Sound Transit names Honeywell chief HR officer, surpasses diversity goals

Sound Transit has hired Julie Honeywell as chief human resources officer, the agency announced late last week.

She previously held the same position at Paladino and Co., a building and sustainability consulting firm. Before that, Honeywell served in human resources roles at publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

"I look forward to Julie's contributions to a number of new and very important initiatives, including strengthening our staff training and development efforts, expanding our outreach to recruit a dynamic and diverse workforce, and building a more collaborative agency culture," said Sound Transit Chief Executive Officer Peter Rogoff in a press release.

Earlier in her career, Honeywell managed human resources for Promissor, a global firm focusing on licensure and certification testing.

Meanwhile, Sound Transit last week announced that it's continuing to exceed goals for contracting with disadvantaged business enterprises (DBEs) and small businesses that employ women and people of color.

Last year, the agency awarded $51.8 million worth of DBE construction contracts, which represented 15.7 percent DBE attainment, compared to the agency's goal of 12.4 percent.

Workforce diversity under Sound Transit's labor agreements also exceeded goals, with total project hours for people of color at 27.2 percent, compared to a goal of 21 percent.