Washington State Ferries Employee News

Read the May 2024 edition of Ferry Tales, the Washington State Ferries employee newsletter.

Watch the spring 2024 all-staff meeting recording from April 18.

Have an idea for this employee newsletter? Email WSFEmployeeComms@wsdot.wa.gov.

MITAGS apprentices bring positive change to Kittitas

Two new faces aboard Kittitas are receiving on-the-job training and serve as assets to the crew.

Hanna Dudum and Cassidy Turner are a part of the Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS) Washington State Ferries Apprenticeship Program. The scholarship provides training to those with no maritime experience to become licensed deck officers in two years.

Cassidy and Hanna are two of our first class of 10 apprentices. They are eager to learn and excited to eventually work as chief mates aboard our vessels. The two began by participating in, and eventually teaching, weekly and quarterly drills and have contributed greatly to the success of everyone on board.

In addition to their time in a classroom, they are receiving hands-on, on-the-job experience with the rest of the Kittitas crew and have been an asset to their peers with their enthusiasm.

Five people talking on the outdoor deck of a ferry with another ferry in the water in the background — MITAGS/WSF Apprenticeship Program students Hanna Dudum and Cassidy Turner with the crew aboard Kittitas.

Getting new people interested in careers in the maritime industry, and covering the costs for the training, is one way we’re working to alleviate the pressures of our rapidly retiring workforce.

Programs like this are invaluable and produce knowledgeable and invested workers.

We recently kicked off recruitment with MITAGS for our second class of 10 for the program. The application period will open on June 1, 2024, and run through July 1, 2024. Those awarded the scholarship will begin the two-year program in February 2025.

Kevin Bartoy
Chief Sustainability Officer

What’s New at HQ?

Not perfect. Better.

Every day we are given an opportunity to begin again, to learn and to be better. Better than the person we were yesterday.

The Department of Quality Assurance, Sustainability & Environment (QASE) was created for this exact reason. To recognize where we can be better, to learn from where we are actually doing well and to continuously improve how we work with each other every day.

For many years, as I have had the privilege to lead WSF’s sustainability and environmental efforts, our team motto has been, “Leave it better.” That motto referred to the pristine environment that we call home.

But, in founding QASE, that motto becomes even more important because it not only refers to our home, but to each of us and our organization. We have the chance every day to make WSF successful and to achieve excellence with our customers, our stakeholders and each other.

As we set our new strategic course, I am looking forward to the opportunity for our team to work with each of you, to serve as a resource as we build trust with and respect for each other. From this foundation, we will grow together to navigate the challenges ahead of us so that each of us can strive to be better and make WSF successful every day.

Beth Stowell
Operations Director

Employee Spotlight

Beth Stowell is pumped to be back at WSF. She says she never imagined herself returning but once she met Steve Nevey, that all changed.

When she heard about the exciting new direction he was taking the operations department to improve culture, she knew she wanted to be a part of it.

“Steve’s empathy, humility and vision for WSF is what excites me to come back to WSF and do this culture work so we can all be proud to say we work at WSF,” Beth said. “I truly want to achieve operational and service excellence, and have the maritime industry say ‘Wow, that is where I want to be!’”

As of this month, Beth is our operations director on a permanent basis. She had been serving in this role on an interim basis the previous two months when Steve Nevey became assistant secretary.

Prior to serving as interim director of operations, Beth made significant strides in establishing our office of operational excellence.

Beth joined WSF as an entry-level deckhand in 1996 and worked her way up to captain and then port captain, before taking a six-year hiatus to raise her family. Beth returned last year and has demonstrated her ability to serve as a capable, strong leader focused on advancing recruitment and positive culture change.

Outside of work, Beth loves building tree forts, riding dirt bikes and taking wild adventures with her two daughters and wife.

Nautical Numbers

Here are some numbers that recap what we did in April:

1,514,429 total riders

753,211 drivers (with vehicle)
761,218 passengers and walk-ons

11,857 trips completed

64,321 service miles

95.4 % trip reliability (based on scheduled trips)

213 medical priority loads/medevacs

6 lifesaving events

34 whale sightings (32 of them orcas)

Playbook, strategic direction to help chart our course to culture change

Assistant Secretary Steve Nevey has been sending all-staff emails about the playbook and strategic direction guiding culture change at WSF.

What exactly are they?

The purpose of the playbook is to describe the ideal future we believe is possible for WSF. In many ways, the playbook provides an aspirational description of our organization. The truth is we can only cocreate a better future together. Transitioning the playbook from intention to reality will take the hearts and minds, backs and hands of each and every one of us.

Diagram showing Washington State Ferries' strategic direction — Our strategic direction is intended to help frame our current challenges in a bigger context and define leverage points for constructive change. When we align our efforts around service excellence, improved communication and empowered people, we are well on our way to becoming the standard against which every other ferry system will measure themselves.

Together, the playbook and our strategic direction provide a roadmap for aligning our efforts and posture us for future success. If you haven’t already done so, please take a moment to share your thoughts and improvement suggestions.

Assistant Secretary Award recipient

Ticket Seller Bill Fletcher was named recipient of the 2024 WSF Assistant Secretary Award at our all-staff meeting April 18.

The annual award goes to an all-around great employee who exemplifies the best of what it means to be a public servant with our agency. It recognizes someone who achieves great results and goes about their work in a way that makes you proud to be part of WSF.

Person looking out a tollbooth — Ticket Seller Bill Fletcher is a nearly 50-year employee who works on our Port Townsend/Coupeville route.

Here’s an excerpt from a colleague: “Bill is a leader for the whole crew in Port Townsend; all the sellers and traffic attendants look up to him; the history and knowledge he has is phenomenal. He still carries the same passion for his job that he did on day #1.”

Congratulations Bill and thank you for your incredible public service.

Construction Corner

Wooden decking replacement work at Southworth terminal to take over 2 trestle lanes

Construction crews will arrive at our Southworth terminal May 13 to begin work to replace the rotting decking on the pedestrian walkway.

Space will get tight on the trestle starting May 20 when crews take two lanes of it – one for a work zone and the other for a pedestrian and bike lane. The work is expected to last three weeks.

Graphic overlay of aerial of Southworth terminal showing locations of construction activities — Much of the vehicle holding space on the dock will be used as a temporary pedestrian and bike pathway and a buffer between it and the work zone.

Additional terminal staff will be on hand to manage the holding lanes to minimize delays to the Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth sailings. This is especially important as large Vashon-bound trucks need to back down the trestle onto the ferry.

Communications has created posters and handouts for vessels and terminals serving our “Triangle” and Point Defiance/Tahlequah routes, alerting passengers of the work and advising people to plan ahead and take alternate routes, if possible.

We’re doing this work now so it’s complete ahead of the busy summer travel season.

What’s Up at WSDOT?

May 5-11 is Public Service Recognition Week – an opportunity to recognize the valuable service we provide for our state and to celebrate our accomplishments.

In honor of Public Service Recognition Week, several celebrations are being planned across the state, including in-person outdoor events in Olympia, Spokane and the Tri-Cities.

The Seattle Mariners will be hosting Washington State Employees Night on Saturday, May 11. More details about these events are available on the Office of Financial Management’s PSRW webpage.

Each year as part of Public Service Recognition Week, awards are presented to state employees who go above and beyond the requirements of their job. Nominated by their peers, these employees stand out for the contributions they make to their organizations and communities.

This year, one of our own is being recognized. Haydan Francis from WSDOT’s Eastern Region maintenance team won the PSRW Extra Mile award. He is being honored for demonstrating exceptional leadership and courage in ensuring the safety of his team during a dangerous and unpredictable situation in September 2023 when an armed man stole a WSDOT vehicle from a shed.

As Secretary of Transportation Roger Millar said in his all-staff message to staff about Public Service Recognition Week, “It is the people of WSDOT, working day in and day out for the public, who make our agency successful.”