Our History 

Cares of Washington has been providing services for people with low incomes and disabilities for over 40 years. The organization was first established in 1980 in Seattle as the International Assoc. of Machinists Center for Administrating Rehabilitation and Employment Services or “IAM CARES”. The original charter was to return injured Boeing Machinists to work. When the national IAM CARES organization closed in 2003, the Puget Sound office of IAM CARES incorporated with the new name ‘Cares of Washington’ and officially became an independent 501c3 WA State nonprofit with a broader mission and a more diverse funding base. We are headquartered in Seattle and provide services in Snohomish, King, Pierce and Kitsap counties. Cares is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF).

Mission

Cares of Washington’s mission is to “support people with disabilities and low incomes to realize their purpose, potential, and strength”

Vision

Our vision is  “An equitable, inclusive community committed to stability and fulfillment”

From the CEO

Cares staff vision is that every person we work with has the opportunity to achieve their fullest potential and participate in and contribute to all aspects of life/work and each person is ensured equality. We are a community minded, people-centered organization, and we set high expectations for our employees. Each employee takes the responsibility to follow and use efficient and creative yet flexible and agile strategies and procedures to reach the planned goals for each person. Our commitment to continuing employee education and engagement drive the success of everything we do, leading to positive results and services that are valuable to our clients. With a strong focus on quality, responsibility and reliability we will continue to create more jobs for people who face significant barriers to employment. By focusing on trust and people’s abilities—what each of us can do—we support an inclusive community that embraces life and all the changes that come with living.

- Lars Nowack, CEO

Who We Are

Employment and Community Inclusion Team

Wendy Ehr, Program Manager

Katherine Berg, Employment Specialist

Jared Sand, Training, DVR and TTW coordinator

Kate Torrella, King County Asst Manager

Jannine Cornethan, Employment Support Specialist

Collin Caneva, Employment Specialist

Phillip Galbraith, Employment Specialist

Stephanie Starks, Employment Specialist

Dennis Tsoi, Employment Specialist

Lizbeth Lopez, Employment Specialist

Alexis Mansel, Employment Specialist

Marques Hampton, Employment Specialist

Molly Baryo, Employment Specialist

Advancement Team

Ruth Harmony, Program Manager

Open position, Employment Specialist

Susanne Abiem, Homeless Outreach Specialist

Bo Roscoe, Employment Coach

Stephanie Diaz, Employment specialist

Accounting/Admin Team

Pattie Stibre, Bookkeeper

Michelle Hood, Accounting Assistant

Glenn Sterley, Admin Assistant