Economic Alliance Snohomish County (EASC) is a catalyst for economic vitality resulting in stronger communities, increased job creation, expanded educational opportunities, and improved infrastructure.

Snohomish STEM Network works to foster a learning pipeline for skills in science, technology engineering and mathematics (STEM) to supply business with local talent and drive opportunity and prosperity.

Sounds like a good match, one that was intentionally brought together a few years ago.

This episode of Check It Out! brings EASC President and CEO Patrick Pierce and Snohomish STEM Network Director Angie Sievers into the studio to talk about how business and education can work together to support and build communities across Snohomish County.

“Economic Alliance Snohomish County is about creating jobs and keeping jobs in Snohomish County,” Pierce says in this episode. “If we can focus on what people need, we can achieve economically vital, robust places in which people want to live.”

Sievers leads the effort to connect communities with industries and create pathways to employment in Snohomish County through STEM.

“You might hear STEAM or STREAM,” Sievers says, adding that the “A” is for art and the “R” is for reading. “Traditionally, STEM has been just about science, technology and math, but in today’s education and workforce world, it’s really about learning.”

Episode length: 56:42

Episode links

Patrick Pierce

• Patrick Pierce LinkedIn profile
• Economic Alliance Snohomish County
• Puget Sound Regional Council
• Seattle University, public administration
• University of Washington, political science

Angie Sievers

• Angie Sievers LinkedIn profile
• Snohomish STEM
• Washington STEM
• Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties
• Washington State University

Resources

• Sno-Isle Libraries business
• Sno-Isle Libraries find a job
• Stanford Graduate School of Business articles

For many people, their first experience with a library came as they stepped on to a bookmobile.

For Sherry Stevens, the longtime manager of the Sno-Isle Libraries Library on Wheels service, that means she is connected to thousands of these memorable moments.

In this episode, “Check It Out!” podcast co-hosts Ken Harvey, Cindy Tingley and Paul Pitkin chat with Stevens and share their own takeaways from the conversation such as:

• Library on Wheels also included a books-by-mail program for customers who can’t otherwise use library services.
• In addition to a traditional bookmobile, Sno-Isle Libraries also operates a “cart-hauler” service that brings carts of library material to more than 120 locations such as child development centers across Snohomish and Island counties.
• Where the Sno-Isle Libraries Bookmobile goes, so does enhanced Wi-Fi service available to customers during the stop.
• At cart-hauler stops, library staff members bring along a Wi-Fi hotspot to enable online ordering and other customer services.

Stevens also tells a heartwarming story of a customer of Chinese background who was all smiles when he realized Bookmobile staff made a special effort to bring books in Chinese for him.

In this episode, Check It Out! reporter Abe Martinez leads listeners through an interview with Chris Jordan, a Seattle-based photographer and documentarian who created a movie called "Albatross." Jordan's comments come as part of a conversation he had with Jennifer Geist.

Over the course of eight trips to Midway Island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Jordan used his cameras to document the albatross birds that nest there and their plight as the result of massive plastic pollution in the ocean.

Martinez and co-hosts Ken Harvey and Jim Hills also discuss Jordan's film and why he was invited to speak at the 2019 Trudy Sundberg Lecture Series events that take place May 3-4 on Whidbey Island. The series is supported by the Sno-Isle Libraries Foundation.

The 2019 Trudy Sundberg Lecture Series events:

Friday, May 3, 2019, 7 p.m. Whidbey Island Center for the Arts 565 Camano Avenue, Langley

Saturday, May 4, 2019, 7 p.m. Coupeville High School Performing Arts Center 501 South Main Street, Coupeville

Chapter 1 Introduction

Check It Out! reporter Abe Martinez chats with podcast co-hosts Ken Harvey and Jim Hills about the experience of interviewing Andre Feriante. Length: 06:41

Chapter 1 – Andre Feriante

Italian-born and trained in classic flamenco guitar, Andre Feriante talks about his artistic and personal journey. Now a Whidbey Island resident, Feriante is exploring poetry and other creative outlets that are coming together in a fusion of many influences. The process is also opening an awareness of the healing aspects of music. For Feriante, it’s all connected in a profound way that he feels compelled to share with others.

Chapter 1 links

• andreferiante.com
• Flamenco wiki
• Andres Segovia music
• Andres Segovia wiki
• Henry Rivas (YouTube)

Chapter length: 05:38

Chapter 2 Introduction

Check It Out! reporter Abe Martinez, co-hosts Ken Harvey and Jim Hills talk about their experiences and connections with Selma Bonham. Length: 06:21

Chapter 2 – Selma Bonham

This is a reprise, but well worth a listen.

At 93, Selma Bonham has seen a few things.

Majoring in geology, she graduated from Penn State University and then earned a Master’s from Stanford in 1949. After 20 successful years in a male-dominated profession, Bonham retired and moved from the East Coast to Mill Creek and became involved with the Friends of the Mill Creek Library.

Bonham says her awareness of civil rights began early when her father began hiring persons of color for skilled jobs in the department store where he worked.

Later, at Mill Creek, Bonham organized a flash mob at the library to sing in honor of African American Month.

Chapter 2 links

• MLK Day sing-along news item
• “We shall overcome” sing-along video
• Northshore Senior Center
• Selma’s LinkedIn profile
• Stanford Geological Sciences
• USGS Geological Survey
• Penn State University

Chapter 2 length: 04:33

Chapter 3 – Book Notes with Brian Haight

Brian Haight is a librarian at the Coupeville Library and member of the Sno-Isle Libraries Readers’ Services Team. Haight and other team members create a variety of book lists as suggestions for library customers.

In this Book Notes, Haight talks about “The Driver in the Driverless Car: How Our Technology Choices Will Create the Future,” by Vivek Wadwha.

Haight describes a future that may see car drivers becoming car riders. He points out that the book is about far more than driverless cars and delves into other implications of new technology.

Haight also points out that he found this book on the “new books” shelf at the Coupeville Library, but anyone can go to the online catalog and search for titles published in 2019 and new to the Sno-Isle Libraries collection in the past week, 30 days or more.

Chapter length: 04:27

She comes from a small town in Ohio known for the lack of a discernible accent by its residents.

Allison Warren-Barbour is finding other ways to stand out as she leads United Way of Snohomish County on a new path to help families escape the traps of poverty.

Now in her third year as President & Chief Executive Officer, Warren-Barbour brings experience, education and personal commitment to her role. She earned a Business Management degree from Miami University, a Master of Divinity degree from Princeton and worked for United Way in Atlanta and Raleigh-Durham, N.C. before coming to Snohomish County.

Warren-Barbour says she is seeing United Way organizations across the country evolve away from the traditional “community chest” model as the needs of communities are changing. “In Atlanta and Greater Triangle (in Raleigh-Durham), we were having these conversations,” Warren-Barbour says.

In Snohomish County, former CEO Dennis Smith was also leading the organization and community in similar ways. Warren-Barbour says her role is to continue the transition to targeting resources at specific populations and measuring outcomes.

To get there, United Way of Snohomish County has adopted the CORE model, which stands for “creating open roads to equity.”

“We’re trying to utilize the funding in a way that can really produce a different type of change,” Warren-Barbour says. “If we want different results, we can’t act in the same way.”

Episode links

• United Way of Snohomish County
• Miami University
• Princeton Theological Seminary
• Piqua, Ohio
• Ohio accent

Episode 18 of the "Check It Out!" podcast includes three short stories from three contributors, Rilee Louangphakdy, Abe Martinez and Kaley Costello.

Chapter 1 – Library Surprise with Rilee Louangphakdy

Rilee says he is a "huge fan" of comic books, graphic novels and manga.

Recently added to the Sno-Isle Libraries collection are digital version of comics from DC, Marvel and other comics publishers.

"There’s a tidal of popularity for comics right now," Rilee says. "With your library card, you can browse through titles and decide what to read."

Rilee says his personal favorite is Japanese manga. "I love finding the hidden life lessons," he says.

He adds: "The world of sequential art … is a legitimate form of art and symbolic storytelling."

Chapter 1 links

• Digital media through the library
• Hoopla
• Overdrive
• Manga
• Rilee’s TEDxSnoIsleLibraries talk

Chapter length: 04:20

Chapter 2 – Gary Sitzman and financial stewardship with Abe Martinez

Keeping a close watch over the funds entrusted by taxpayers to Sno-Isle Libraries is Administrative Services Director Gary Sitzman. Sno-Isle Libraries podcast reporter Abe Martinez talks with Sitzman about stewardship of those funds.

As a public agency, Sno-Isle Libraries gets audited by the state Auditor’s Office every year. Ever since those audits began 32 years ago, Sno-Isle Libraries has received a clean slate. The audits check on adherence to state laws as well as library policies.

"We take it very seriously," Sitzman says. "I haven't been responsible for all those audits, but I'm proud to carry it on and don't want to the record to stop on my watch."

While the library district has never received what is called an audit "finding," Sitzman says he does review reports on other agencies to see what he can learn that will help the library district.

Chapter 2 links

• Clean audits blog post
• State accountability audit
• State financial statements audit
• State Auditor’s Office
• Sno-Isle Libraries funding and budget

Chapter length: 05:33

Chapter 3 – Book Notes with Kaley Costello

Librarian Kaley Costello, a member of the Sno-Isle Libraries Readers’ Services Team and library manager at the Lakewood/Smokey Point Library, shares a few suggested titles that readers may enjoy.

First, is My Favorite Thing Is Monsters by Emil Ferris. Not giving away too much about the plot, Costello does share that Ferris drew this first volume while recovering from West Nile virus and paralyzed from the waist down. The second volume is on order now and available for holds by customers.

Costello’s next suggestion is The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel. While it may sound like a horror story, Costello points out this tale of life in the woods on Maine is actually non-fiction. It is also available in ebook and e-audio formats.

Chapter 3 links

• Reading suggestions for customers
• Bibliofiles blog

Chapter length: 02:21

Episode sponsors

The Sno-Isle Libraries Foundation proudly supports the innovative work of Sno-Isle Libraries through private donations.

Edmonds Center for the Arts provides an array of outstanding performing artists from around the world, hosts events and serves more than 75,000 patrons annually.

When Emmett Heath thinks about public transportation, buses might not be the first things that pop into his mind.

"Our mission is to help people get from where they are to where they want to be," Heath says in this episode of Check It Out!. "That's our business."

If that means a bus meets those needs, great, Heath says. If it is a vanpool or some other option, that works, too. It might even be a car. "There's no reason to feel guilty if we choose to drive our cars," Heath says.

For Heath, the bottom line is that by helping move people from where are to where they want and need to be, public transportation is also helping to build communities.

Heath is a born and bred Puget Sounder who has lived with his wife and three children and worked in Snohomish County for more than 20 years. Heath’s professional life has been focused on public service.

Heath has led Community Transit as CEO since 2014 and before that was Director of Administration for 10 years. He served in leadership at both King County Metro and the Snohomish County PUD before coming to Community Transit. Heath serves on the Economic Alliance Snohomish County Board of Trustees and the United Way of Snohomish County Board of Directors.

Joining Heath in this episode is Martin Munguia, Community Transit Corporate Communications Manager.

Episode length: 1:13;20

Chapter 1 links

• Community Transit
• Swift bus rapid transit
• Green Line news report
• ORCA card

Chapter 1 – “Hmmm … I didn’t know that”

Check It Out! podcast hosts Ken Harvey, Cindy Tingley and Jim Hills chat about a grab-bag of subjects, including:

• Snowmageddon 2019 and how planning gets iffy when it’s raining in Seattle, snowing in Marysville and a whiteout in Oak Harbor.
• What 32 consecutive years of clean state audits mean for Sno-Isle Libraries and taxpayers.
• What shifting technologies and consumer choices mean for the future of CDs and DVDs in the library collection.
• How many items can you check out on your Sno-Isle Libraries card?
• Getting help finding job, whether it’s at Sno-Isle Libraries or anywhere.

Chapter 1 links

• Sno-Isle Libraries 2019 snow gallery
• How cold was it?
• Clean state audits
• CDs and the music industry
• Library item check-out limits
• Get help finding a job

Chapter 2 – Susan Hempstead, Sno-Isle Libraries Strategic Relations Manager

Susan Hempstead says her title is code for “meeting people where they are.” Hempstead leads efforts to build sustainable relationships with people, agencies and organizations.

She says her focus on community and service began as a teen-ager coaching in Special Olympics. A bachelor’s degree in social work led to a Master’s in Public Administration from USC and a love for combining the rigor of government relations with the spirit of philanthropy. Hempstead says key tenets for her are providing access, equity and opportunity.

Hempstead talks about her involvement with three projects at Sno-Isle Libraries, including:

• Capital Facilities Plan
• TEDxSnoIsleLibraries
• Mariner Community Campus
• Special Olympics
• USC Master of Public Administration
• Phil Smart
• Bogalusa, LA
• 1996 Olympics Torch Relay

And, Hempstead shares her advice on a starting point for others considering a similar path: “Start where you are and honor the past that brings you to where you are.”

This very special episode of Check It Out! is a podcast, looking at a podcast which looks at one of the most pressing issues facing our communities today: the opioid crisis.

Anna Boiko-Weyrauch and Kyle Norris, both with KUOW Public Radio in Seattle, created Finding Fixes, a podcast focusing on how communities and agencies across Snohomish County are coming together to respond to the opioid epidemic.

In November 2018, Sno-Isle Libraries hosted the two podcasters for an event-based conversation facilitated by Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office Director of Communications Shari Ireton.

The event was livestreamed on Facebook and a transcript of the livestream is also available.

Snohomish County Sheriff Ty Trenary was in the audience. He was joined by representatives from agencies involved in Snohomish County’s Opioid Response MAC (multi-agency coordination) Group, including: Snohomish Health District; Snohomish County Executive’s Office,  Human Services, Department of Emergency Management, Medical Examiner’s Office, Public Works, Planning and Development Services, and County Council); South Snohomish County Fire & Rescue; Fire District 7; the cities of Everett, Arlington and Marysville, and the police departments of Everett, Lynnwood, Edmonds, Marysville, Monroe and Arlington.

This episode of Check It Out! includes a conversation with “Finding Fixes” podcasters Boiko-Weyrauch and Norris to learn more about why they pursued the Finding Fixes podcast project, selected segments from the November event and comments from some of those who attended.

Episode length: 1:11:16

Chapter 1 – Sarri Gilman

Sarri Gilman helps others search for healthy boundaries and find balance in their lives.

A licensed psychotherapist, the Whidbey Island resident works with individuals, couples and families challenged with issues around relationships, emotions, mental health and being in a state of overwhelm.

Her boundary workshops help people understand how saying “Yes” or “No” is a guidance system – a compass – in life for every relationship and every decision.

Gilman has also brought her work to organizations such as Leadership Snohomish County and Cocoon House.

Gilman shared her philosophy on stage at TEDxSnoIsleLibraries 2015.

Chapter 1 length: 1:18:02

Chapter 1 links

• Sarrigilman.com
• “Transform Your Boundaries” book
• “Naming and Taming Overwhelm” book 
• Whidbey Island Holistic Health Association profile
• Whidbey Institute interview
• Sarri’s Facebook page
• Sarri’s YouTube channel
• Sarri’s LinkedIn profile

Chapter 2 – Selma Bonham

At 93, Selma Bonham has seen a few things.

Majoring in geology, she graduated from Penn State University and then earned a Master’s from Stanford in 1949. After 40 successful years in a male-dominated profession, Bonham retired and moved from the East Coast to Mill Creek and became involved with the Friends of the Mill Creek Library. Bonham says her awareness of civil rights began early when her father began hiring persons of color for skilled jobs in his department store. Later, at Mill Creek, Bonham organized a flash mob at the library to sing in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Chapter 2 length: 04:33

Chapter 2 links

• MLK Day sing-along news item
• “We shall overcome” sing-along video
• northshoreseniorcenter.org
• Selma’s LinkedIn profile
• Stanford Geological Sciences
• U.S. Geological Survey
• Penn State University