in his Proclamation. View the Executive Proclamation here, and the Council proclamation here.


Employee Spotlights

brendan

Get to know the new Office of Emergency Management Director 

The King County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) welcomes their new director, Brendan McCluskey. Brendan comes to King County from the State of New Jersey, where he was the director of emergency management for their state health department. 

Brendan has more than two decades of experience in government, emergency management, homeland security, and public health. Before joining New Jersey state government, Brendan was the deputy emergency management director for the state of Maryland, and led the emergency management program for the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Read more.


jd

Former Seattle Police Chief John Diaz to oversee detention at King County 

Bringing in a leader with strong management skills, a background in law enforcement and community policing, and more than three decades of public service, Executive Constantine named John Diaz as interim director of the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention. 

Diaz was Seattle police chief from 2010-2013. He began his career at the Seattle Police Department as a patrol officer in 1980 and held many leadership positions before being named Chief of Police.  Diaz was Deputy Chief of Administration, then Deputy Chief of Operations, for nearly ten years, where he oversaw administration of the department, including management of 1,900 employees and a $250 million dollar budget. Read more.


wtd eayh day

They’re not your usual beach combers 

This Earth Day, a determined group of engineers, scientists, lab technicians, technical trainers, managers and more stormed the shore in Discovery Park picking up litter and debris. 

The staff at West Point Wastewater Treatment Plant take their stewardship of the park around the treatment facility seriously, and can often be seen toting trash off the beach and trails. Read more.


Announcements

retire

Learn how to boost your retirement savings   

You and your spouse or significant other are invited to learn more about saving for retirement with the King County Deferred Compensation Plan.  

Several in-person sessions are coming up April 30, May 1, and May 2. See details and registration. Other education sessions are offered throughout the year.  

For more information about Deferred Compensation Plan education—including webinars—go to the Deferred Compensation web page.  

If you have any questions, please contact KC Deferred Comp. 


giving

Invite your favorite nonprofit today 

Employee referred nonprofits are our favorite! It is our goal, after all, to connect Employees to the causes they are passionate about. Invite your favorite nonprofit here. 

As an Employee Champion, during the Annual Giving Drive you may: 

  • Share about your favorite nonprofit 
  • Invite them in or do a special event in their honor 
  • Pledge 

And eligible employees may use up to 3 days of sick leave to volunteer year-round.  

Let’s get them in so others can learn about why you think they are so awesome! Read more.


A new easy way to protect against phishing, to be implemented May 1

Phishing is hitting us hard at King County. A common phishing tactic used by the bad guys is sending emails in which the display name in the “From” field looks like it’s been sent by someone within King County. But that email address is fake and actually from someone trying to phish you. Unfortunately, we don’t always notice when such an email is a phishing attempt. That makes us vulnerable to viruses and other problem. 

To help you identify these phishing scams, KCIT is adopting a new security feature to easily let you identify emails coming from outside email addresses. 

When any email is delivered from an outside email address, the following will be added: 

  • In the “Subject’ line, the word “EXTERNAL” will be added. 
  • A warning message will be added to the body of the email message. 
ss

This warning message will let you know the email came from outside the county and has the potential to be a phishing scam. Read more.


Training Spotlight

Meeting Mindfulness I, May 15: This workshop is a day of immersion into mindfulness, stress reduction, body awareness, and inner care. Mindfulness helps us meet challenges with more resilience, and to embrace the joys of life with more appreciation and awareness. Register and learn more. 

Business Writing Essentials, June 5: Learn practical tips for producing professional-looking business documents, the importance of writing for a specific audience, and how to make the purpose and call to action clear. Review writing strategies for routine, persuasive, negative news, and personal messages. Includes hands-on exercises that reinforce the 5 C’s of good business writing—being concrete, clear, concise, courteous, and correct. Register and learn more. 

View more training and development opportunities at www.kingcounty.gov/learning. 


Tech Tip: Lock your mobile devices with a pin or passcode 

ttip[

How to access the training: 

To start your Cyber Security Awareness Training please login at: 

Your account for Securing the Human: 

  • Username: King County email address 
  • Password: King County email password 

For more information about Cyber Security please visit our Sharepoint site: 


bella

Pet of the Week: Bella 

Bella is a 1 year-old, female, Pit Bull mix (A575315). Her personality color is GREEN, meaning she is an adaptable dog who loves to go with the flow! Bella has lived in a foster home with another large dog and children and she got along well with them. Read more.


Featured Job: Senior Crime Analyst - Metro Transit Police 

Salary: $83,012.80 - $105,227.20 Annually 

Location: WA 98108, WA 

Job Type: Career Service, Full Time, 40 hrs/week 

Department: King County Sheriff's Office 

Job Number: 2019CBM09459 

Closing: 5/6/2019 11:59 PM Pacific 

The Senior Crime Analyst for King County Sheriff's Office (KCSO) is a great opportunity for an experienced, data-driven crime analyst to manage all aspects of crime analysis for Metro Transit Police. The Metro Transit Police Department is responsible for providing policing of King County Metro Transit's bus system and routes across the county, and ensuring safety during Metro's more than 400,000 daily boardings.   

We are seeking candidates with the drive and experience to provide critical tactical and strategic analysis of crime related to Metro Transit operations and services. The successful candidate will demonstrate considerable expertise and creativity to effectively utilize proactive policing tools, incorporate intelligence-led policing techniques, data-driven analysis paradigms, and data collection procedures. 

Learn more about this position or view all available positions. 


KC Headlines


Contact us!

Interested in sharing a news story, or have a news tip? Click here to submit an item to Employee News. For questions or suggestions, please contact KCEmployees@kingcounty.gov.