Career Path Services Snohomish Team

In June of 2022, Career Path Services was awarded the Snohomish County WIOA Title I Adult/ Dislocated Worker grants. This is the first time Career Path has served Snohomish County, and we are excited to introduce a brand-new Career Path Services team!

The Transition Team has also been a critical source of support during this startup. For this introduction, we asked each staff team member to choose one CPS value and what it means to them.

Heidi Schauble – Program Operator:
Integrity: As a leader, integrity guides how I interact with staff, stakeholders, and the community. It means I commit to doing the right thing, even when no one is looking. And to align my actions with my values even when there are personal risks. It means that I advocate for our customers and staff and
confront hard conversations head-on. One of the reasons I applied with CPS is because I could tell we “walk the walk” and consistently receive, respond, and value feedback from staff and customers.

Jodi Mackie – Transition Team/ Lead Employment Specialist:
Integrity: Integrity is important to me, and I also value this in others. Integrity to me encompasses expressing gratitude for others, being honest and open, taking responsibility and accountability for your actions – good or bad, respecting yourself and others no matter where or what you are doing, and
demonstrating reliability and trustworthiness. Career Path Services upholds this standard of integrity with its staff, showing transparency and commitment to its employees.

Stephanie Shaw – Program & Compliance Specialist:
Generosity: We are entering a season often associated with generosity, but it is an important virtue year round. Wealth is unbalanced in this world; whether that’s a wealth of finances, a wealth of time, a wealth of joy, a wealth of ease and privilege, most of us have more than some and less than others. Empathy motivates me to be generous with my wealth. Feeling like you need something you don’t have the means to provide yourself with is scary. If I can meet those needs for someone else – to ease their fears and increase their safety and comfort – then I’ll do it. The positive impact I can make on their lives and mine is far greater than any loss I might experience. After all, one of the key factors in developing true wealth is being generous with what you have.

Casey Bogert – Transition Manager:
Visionary: Right now, the CPS value I most identify with is visionary. As part of the Transition team, we have had to take this value into extreme practice by serving a new area and on a new team. Thinking outside the box and finding new ways to serve our communities is essential to our organization’s
mission and philosophy of meeting people where they are. I love working for an organization that constantly thinks about “How might we?” or “Why can’t we?” instead of staying with the way it’s always been done because it’s easy.

Christina Shaffer – Transition Team/ Program Analyst:
Visionary: A visionary innovates and contributes to the work in our communities. Some visionaries see the big picture, and some develop systems to get there. We are fortunate to have both collaborating to build, refine, and finalize results. Career Path Services encourages all staff to dream about how to support the organization’s mission in innovative ways. Leaders lean into feedback from frontline staff about how we can improve things.

Isiaih Nelson – Program Tech:
Courage: What does courage mean to me? Courage means being the voice for people who can’t speak for themselves. It means being an advocate for your customers and helping them navigate the struggle that is looking for sustainable employment. Courage is doing what pulls you out of your comfort zone but doing it anyways because it is the most impactful or beneficial for your team or your customers. Courage is something that everyone must face before taking steps to ask for help. This value sticks with me the most because everyone involved in our work shows courage in their own way. For example, the customers show us courage by asking for assistance. For those reasons, Courage is the value that holds the most weight for me.

Jodie Jones – Transition Team/ Employment Specialist:
Courage: Courage does not mean an absence of fear; instead, it means the ability to try even in the face of fear. When people are courageous, it is necessary to acknowledge fear; many of our staff and customers are trying something new, or they’re in a new environment, job, school, role, or place and time. Communication is key; stepping outside our comfort zone is the only thing that invites growth. Taking risks, whether it be a new job, a new work assignment, or writing a resume-whatever the risk, it is an opportunity for courage.

Sharenzaa Baldeh – Guest Resource Specialist:
Leadership: To me, leadership means being the go-to person to lead a team or group. They usually have confidence that they can lead the group. The leader usually is the one that says we can and empowers the team to move forward and encourage positive behavior! Leaders try to make an activity out of a task that builds learning and empowers individuals that we are in this together. Leaders try to make an activity out of tasks that build learning and empower individuals to value their mission and focus on the bigger picture! Also, they collaborate and keep process improvement front and center. Those that see themselves as leaders believe in commitment to be a lifelong learner. Leaders usually enjoy helping others, no matter the cause; it comes naturally, and they are highly resourceful in getting things done. Those who believe leadership is instilled in them always try to do the right thing. They guide others to success because they, too, are being guided. Leadership means not having all the answers, embracing that, and recognizing when to let another group member speak up with an idea or a thought. Someone who believes they’re a true leader carries that everywhere. Lastly, we instill a sense of rightness in the youth by promoting leadership and other community members.

Yvonne Pease – Employment Specialist:
Integrity/ Courage: My favorite value is Integrity. However, integrity also involves courage. I feel that exhibiting personal integrity with our customers and coworkers makes for a stronger, more compassionate, and more professional environment.

Parker Leach – Employment Specialist:
Integrity: While every Career Path Service’s core value is something everyone should strive for, integrity is the piece that holds it all together. Regardless of the profession someone pursues, while you may find success, if you don’t believe in what you’re saying and back it up at any opportunity, you won’t find fulfillment. I take comfort in knowing that whatever I say, I will back it up with pride. In my few short weeks here, I now also take comfort in knowing that I can expect the same from everyone here.

Tandy Imhoff – Employment Specialist:
Leadership: In my work, I have always strived to be an exceptional leader, teaching through example and being someone to whom individuals can come when they need help and guidance. Communicating in honest interactions, and being transparent in the message I send out, both verbally and non-verbally, are critical parts of being an effective leader. Leadership is an important quality, and every person I help teaches me something.

Tess Wardle – Employment Specialist:
Visionary: A visionary mindset is about creativity and is crucial in creating lasting change. It is implemented in every core value at Career Path Services and even aspects of myself. Being a visionary allows my courage to thrive, gives me the tools to become a better leader, solidifies my integrity to myself and others, extends my generosity to those in need, and lets my excellence be a part of every aspect of what I choose to do. I actively seek out environments that empower me to kindle those flames.

Liza Neal – Employment Specialist:
Courage: As powerful guiding values as Integrity, Generosity, Excellence, Leadership, and Visionary are, those values can’t accomplish anything without the Courage to act in the face of adversity. It takes courage to stand beside someone while they try something potentially embarrassing for the first
time, or more importantly, stand up to an entire community when they are protecting the wants of the powerful at the expense of the needs of those who struggle.

Jessica Brasher- Transition Program Operator:
Excellence: The value most important to me is the Career Path Services value of excellence. Excellence is defined as the quality of being outstanding or extremely good. Excellence is not perfection. Excellence means taking pride in your work and constantly raising to the highest standard for our customers, teammates, and community partners. I believe this value is alive and known within our organization, and it is what makes me so proud to represent Career Path Services. Even if I have not met every individual who works for Career Path Services, I know every individual share the same commitment to excellence in the work we do. Collectively we represent an outstanding organization that does outstanding work across the state. I am incredibly proud to be a part of such a wonderful body of work that truly changes people’s lives for the better and, in doing so, improves the quality of life for all in the community. Our commitment to excellence in everything we do has an exponential effect on the trajectory of the lives of our customers
and their families. Quite simply, through our work, we make a difference. I feel blessed to be able to contribute to the excellence in workforce development and human services that our communities deserve.