Kathy Baros Friedt
Printable Bio
I have more than thirty years in state government, twenty of which have been in executive level positions across six state agencies. My training and experience includes respectful problem solving and issue resolution in both the workplace and in the community.
Two primary skills have grown out of my long held passion for public and community service:
- I’ve learned how to quickly assess what’s really going with a team, and how to create a work environment in which people are focused and productive.
- I am a certified mediator and have learned to apply my conflict resolution skills in a variety of organizational settings.
I currently serve as chair of the Washington State Human Rights Commission and sit on the boards of many local non-profit organizations. I am also a charter member of, and continue to volunteer with, the Hispanic Women’s Network. My work in the community has been recognized by others in a variety of ways:
- Selected as one of The Women of Achievement by The Business Examiner in 2003.
- Chosen as one of Thurston County’s Top Ten Outstanding Citizens of the Year, in 1999 and again in 2005, by the Kiwanis Clubs of Olympia.
- Received the YMCA Woman of Achievement Diversity Award in 1998.
I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Education from the University of Northern Colorado, attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government Programs for Senior Executives in State Government at Harvard, and have completed advanced training in mediation techniques through the Thurston County Dispute Resolution Center.
