Deputy Director Karen Goon will serve as interim director of the Public Works and Utilities Department following Director John Trents retirement at years end.
The appointment by County Executive John Ladenburg is effective Jan. 2.
Goon has been the departments deputy director for six years. During that period, she served a short assignment as interim director of the Medical Examiners Office.
Previously, she served five years as a deputy prosecutor, and the Utilities Department (which later merged with Public Works) was her primary client.
She joined the county in 1987 as a legal intern at the Public Works Department.
Her educational background is highlighted by a law degree from the University of Puget Sound and a masters degree in public administration from Seattle University.
Goon, and her spouse, Puyallup Municipal Court Judge Steve Shelton, have a daughter, Zoe, who was born in March and will be celebrating her first Christmas this week.
