ABOUT THE PROJECT

The Aquatic Reserves Program at Washington DNR is currently responsible for managing 90,000 acres of aquatic lands to promote the preservation, restoration and enhancement of native aquatic habitats and species. These lands are protected as state aquatic reserves, spanning distant geographic areas in Western Washington and serving the communities that surround them. Environmental education and outreach are important aspects in managing the reserves, including specific goals to engage local communities through stewardship, community science, and collaborative partnerships. Unfortunately, this vital community effort is often dependent on variable funding sources and intermittent leadership, leading to gaps in local engagement and a shifting tendency to passive management. It is also logistically challenging to maintain stewardship groups across all 8 state reserves, with accompanying monitoring and outreach events supported by a limited Program staff. This position will ultimately reside at the intersection of habitat conservation and community resilience, supporting equitable access to our shared lands by engaging communities surrounding reserves.

The Reserves Program is seeking to unify an outreach and engagement strategy using a data-driven model that draws feedback from conservation partners, community stewardship groups and current outreach events. It also hopes to directly support community groups by providing grant writing capacity to underfunded projects as well as streamline outreach involvement across the reserves network.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

This project will address these challenges by providing community engagement capacity within our Reserves Program, with the Fellow serving an outreach coordinator role, connecting agency staff to community groups around reserves. This project will also serve to write and implement an updated outreach and engagement strategy for the Aquatic Reserves Program, one that can be sustainably implemented across the entire reserve network and will integrate goals of environmental justice and equity in community participation. It will serve as the culmination of a CivicSpark project started the year prior, integrating community feedback, research, and data-driven analyses into an agency-sponsored community engagement policy. Ultimately, this strategy and corresponding coordinator role will contribute to community resilience across all reserves, enabling partnerships that prioritize habitat conservation and biodiversity protection in their public lands.

As the lead outreach coordinator for the Reserves Program, the Fellow will serve as the communications contact for Community Steward Committees (CSC), nature centers, and other lead organizations as they interact with state aquatic reserves. Their role will help streamline the outreach activities for the Program, which remain somewhat disconnected and situational, and will provide a unifying vision for supporting partners around environmental education. The Fellow will be expected to attend CSC meetings as a Reserves Program representative, facilitate planning assistance for outreach events, and oversee staff involvement in outreach materials and activities. They will also support community partners with grant-writing support, if opportunities are identified that align with program goals. This has been a persistent gap in our agency’s support for community science and outreach, and developing a supplemental funding source will help broaden engagement around reserves.

As a complementary project within the coordinator role, the Fellow will begin by integrating the framework and recommendations from the previous Reach Our Reserves project—crafting and publishing a Community Engagement Strategy for the Aquatic Reserves Program. This strategy will integrate data from partner surveys, metrics from outreach events, meta-analyses from existing frameworks and current networking assessments. The Fellow will work with program staff to identify a framework that supports current communities and will lay out a path to implementing a more robust community network across all reserves, building sustainable participation that ties management and voluntary stewardship to unified goals and helps overcome the volatile threats to funding and staff levels. This product will be the first step in implementing a new engagement framework and will complement the outreach coordination role the Fellow fills.

ABOUT THE COMMUNITY

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources is dedicated to sustainable management and protection of the state’s natural resources. Our agency fosters a workplace culture emphasizing collaboration, innovation, and respect for our environment. We prioritize a supportive and inclusive environment where every employee is valued. Our commitment to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion is demonstrated through various initiatives, including ongoing training, policy reviews, and active efforts to create a workplace where all employees can thrive. Serving with DNR not only allows you to contribute to these important initiatives but also offers numerous professional development opportunities. These projects enhance project management and problem-solving skills and provide valuable experience in resource management and policy implementation, paving the way for your career growth and success.

This work is based in the Puget Sound, which is defined by its stunning natural beauty and thriving, culturally rich, interesting human communities. The Fellow will be part of a robust, regional effort to restore and recover this special coastal habitat, and they will support DNR’s work to steward over 6 million acres of state-owned lands on behalf of the people of Washington. Salmon are at the cultural center of indigenous peoples who have lived here since time immemorial, and we are honored to work alongside our tribal co-managers to restore health and build resilience in the watersheds of Puget Sound.

The region offers ample opportunities for recreation, music, art, food, and sport, and the Fellow will have plenty to learn and explore while doing good work for the lands and peoples of the Puget Sound. The Snohomish Watershed is the second largest river basin in the Puget Sound, encompassing over 1,800 square miles in King and Snohomish Counties. Through this work the Fellow will be able to explore our beautiful landscape from mountain headwaters to the coast of the Sound, and they will join a robust, dedicated, collaborative, and fun salmon recovery community.

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The Geologically Hazardous Areas Local Jurisdiction Code Analysis Project will primarily serve local jurisdictions but will also serve state agencies and tribes. Washington law requires geologically hazardous areas (GHAs) to be identified and delineated in each jurisdiction. Many jurisdictions are under resourced and lacking in familiarity with geologic hazards. They are unsure how to translate the science into code provisions. To further connect WGS hazards assessments with jurisdictions and provide more effective implementation of science through land use planning, we are researching and analyzing the existing GHAs provisions of each of the 320 jurisdictions in Washington. This project’s objective is to provide an assessment of provisions as well as recommendations for strong, effective geologically hazardous areas provisions, with examples. Jurisdictions can use the information to evaluate their code provisions and make changes as needed and desired. Hazards will be better identified, reviewed, and mitigated. This will build community resilience. Our current Fellow is thoroughly engaged on this project with the Site Supervisor. We recognize that this is a much needed and substantial project. Having a Fellow again in 2025-2026 will enable us to get through the review and analysis of 320 jurisdictions.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The Geologically Hazardous Areas Local Jurisdiction Code Analysis Project has three overarching goals. 1) Obtaining a detailed understanding of existing geologically hazardous areas provisions in Washington by reviewing the implementation provisions for each city and county. 2) Performing detailed analysis that provides both quantitative and qualitative information about the relative strengths or weaknesses of the code provisions. 3) Provide technical assistance to counties and cities for geologically hazardous areas information, filling a known gap to help local jurisdictions with their implementation provisions. The Fellow will assist in the information gathering of geologically hazardous areas provisions for each jurisdiction through a list of binary criteria. The supervisor will provide onboarding, training, and mentoring to assist the Fellow in independently evaluating each jurisdiction. After all jurisdictional geologically hazardous areas provisions have been evaluated against the criteria, analysis will be performed, and statistics will be derived. We will write a short summary paper of the initial results. A future project is to provide a best-practices document for geologically hazardous areas. The effective implementation of science and policy is especially difficult in less well-resourced jurisdictions. With the results of this analysis, WGS aims to provide the jurisdictions, state agencies, conservation districts, tribes, and others with equal access to information to address their resilience challenges.

ABOUT THE COMMUNITY

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources is dedicated to sustainable management and protection of the state’s natural resources. Our agency fosters a workplace culture emphasizing collaboration, innovation, and respect for our environment. We prioritize a supportive and inclusive environment where every employee is valued. Our commitment to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion is demonstrated through various initiatives, including ongoing training, policy reviews, and active efforts to create a workplace where all employees can thrive. Serving with DNR not only allows you to contribute to these important initiatives but also offers numerous professional development opportunities. These projects enhance project management and problem-solving skills and provide valuable experience in resource management and policy implementation, paving the way for your career growth and success.This work is based in the Puget Sound, which is defined by its stunning natural beauty and thriving, culturally rich, interesting human communities. The Fellow will be part of a robust, regional effort to restore and recover this special coastal habitat, and they will support DNR’s work to steward over 6 million acres of state-owned lands on behalf of the people of Washington. Salmon are at the cultural center of indigenous peoples who have lived here since time immemorial, and we are honored to work alongside our tribal co-managers to restore health and build resilience in the watersheds of Puget Sound. The region offers ample opportunities for recreation, music, art, food, and sport, and the Fellow will have plenty to learn and explore while doing good work for the lands and peoples of the Puget Sound. The Snohomish Watershed is the second largest river basin in the Puget Sound, encompassing over 1,800 square miles in King and Snohomish Counties. Through this work the Fellow will be able to explore our beautiful landscape from mountain headwaters to the coast of the Sound, and they will join a robust, dedicated, collaborative, and fun salmon recovery community.

ABOUT THE PROJECT

This position will serve efforts related to Ecology’s Spill Prevention/Preparedness/and Response program, Solid Waste Management program, WA Conservation Corps (AmeriCorps), and Administrative Services Division; the WA Department of Enterprise Services; WA Military Department’s Emergency Management Division, the State Emergency Operations Center
Direct access to executive management, presentations, and informational clarifications.
Updates to WA State Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) and Emergency Support Functions (ESF).
Steer an update to ESF 3.
Contribute to finalization of ESF 10.
Updates to WA Restoration Framework and Recovery Support Functions (RSF).
Partnership with Catastrophic Incident Planning (CIP), as appropriate.
Hazard-specific planning contributions, to include:
Cyber Security Prevention Framework.
WA State Fixed Nuclear Facility Plan (FNF).
Northwest Area Contingency Plan (NWACP).
Identification of interdependent connections from state planning efforts and Ecology-specific plans.
Contributions to Ecology disaster response role, as applicable and through the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC).
Develop presentation materials on various disaster roles for both internal and external audiences.
Develop training and exercise materials on disaster roles, for internal audiences, and related to continuity and emergency response/recovery.
Assist in the management of Ecology’s Emergency Operations Center.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

This position will advance updates to Emergency Support Functions (ESF) and Recovery Support Functions (RSF) language and representation across state plans, directly impacting WA communities seeking Ecology resources at times when they are most vulnerable.
Provide professional development and real-world experience to an early-career emergency management specialist.
Support Ecology’s emergency and continuity planning efforts, enhancing interagency collaboration and plan integration to streamline collaborative efforts and partnerships.
Advance updates to Emergency Support Functions (ESF) and Recovery Support Functions (RSF) language and representation across state plans, directly impacting WA communities seeking Ecology resources at times when they are most vulnerable.
Develop an internal continuity exercise for 2026.

ABOUT THE COMMUNITY

The Washington State Department of Ecology serves communities across the entire state of Washington, a region known for its incredible geographic diversity — from coastal beaches and lush forests to high desert and mountainous terrain. Washington’s communities are deeply connected to the environment, and Ecology’s work supports healthy ecosystems, clean water and air, and resilient communities statewide. Our statewide service area means our work is rooted in understanding both the shared and unique environmental challenges different regions face.

Our headquarters is located in Lacey, Washington, a vibrant, growing community in the South Puget Sound region. Lacey offers an outstanding quality of life, with easy access to outdoor recreation such as hiking, kayaking, and biking, as well as proximity to cultural and urban amenities in nearby Olympia and Tacoma. Lacey is known for its family-friendly neighborhoods, parks, and commitment to sustainability. The city also reflects Washington’s broader values of inclusivity, environmental stewardship, and innovation.

Living and working in Lacey means being part of a supportive, engaged community while having the opportunity to make a meaningful impact across the entire state. Fellows will experience a strong connection to nature, a collaborative local spirit, and a front-row seat to how Washington leads in environmental and emergency management practices.

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The City of Redmond and the Redmond Parks and Recreation Department are excited to welcome another Civic Spark Fellow onto our team. The City of Redmond’s Parks and Recreation Department serves all of Redmond’s ~80,000 residents as well as visitors to Redmond’s regional parks and trail systems. We endeavor to expand access for all, innovate for the future, build strong communities, and protect the natural environment. Our work is guided by a series of plans, including Redmond’s Comprehensive Plan, the Parks, Arts, Recreation, Culture, and Conservation (PARCC) Plan, the Climate Resiliency and Sustainable Vegetation Management Plan, and the Environmental Sustainability Action Plan. These four resources outline ambitious goals to build healthy ecosystems and serve the Redmond community while combating the impacts of climate change. During the community engagement process to create the four plans listed above, the Redmond community voiced that healthy, natural spaces are a priority.

However, as Redmond continues to grow healthy open spaces are just one of many community-needs that the City works hard to balance and prioritize. For example, despite having an ambitious Tree Canopy Coverage goal of 40% by 2049 Redmond is losing tree canopy at approximately 13 acres per year due to region-wide growth. Meanwhile, the City has limited staff capacity to implement all the components of each guiding plan. This means we must get creative around how to expand our tree canopy, re-wild City-owned spaces to bolster climate resiliency and offer environmental restoration volunteer opportunities so our community understands the importance of resilient ecosystems.

This year we have identified three projects for the 2025-26 CivicSpark Fellow to take on that aim to honor those values and priorities by making Redmond a leader in sustainable vegetation management best practices and increasing tree canopy city-wide, improving Redmond’s environmental resilience and health.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The main goals the CivicSpark Fellow will help Redmond reach are:
Achieving 40% tree canopy cover across the City of Redmond
Re-wildling City-owned spaces to bolster climate resiliency
Engaged the community regarding tree canopy and environmental restoration opportunities

The CivicSpark Fellow will work towards these goals by taking on a variety of projects and tasks, including but not limited to:
Implementing and expanding the Redmond Tree Giveaway
Cultivating new and existing partnerships with organizations, businesses, and community members in Redmond
Assisting with and leading environmental restoration volunteer events
Helping with roadside meadow and pollinator garden implementation
Additional tasks and projects co-identified by staff and the Fellow that advance the above goals

Project 1: Redmond Tree Giveaway

The first project the CivicSpark Fellow will assist with is implementing and expanding the Redmond Tree Giveaway. The Redmond Tree Giveaway is a vital way to reach our goal of 40% tree canopy coverage by 2049. Approximately half of Redmond’s plantable area is on private property. One strategy to combat tree loss due to development is to encourage homeowners, renters, and businesses to plant trees. To this end, our 2024-25 CivicSpark Fellow built and planned for the first-ever Redmond Tree Giveaway. The 2025-26 Fellow will help to execute the 2025 Tree Giveaway early in their term and then plan for the 2026 Tree Giveaway. The Fellow will take from the successes and lessons learned in the 2025 Tree Giveaway to expand and strengthen the 2026 Tree Giveaway. They will create and plan for updated educational materials and activities for tree recipients, update outreach materials, and create plans for implementing the tree giveaway itself. The Fellow will work collaboratively with staff and project partners to execute the Tree Giveaway and research additional tree-planting opportunities on private property.

Project 2: Green Redmond Partnership Volunteer Management and Partnership Building

The CivicSpark Fellow will assist the Green Redmond Partnership, the City’s urban forestry program focused on increasing forest habitat in parks and natural areas, with a two-fold project. First, they will start by assisting with community-based environmental restoration volunteer events, culminating their term by planning, organizing, and leading their own event. The general volunteer event activities include planting native vegetation, removing weedy species, and doing maintenance work to care of young native plants. We will work with the specific interests of the Fellow to determine the volunteer event location and activities. Second, they will work closely with the Volunteer and Green Redmond Coordinator to expand the Green Redmond Partnership network by cultivating new and existing partnerships with organizations, businesses, and community members. This network of relationships will help to support the Green Redmond Partnership’s efforts, the Tree Giveaway, and roadside meadow and pollinator garden creation.

Project 3: Roadside Meadows and Pollinator Gardens Creation

Stemming from the Climate Resiliency and Sustainable Vegetation Management Plan, the third project the CivicSpark Fellow will assist with is inventorying and mapping City owned Right-of-Ways and other public spaces to determine suitability to become roadside meadows and pollinator gardens. They will also research how to create and maintain successful roadside meadows and pollinator gardens, produce a report on their findings and present it to relevant staff and community stakeholders.

The Fellow will take on additional tasks and activities as they have capacity, and these will be based on department needs and personal interests.
Through these three projects, along with additional tasks, the CivicSpark Fellow will help Redmond work towards our canopy coverage and vegetation management goals while maintaining an informed and engaged community, all of which are important aspects of a healthy and resilient environment.

ABOUT THE COMMUNITY

The City of Redmond is a thriving, culturally diverse community and home to over 78,000 residents. Redmond is the hub to an array of commerce and industry ranging from technology, aerospace and gaming to biomedical and innovation start-ups.

The City of Redmond is located in the scenic and economically important region between the Cascade mountain range and the Puget Sound, at the north end of Lake Sammamish. Redmond is approximately 17 square miles and lies 15 miles east of Seattle and is the terminus of SR 520. The city boasts a high quality of life, good schools, a healthy economic base, a robust park system providing multiple active and passive recreational activities, diverse options for shopping and dining, safe neighborhoods, and a balance for quality development while protecting the natural environment  

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The project will support the City of Bothell’s Community Development (CD) Department implement the Comprehensive Plan Climate Element and Climate Action Plan and will help internal departments collaborate and identify mutual desired outcomes.

The results of a community survey on climate action indicated concern about climate change is high:

•Over 72% of respondents said they are very concerned, and over 16% are moderately concerned. Slightly under 5% reported being not concerned at all.
•Over 64%% said it is very important for the City to take proactive steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while over 23% said it is moderately important.
•Community members who supported alignment with state greenhouse gas reduction targets emphasized the importance of setting realistic, measurable, and achievable goals, and believe that all levels of government, as well as the private sector, should do their part to reach this goal. Those in favor of more ambitious targets highlighted the urgency of the climate crisis.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

A key project goal is to build capacity and readiness for increasing electric vehicle charging access and infrastructure, particularly at existing multifamily developments, at key workplaces with larger workforces, in Downtown Bothell, and for new development. The project fellow will:

•Inventory of existing charging stations
•Map electric vehicle registrations
•Identify household propensity to acquire an electric vehicle
•Suggest local code amendments to streamline the installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure
•Collaborate with property managers and major employers to identify opportunities
•Monitor and participate in regional studies to identify gaps and prioritize locations for public charging stations
•Communicate with private vendors and utilities to better understand charging station requirements, including curbside opportunities within the public right of way, while identifying potential power grid challenges
•Specify any barriers to acquisition of electric vehicles by low-income households and BIPOC communities
•Develop educational materials
•Promote existing state and utility rebates, incentives, and tax credits for electric vehicle purchases and charger installations
•Daylight potential partnerships with car-share providers to expand access to electric vehicles, especially for residents without home charging or personal vehicles

The project fellow will also collaborate with the City’s Public Works Department to identify future opportunities to replace 139 city fleet vehicles with electric vehicle, and to strategize for the installation of 34 charging stations over the next 18 years for city fleet vehicles.

Desired project outcomes include:
•Report on opportunity sites and partners
•Development of data and mapping identifying existing electric vehicle charging stations, vehicle registrations, and target sites for charging infrastructure to maximize community benefits
•Accelerate adoption of electric vehicles throughout the community and reduce greenhouse gas emissions

These resources will support implementation of Bothell’s Comprehensive Plan and Climate Action Plan by strategizing the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector.

ABOUT THE COMMUNITY

The City of Bothell is comprised of over 13 square miles within both King and Snohomish Counties and is home to 51,760 people. This figure is projected to grow to nearly 75,000 over the next 20 years in tandem with Bothell’s increasingly vibrant downtown and life sciences employment cluster near the I-405 corridor. Located just northeast of Seattle, the city is known for flagship features such as Bothell Landing, the UW Bothell/Cascadia College (UWB/CC), and its walkable downtown.

Here is the Framework Vision of the City’s recently updated Comprehensive Plan: Bothell’s diverse and unique community is the foundation for a thriving ecosystem where the built and natural environments work in harmony, interwoven with trails, roads, walkways, and waterways. Our educational and cultural institutions are vital partners in equitably fostering the wellbeing and success of the entire community. Our economy continues to be a vital driver in the region, and provides equitable access to opportunities, amenities, and resources to ensure quality of life for all. A commitment to addressing climate change impacts connects the community’s priorities, providing an invaluable safeguard for the future.

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The King County Executive Climate Office (ECO) leads climate equity, climate preparedness/resilience, climate workforce development, and greenhouse gas emissions reduction efforts countywide. ECO is also organizational host and co-chair of the Puget Sound Climate Preparedness Collaborative, a network of local and county governments, Tribes, and organizations in the Puget Sound basin working together to advance climate preparedness.

The Collaborative was recently awarded a three-year Climate Resilience Regional Challenge grant to expand climate adaptation learning, collaboration, and technical support opportunities for Puget Sound jurisdictions and Tribes. Work in the grant began in spring 2025. As part of the grant, the Collaborative is launching a new Small Communities Cohort program designed to support climate preparedness projects by Tribes and smaller and less-resourced jurisdictions across the Puget Sound region. The program will provide staffing and consulting support for local climate preparedness projects. Nine to 12 projects will be supported on a rolling basis for projects up to ~2 years. Priority candidates for the program are smaller (50,000 or less) and less resourced jurisdictions, counties, and Tribes. The application period for the Small Communities Cohort Program will open summer 2025. There is no cost to participants.

This project continues ongoing work across numerous locations to address the environmental (extreme heat, air quality, wildfire, flooding) and social (health, housing, mobility, affordability) challenges of climate change. By leveraging coordination efforts through Collaborative, the project will help advance regional climate adaptation priorities especially for communities that have notable capacity and fiscal constraints.

To best serve communities across the Puget Sound Basin, this project also includes the opportunity to support additional Collaborative grant activities, including development of regionally-relevant case studies, technical guidance, and best practices (e.g., climate preparedness, climate equity, and shared hazards such as sea level rise, extreme heat, and flooding.) and regional alignment.

PROJECT #2 ADDITION (for a Second Fellow):
A second CivicSpark Fellow will serve within the office beginning in fall 2025 to provide support for the Puget Sound Climate Preparedness Collaborative, for a 3-yr, $2M federal grant (from NOAA) awarded to the Collaborative in 2024. King County is the organizational host for the Collaborative. This request is in addition to our current application for the Collaborative.

The additional Fellow will work closely with the Collaborative’s Project Manager to support implementation of grant activities with a focus on engagement activities, including planning and implementing webinars and convenings, web/newsletter content, and developing technical resources. The position will be based in King County’s Executive Climate Office, as described with our other CivicSpark application. Desired skills include:

-experience/demonstrated proficiency in conducting outreach activities (planning/hosting meetings, workshops, webinars, etc.)
-experience with developing written materials (e.g., newsletters, web content, story maps)
-demonstrated project management skills, i.e., ability to manage a project -form beginning to end and meet deadlines
strong writing and presentation skills

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Goals:
Project A: Supporting communities and tribes participating in the Small Communities Cohort Program
The Collaborative Fellow will support implementation of three to four community-identified climate resilience projects with the overarching goal of help those jurisdictions advance their climate adaptation work.

Project B: Supporting PSCPC Resource Development and Engagement Activities
The Collaborative has identified a need for additional outreach and engagement materials and activities to support organizational learning and climate preparedness activities within and across jurisdictions. The Collaborative Fellow will work with other project staff to implement this work.

Roles: The role of the Fellow for these projects will involve research and analysis into several topics:

Project A:
Strategic planning/project management: manage 3-4 community-driven adaptation projects
Research: complete research to support climate preparedness projects (e.g., vulnerability assessment), climate impacts (e.g., coastal flooding, wildfire)
Meeting planning and facilitation: plan and facilitate meetings needed to implement climate preparedness projects.
Coordination: working with technical consultants, Collaborative members, and other SCCP Fellows to maintain alignment between stakeholder groups.
Reporting: developing project materials (e.g., analyses, plans, reports, presentations), quarterly reporting, and tracking program evaluation metrics.

Project B:
Technical guidance, and best practices: Work with King County colleagues and the Collaborative to develop technical guidance documentation and best practice guides for relevant topics (e.g., climate preparedness, climate equity, and shared hazards such as sea level rise, extreme heat, and flooding.)
Engagement: s Work with King County colleagues and the Collaborative to develop and implement learning opportunities for priority topics identified through the Collaborative’s summer 2025 community needs survey. Develop supporting technical resources.

Outcomes:
Project A: By the end of the Fellow’s term, develop and begin implementation of 3-4 community-identified projects across the Puget Sound Basin.
Project B: By the end of the Fellow’s term, the Collaborative has conducted a series of engagement activities and developed associated technical resources (reports, fact sheets, case studies, etc.) to be shared publicly through the Collaborative website.

Increased Capacity:
This Fellow position will help ensure that the Collaborative is supporting smaller and less-resourced communities and Tribes by providing additional staff capacity to those jurisdictions for selected climate preparedness projects.
The Fellow will also be instrumental in assembling the tools needed to better support climate preparedness work across the Puget Sound basin through planned engagement work and technical resource development.
Both projects are intended to address the environmental (heat, air quality, wildfire, flooding) and social (health, mobility, affordability) challenges that face King County and are felt first and worst by our frontline communities.

ABOUT THE COMMUNITY

The Puget Sound region in Washington state is home to over five million people, including the territories and reservations of 19 federally recognized Coast Salish1 Tribes. Covering more than 13,000 square miles, the basin extends from the glacier-capped crests of the Washington Cascades westward to the Puget Sound and Olympic Mountains. The region includes some of the most productive coniferous forests in the world, 18 watersheds, 2,500 miles of shoreline,2 and all five species of Pacific salmon, including Puget Sound Chinook and Hood Canal summer-run Chum, which have been listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act since 1999.

The ecological, economic, and cultural diversity of the Puget Sound basin continues to draw people to the region, making it the most densely populated region in the Pacific Northwest and one of the fastest growing regions of the country according to the U.S. Census Bureau (2010 to 2020). Development in the basin’s 11 counties3 includes a mix of highly urbanized areas as well as suburban and rural areas. Key urban centers include the cities of Seattle, Tacoma, Everett, Olympia, Bellingham, Bremerton, Bellevue, and Port Angeles.

King County, located in the central Puget Sound region, is the largest county in Washington state and the 12th most populous county in the country (2.3 million residents). King County government is the local government for unincorporated King County and a regional service provider for services such as public health, wastewater treatment, solid waste management, flood management, and transit. The County was officially renamed after the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 19, 2005. 

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The fellow will be serving the Washington State Department of Commerce in implementing the State’s Clean Buildings Performance Standard (CBPS). The CBPS is a priority program to achieve the State’s legislatively-mandated decarbonization targets, as the buildings sector accounts for almost a quarter of statewide GHG emissions annually. The fellow’s service project will support commercial, industrial, and multi-family building owners and operators comply with the program. Building decarbonization has been a priority identified by Washington residents, and with successful implementation of the program, occupants of commercial and multi-family buildings stand to benefit from efficiency upgrades.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

This fellow will work under the mentorship of Annalyn Bergin, the compliance and program lead for the Clean Buildings Performance Standard (CBPS), assisting in implementing Washington State’s building performance standard. The objectives of the CBPS are to increase energy efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce energy costs in the state’s large existing buildings. The Department of Commerce administers this standard and supports building owners by providing training, guidance, incentives, and resources. The fellow will contribute to these goals by engaging with stakeholders, creating and distributing outreach and educational materials, supporting the development of the clean building workforce, and establishing enforcement processes.

ABOUT THE COMMUNITY

Our Mission: The mission of the Washington State Department of Commerce is to strengthen communities and grow the economy. Our Vision: With a broad scope of over 150 programs and partnerships, Commerce has a unique opportunity to create transformative change. Improving the

health conditions for people of color, indigenous individuals and communities, and low-income people who continue to be

disproportionately harmed by environmental and health hazards is essential to our vision of a more equitable, inclusive, sustainable and resilient economy. Our key customers include businesses, local governments, community-based organizations and tribes. We also play the crucial role of convening numerous local, state, regional and federal partners and stakeholders, public and private.

Together we work to support the Governor’s priorities and achieve shared goals and objectives for the citizens of Washington. 

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The fellows will serve the Washington State Department of Commerce. Fellows will support a variety of priority projects at the Energy Policy Office that accelerate decarbonization solutions while directly serving and supporting vulnerable communities, workers, Tribes, and businesses. The specific sub-projects described below address pertinent topics to Washington residents and stakeholders, including clean energy workforce development, responsible and equitable siting of clean energy facilities, and deployment of clean and low-carbon fuels.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

These two fellows will serve under the mentorship of up to two members of the Energy Policy Team to support various key projects. Ahead of the start of the service term, fellows will work with site supervisors to determine specific project assignments based on fellow interest and Energy Policy Team priorities. The following projects will be shared with fellows for consideration:

Clean Hydrogen and Renewable Fuels. This fellow will serve under the mentorship of Shannon Pressler to support the strategic growth of a green electrolytic hydrogen and renewable fuel economy in Washington through implementing key recommendations from the 2024 legislative report titled Green Electrolytic Hydrogen and Renewable Fuels: Recommendations for Deployment in Washington. The goal of the project is to accelerate the strategic deployment and use of these clean fuels in the state’s hardest-to-decarbonize sectors while creating jobs and generating valuable benefits for energy communities. The fellow will help achieve these goals through conducting research, engaging stakeholders, and supporting the development of deliverables across a variety of projects the Office of Renewable Fuels is undertaking.

Clean Energy Workforce Development. This fellow will serve under the mentorship of Stephanie Scott to support the State’s efforts to grow a trained, ready workforce that will meet the needs of an evolving clean energy economy. The goal of the project is to strengthen and enhance coordination across existing clean energy workforce development efforts to provide a more robust and supportive environment for Washington’s clean energy workforce to train and skill. The fellow will help achieve these goals through conducting research and engaging stakeholders to create a map of clean energy registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs and providing additional support for the Clean Tech Alliance’s workforce ecosystem mapping project.

Clean Energy Siting. This fellow will serve under the mentorship of Dan Siemann to support the responsible siting of clean energy infrastructure in Washington. The goal of the project is to expand the availability of trusted information and resources for communities, Tribes, and stakeholders to engage in processes and conversations around clean energy siting in the state. The fellow will help achieve these goals through conducting research and engaging stakeholders on the role of Community Benefits Agreements and Tribal Benefits Agreements in clean energy siting and developing and deploying public-facing resources on various clean energy technologies, including land-based solar and wind, among others.

ABOUT THE COMMUNITY

Our Mission: The mission of the Washington State Department of Commerce is to strengthen communities and grow the economy. Our Vision: With a broad scope of over 150 programs and partnerships, Commerce has a unique opportunity to create transformative change. Improving the

health conditions for people of color, indigenous individuals and communities, and low-income people who continue to be

disproportionately harmed by environmental and health hazards is essential to our vision of a more equitable, inclusive, sustainable and resilient economy. Our key customers include businesses, local governments, community-based organizations and tribes. We also play the crucial role of convening numerous local, state, regional and federal partners and stakeholders, public and private.

Together we work to support the Governor’s priorities and achieve shared goals and objectives for the citizens of Washington.