About Charlotte
A resident of Kitsap County for over 30 years, Charlotte Garrido has consistently applied her dedication to maintaining and improving the quality of life in Kitsap County. Charlotte and her husband, Ray, have welcomed six foster children into their home over the years.
In recent years Charlotte has worked as a consultant and higher education planner focusing on helping the people of Kitsap County gain living wage jobs through increased access to a four-year college education that will help develop local businesses. She helped facilitate the Sustainable Kitsap series, and organized the Tribal Law Summit, and Earth Day events as well as interest groups for civics, agriculture, and entrepreneurship including education and research coordination with the Kitsap Sustainable Energy and Economic Development (SEED) project.
Charlotte served one term on the Kitsap County Board of Commissioners. During that time she was responsible to adopt a balanced budget of over $300 million annually, developed a strategic planning program to reduce the cost of government and improve county services, and passed a valid county comprehensive plan. In addition, she was instrumental to creating a local “one-stop” Workforce Development Center that provides job training, job counseling and job placement services. It also helps match employers and potential employees and introducing democratic guiding principles for participatory processes. As a County Commissioner, she served on the following regional boards and councils:
|
|
Charlotte’s extensive professional career includes small business ownership, education, community service, and corporate experiences. She earned her doctorate in Urban Planning from the University of Washington in 2002. She supervised a domestic violence outreach program for the YWCA and helped establish a new transitional housing program. She also has been elected to the South Kitsap Parks and Recreation District.
Charlotte has worked as a planning consultant helping local governments and citizens form effective relationships. She mentored for Goucher College and taught at the University of Washington’s Department of Urban Design and Planning. At ABC-TV, Charlotte became the first woman in the U.S. to coordinate national broadcasts for a major television network. She co-founded the Kitsap Regional Farmers’ Market and the Poulsbo Fibercrafter’s Cooperative to encourage local farming – and spearheaded the Olalla Creek Project to promote community water quality awareness.
In 2002, Charlotte received the YWCA of Kitsap County Woman of Achievement award. She was recognized with the Kitsap County Martin Luther King Day “Keeper of the Dream Award” in 2001. In 1998, she received the prestigious American Planning Association Diana Donald Award for “a significant contribution to planning issues related to women and the family.” Charlotte has also served on:
- Governor’s Affordable Housing Advisory Board,
- the State Municipal Research Council,
- Public Works Board,
- and the Kitsap County Boundary Review Board.