Author: Hannah Debenedetto, DOT intern

KCDOT Intern

KCDOT works with local consulates to reach Spanish-speaking customers

As part of our commitment to delivering accessible service to all residents of King County, regardless of their place of origin, KCDOT leadership recently met with the local consuls of five Latin American nations to help us improve our communications with Spanish-speaking customers.

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Top row, from left: Leonardo Galvez, Consulate of Peru Director of Communications and KCDOT staff Penny Lara, Victor Obeso, Harold Taniguchi, and Rob Gannon. Bottom row: Paige Shevlin with the King County Executive’s office; Consul of Peru Miguel Angel Velásquez; Consul of Guatemala Ms. Claudia Gatica; Consul of El Salvador Ms. Clary Monzon; and Enrique Payan with the Consulate of Mexico. (photo: Ned Ahrens)

Nearly one of every 10 King County residents is of Hispanic/Latinx origin, according to the last census, and of those who speak Spanish at home, nearly half say they speak English less than “very well.” Language can become a barrier to using public transit, and elements of Metro’s printed bus schedules are now bilingual in Spanish. Continue reading KCDOT works with local consulates to reach Spanish-speaking customers

Internships at KCDOT can lead to careers

You never know where an internship can lead. Some of King County DOT’s top managers got their start as interns at the County. We’ve seen the demonstrable benefits of cultivating young minds that can bring fresh ideas and talent to public service, and in particular to the transit industry.

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Eight of our current DOT interns: (from left) Megan Johnson, Meredith Sampson, Austin Bell, Ashley Shibo Gao, Melina Soto, Gabrielle Jones, Lucas Simons, Hannah Debenedetto

KCDOT’s intern program began as an offshoot of the Federal Work-Study program, and ever since then, hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students have generated innovative ideas, written meaningful policy, and refined and streamlined processes which have improved the lives of our residents. Scroll down to meet ten of our current interns in Metro Transit. If history is any guide, there is no limit to what they might achieve. Continue reading Internships at KCDOT can lead to careers

Empowering employees as innovators and change agents for equity and social justice

The principle of being fair and just is incorporated into all of our work at King County, under a six-year Equity and Social Justice Strategic Plan that guides how we improve practices for better outcomes. At King County DOT, we are working collectively so that each member of our agency can be an agent of advancing equity and social justice (ESJ). And we actively involved employees in designing the actions and strategies around specific goals.

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Continue reading Empowering employees as innovators and change agents for equity and social justice