About
Join us for the 2019 County Leaders Conference in Spokane County this coming November 19-21. This three-day event brings together key decision-makers from across the state and provides the opportunity to connect, discover, and collaborate with peers. Attendees include representatives from all of Washington’s 39 counties and the following organizations:
- Administrators
- Commissioners / Councilmembers
- Engineers
- Human Services
- Planning Directors
- Public Health Officials
- Solid Waste Managers
- WSU Extension Directors
Schedule
We are hard at work on the conference agenda and encourage you to check back often for more details.
Updated: 10/10/2019
Speakers
Wednesday, November 20
Session
We’re here to help! State Auditor’s Office Tools and technologies
Duane Walz
Data and Business Systems Specialist
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Office of the Washington State Auditor
Duane Walz joined the Office of the State Auditor in 1994. He has played a key role in collecting, maintaining and publishing government financial data over the years. He is currently the Data and Systems Specialist for the Center for Government Innovation where he is tasked with creating new ways to display data. He is the technical lead on the Financial Intelligence Tool (FIT). Duane received a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt in 2013.
Session
We’re here to help! State Auditor’s Office Tools and technologies
Niles Kostick
Financial Management and Data Tools Specialist
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Office of the Washington State Auditor
Session
Taking it to the Streets. A Collaborative Outreach Program
Betsy Griffith
Behavioral Health Lead
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Island County Human Services
Betsy Griffith, LMHC, NCC is a therapist and counseling supervisor specializing in adolescents and families. Her primary focus is building holistic interpersonal skills through a combination of CBT and yoga and mindfulness. She graduated with a M.A. in Counseling from Marquette University in 2005. She has worked as a school counselor; a therapist in a residential treatment center for adjudicated adolescent males; a school based therapist and as a clinical supervisor to school based behavioral health and Opioid Outreach.
Session
Taking it to the Streets. A Collaborative Outreach Program
Jackie Henderson
Director
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Island County Human Services
Jackie is the Director of Island County Human Services. She oversees multiple programs and services provided either directly or indirectly by the department. She participates in a number of regional behavioral health committees and work groups and is an active member of the Association of County Human Services. Jackie lives in Coupeville Washington where she is a member of the Coupeville Town Council.
Session
Taking it to the Streets. A Collaborative Outreach Program
Kathryn Clancy
Behavioral Health Clinical Supervisor
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Island County Human Services
Kathryn Clancy is a licensed mental health counselor and former psychology professor with over 25 years of experience in counseling and teaching. She currently supervisors Behavioral Health Programs in Island County including outreach counseling and case management, jail mental health and transitions, embedded mental health with law enforcement, intensive case management with homeless, early childhood mental health and adolescent at risk intervention programs. Her expertise is in program development, the treatment of adolescents and young adults, suicide assessment and prevention, serious mental illness and substance use disorders.
Session
The Elson S. Floyd Medical School: Focus on Rural Washington
Ken Roberts
Vice Dean, Academic and Community Partnerships
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WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine
Dr. Ken Roberts is the Vice Dean for Academic and Community Partnerships in Washington State University’s Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine. As Vice Dean, he is responsible for the overall administration of the educational program at the four campuses where medical students will be trained. He works to develop and maintain partnerships with community clinics and hospitals, and facilitates academic partnerships between the campuses and the medical community, businesses, and stakeholders invested in increasing medical care access throughout the state. His office leads outreach efforts to reach students in rural and underserved communities to promote careers in medicine.
Session
Introduction to Olympia: How to Engage with the State Legislature
Mellani McAleenan
Director of Government Relations
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WSAC
Ms. Mellani McAleenan joined WSAC as the Director of Government Relations and General Counsel in September 2018. Mellani has worked in government relations since 2000, most recently as Director of Government Affairs for the Washington State Dental Association. Mellani has also represented the state judicial branch of government as the primary legislative advocate for the Board for Judicial Administration, Administrative Office of the Courts, and Supreme Court. Prior to her work with the judicial branch, Mellani advocated on behalf of the business community, including six years as a Governmental Affairs Director for the Association of Washington Business. Mellani earned her Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from Seattle University and her BS in Human Services from Wayland Baptist University.
Session
Introduction to Olympia: How to Engage with the State Legislature
Mike Hoover
Contract Lobbyist
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Mike Hoover Public Affirs
Mike Hoover is an attorney with over 25 years of experience working in state and local governmental affairs. Mike began his career in 1988 working for the California State Assembly and Governor’s office before moving to private practice in Seattle. Mike enjoyed a 20-year legal career in the Washington Legislature, beginning as a staff attorney, serving as Senate Counsel for ten years, and then assuming a Leadership Counsel position in the House of Representatives for six years. Mike next served as Chief Legal Counsel to the King County Council before starting his own public affairs practice in 2018. This experience has provided him with unique expertise and hands-on work in legislative and budget processes.
Working in both state and local government, Mike has been active in almost every policy issue area, including capital and operating budgets, transportation, labor, business, environment, healthcare, education, public infrastructure, finance, and revenue. He has been an integral part of legislation and negotiations for major projects including the McCleary education reforms, Safeco Field financing, complex transportation budgets, and many state operating and capital biennial and supplemental budgets. Mike has secured funding from the state’s various budgets for his clients, and he has successfully shepherded numerous bills through the legislative process and into law.
Mike has the skills, contacts, and experience to support clients in Olympia and throughout Washington. He has worked hard to cultivate excellent bipartisan working relationships with legislators from around the state, in both the House and the Senate, and he also has significant Governor, executive, and agency contacts. He is known as a consensus builder who puts together teams and coalitions to get results.
Mike closely coordinates with his clients to keep them apprised of relevant issues and help them strategize and act to affect those issues. He understands that while the legislative process is the same, each client is different, and each budget and legislative request requires a unique strategy and coalition of legislators. Mike has the ability to partner with other professionals as necessary to ensure the resources and support necessary are always available, and he is adept at matching the right strategy with the right coalition to achieve successful outcomes for his clients. With extensive background in legislative, budgetary, and legal matters, Mike Hoover Public Affairs can provide unparalleled representation.
Session
Roles and Responsibilities of Local Boards of Health
Jaime Bodden
Managing Director
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WSALPHO
Jaime Bodden is the Managing Director for WSALPHO. Previously, Jaime managed and oversaw the operations of a small health department as Health Officer/Director. Additionally, Jaime has experience in community engagement, health promotion, global health, and health policy. She holds Master degrees in Social Work and Public Health from Washington University in St. Louis.
Thursday, November 20
Session
Re-thinking Homelessness Responses – New Tools and New Rules
Kirsten Jewell
Housing and Homelessness Division Manager
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Kitsap County Human Services
Kirsten Jewell, EMPA, manages the Housing and Homelessness Division in Kitsap County, including overseeing strategic planning, administering annual community investments of $3M, coordinating countywide efforts, data collection and analysis, and community education. She has worked with homelessness and affordable housing programs in Kitsap County and at the state level for more than 15 years
Kirsten is the Chair of the Governor’s State Advisory Council on Homelessness, and Co-Chairs the ACHS – Homelessness and Affordable Housing Committee. She also serves on the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance – Homeless Advisory Committee.
Kirsten is a life-long resident of Kitsap County. She earned her Executive Master of Public Administration at the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance, UW.
Session
Behavioral Health System Transformation and its Impact on Your Residents
Julie de Losada
Health Analyst
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Skagit County
Julie de Losada is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Child Mental Health Specialist. She began her career path at the age of 15 working in a unique on campus pre-school supported by her high school and local community college. This gave Julie her first insights into the wonder and magic of young children and their ability to be resilient despite significant life challenges. Julie’s early desire to support families and children lead her to the field of family and child counseling, and later into the “behind the scenes” world of regional Medicaid administration where she spent 12 years developing and supporting local systems to provide behavioral health coverage to eligible low-income adults, children, pregnant women, older adults, and people with disabilities.
For the last three years, Julie has paired her extensive knowledge of Medicaid with the foundational public health framework. As a Health Analyst for Skagit County Public Health, Julie addresses issues of equity and social determinants of health through overseeing prevention and developmental disabilities programs, local behavioral health programs, and as liaison between local county government and the regional and state Medicaid systems.
Julie has served on several state taskforces and committees. She currently serves as North Sound Regional Representative for the Washington State Association of Public Health Officers; as Behavioral Health Committee Co-Chair for the Association of County Human Services; and as Program Council Member for the North Sound Accountable Communities of Health.
Session
Behavioral Health System Transformation and its Impact on Your Residents
Anne Deacon
Human Servcies Manager
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Whatcom County Health Department
Anne Deacon serves as Whatcom County’s Human Services Manager, working in the Health Department. She is licensed as an Independent Clinical Social Worker and has over 40 years of experience working in the field of behavioral health. Her past roles include managing the state prison for offenders with mental illness, directing outpatient and residential clinics for mental health and substance use disorder treatment, and administering human service programs at a state and local level.
Anne is the past president of the state Association of County Human Services. Locally, she has led community-wide efforts to address the Opiate addiction epidemic and homelessness, has helped to create behavioral health interventions that divert people from the criminal justice system when appropriate, and developed recovery support systems that promote long-term stability. She also serves as a member of the local Incarceration Prevention and Reduction Task Force/Law & Justice Council.
Session
The Opioid Crisis: County Efforts to Stem the Tide
Derek Young
Pierce County Council member
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Pierce County Council
Derek Young is a member of the Pierce County Council, representing District #7 which covers the Gig Harbor and Key Peninsulas, Islands, and parts of North and West Tacoma. Derek currently chairs the Community Development Committee which directs land use, environment, and park policy. He co-chairs the Pierce County Opioid Task Force and serves as vice-chair of the Public Safety, Human Services, & Budget Committee responsible for law enforcement, corrections, justice, public health, and human services. Derek serves on the National Association of Counties Health Policy Board, Washington Association of Counties Law and Legislative Steering Committees, and Washington Telecom Officials and Advisors Board.
Session
A Data Dive Into Washington’s Counties
Ricardo Aguilar
Data Analyst & Developer
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National Association of Counties
Ricardo Aguilar is a Data Analyst & Developer with NACo’s County Innovations Lab. He works primarily on data analyses, County Explorer development, as well as building maps, query engines, and other interactive data tools. Before his full-time position, Ricardo worked as a NACo research intern, a faculty assistant for the Global Land Analysis and Discovery Lab and a teaching assistant for the Department of Geographical Sciences at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Ricardo holds a Bachelor of Science in Geographical Studies and a Master of Professional Studies in Geospatial Information Sciences from the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland.
Session
Big or small, cybersecurity risks affect every government
Aaron Munn
Chief Information Security Officer
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Office of the Washington State Auditor
Aaron Munn joined the Office of the Washington State Auditor (SAO) in September 2014 as the Chief Information Security Officer. He serves as SAO’s internal chief authority for IT security functions, policies and processes. In total, Aaron has over 17 years of service with the State of Washington and 12 years’ experience within the IT security field. Additionally, Aaron recently retired from the Washington Army National Guard with more than 26 years of service. His most recent assignment was cybersecurity operations.
Exhibitors & Sponsors
Washington counties are engaged in delivering a broad range of services, from public health and safety to road construction, environmental mitigation, and social services. With over 35,000 employees serving over 7.5 million residents, counties are looking to private and nonprofit sectors for innovation and solutions to improve their performance.
Join over 350 decision-makers at the County Leaders Conference and showcase your product or service and build new partnerships with the public sector.
2018 Sponsors & Exhibitors
FAQS
What is the last day I can register?
While we don’t like to encourage procrastination, we understand you have a busy schedule that is always changing. The last day to secure overnight accommodations is Monday, October 28. However, you may register online until Friday, November 8 if you do not require a sleeping room.
What does it cost to attend?
Full conference registration for WSAC members, partners and affiliates is $425. We do not offer a daily registration rate. Please contact us at info@wsac.org if you have any further questions.
First-time attendees of the County Leaders Conference are eligible for a discounted rate. To take advantage of this reduced registration fee, enter the code FirstCLC before you check out.
State Agencies should register as “State Agency” to be eligible for a discounted rate of $475. Otherwise, businesses that are not members of our Business Partners Program may register as “Non-Member/ Non-State Agency” at the rate of $800.
Are overnight accommodations available?
They sure are, and at a reasonable rate, we might add! Our conference host, The Davenport Grand Hotel, is offering attendees of the County Leaders Conference room rates at $119 a night for single/double occupancy and this includes self-parking.
If you are not staying at The Davenport Grand Hotel, there is a discounted daily self-parking rate of $7.
How do I reserve a room?
You’ll need to reserve overnight accommodations by Monday, October 28, 2019.
We’ve made this easy for you, so we suggest making your reservations now by clicking here and making an online reservation.
Prefer the more traditional way of reserving your room? We’ve got you covered! You can pick up the phone and dial 1-800-918-9344 to make your reservation. Reference the “County Leaders Conference” to secure our group room rate of $119 a night.
Contact
Looking for more information on this conference? Send us an email at info@wsac.org or call 360.753.1886.