Finding solutions with Stepping Stones
Stepping Stones morning cohort. L-R: Jon Ericson, Juan Linero, Jose Carlos Talavera, Eric Siu, Amanda Harryman, Ian Dawe, Shane Patterson, Aric Chavez, Jonathan Peebles, Jiyoung Park, Liam Flynn, Nicholas Safka Misty Shock Rule/University of Washington
On the afternoon of Nov. 21, carpenter Jen Weiss stood in front of a room of around 25 people in the UW Facilities (UWF) Training Center. Notecards in hand, she delivered her capstone presentation for Stepping Stones for Success, the UWF leadership program for nonsupervisory staff.
Weiss demoed the system she created for tracking the location of her shop’s scissor lift. She described how she collaborated with UWF’s Business Intelligence and Technology team on a prototype and tested it with her shop.
“I have an inherent fear of public speaking,” Weiss admitted toward the end of her presentation. “I received overwhelming support from everyone in my cohort. They enabled me to get up here and conquer my fear. And that's powerful, and its growth.”
Afterwards, she received thunderous applause.
Weiss wasn’t alone in pushing herself out of her comfort zone. Over the nine-month program, 25 participants took part in weekly sessions on leadership skills, lectures from departmental experts, job shadowing, mock interviews and more. They all conquered their nerves while giving their capstone presentations, challenging themselves to grow as leaders.
Stepping Stones afternoon cohort. L-R: Justin Mansfield, Simeon Kirrillov, Ryan Richert, Jen Weiss, Jon Merkle, Carmelita Johnstone, Derek Martin, Chy Ling King, Anthony Ringo, Frederico Chavez, Spencer Grover, Antonio Ortega Misty Shock Rule/University of Washington
Carmelita Johnstone, a program assistant administrator with the Customer Care team, delivers her presentation.
Chy Ling King points to examples of invoices she gets during her job with the Stores team.
Derek Martin, a program coordinator with Transportation Services maintenance, describes how AI helped him get better organized.
Training Specialist Sarah Lewis-Assink gets applause from the crowd. Many Stepping Stones participants thanked Lewis-Assink, who manages the program, for their growth.
Josh Gamez, interim associate vice president of Operations, and Steve Tatge, associate vice president of Asset Management, congratulate the graduates.
Changemakers
Changemakers
The capstone projects of many other graduates also focused on solving day-to-day problems. Jose Carlos Talavera, a maintenance custodian, created an inventory of safety and personal protective equipment. Eric Siu, a truck driver lead, created an algorithm for scheduling moving jobs.
Ian Dawe, a program coordinator for UW Surplus, sees how hard it is for those unfamiliar with the Plant Services Building, which houses Surplus, to navigate the building. So he worked to create better signage.
Other graduates focused on improving processes. Ryan Richert, part of the customer care team, updated standard operating procedure documents. And machinery mechanic Simeon Kirrillov created a custom search query in AiM, UWF’s asset management system, to establish a building-based approach to preventative maintenance.
Stepping Stones gave participants the leadership skills to create change — both inside and out.
“I feel a lot of confidence,” said fiscal specialist Chy Ling King. “I don't usually raise my hand, but with this class, I did a lot.”
A number of presentations centered around these internal aspects of leadership, such as psychological safety, empathy and using showmanship to inspire. Others reflected on the role of these skills in their own personal journeys.
Stepping Stones showed participants what it takes to create change in an organization as complex as UWF, and perhaps more importantly, that change is possible.
“It turned out it was much easier than I thought it would be,” said locksmith Spencer Grover, whose project was to add better signage to the Memorial Way circle. Once he connected with the right person, he learned the project was easy to justify because it improved campus safety.
Now he won’t be as hesitant to share his ideas.
“More things will come up and I can say, 'Hey this would be a good idea' and go down the proper channels to make things happen," he said.
Giving back
Giving back
Gardener Liam Flynn missed the last couple months of class when he switched to higher level duty.
“It was cool to see how everybody gives back to their shop,” he said.
Flynn is also giving back to his colleagues with his project. His idea is to create a session with The Whole U for UW staff to walk the grounds with UWF gardeners. It would create more connection, while giving gardeners the chance to step away from the never-ending list of tasks to reflect on their work.
By giving participants the tools they need to create change, Stepping Stones enables them to be the best leader — and colleague — they might want to be.
“This has been really helpful to push myself to further be an advocate,” Talavera, the custodian who created an inventory of safety equipment, said in his presentation. “At the end of the day, I’m a human, and I’m a person just like everybody else. And we all together make this University run.”
Congratulations 2025 Stepping Stones for Success graduates!
Morning cohort:
Amanda Harryman, Program Coordinator, Shop 82 Surplus
Aric Chavez, Control Technician Lead, Shop 69 HVAC
Jose Carlos Talavera, Maintenance Custodian 1, Shop 89 Area E
Eric Siu, Truck Driver Lead, Shop 82 Moving Services
Ian Dawe, Program Coordinator, Shop 82 Surplus
Jiyoung Park, Custodian, Shop 89 Area D
Jon Ericson, Manager of Program Ops, Shop 30 Project Delivery
Jonathan Peebles, Program Coordinator, Shop 79 Customer Care
Jonathan Sandoval, Mason/Plasterer, Shop 54 Construction
Juan Linero, Maintenance Mechanic 2, Shop 17 Health Sciences
Liam Flynn, Gardener, Shop 10 Grounds
Nicholas Safka, Maintenance Mechanic 2, Shop 16 Southwest Zone
Shane Patterson, Program Ops Specialist, Shop 76 Real Estate
Afternoon cohort:
Anthony Ringo, Heavy Equipment Operator, Shop 10 Grounds/Equip
Antonio Ortega, Plumber/Steam/Pipe, Shop 17 Health Sciences
Carmelita Johnstone, Program Assistant Admin, Shop 81 Customer Care
Chy Ling King, Fiscal Specialist 2, Shop 84 Finance
Derek Martin, Program Coordinator, Shop 86 TS Maintenance
Federico Chavez, FOMS, Shop 26 ARCF
Jon Merkle, Machinery Mechanic, Shop 16 Southwest Zone
Justin Mansfield, Light Filter Maint Tech, Shop 41 Maintenance
Ryan Richert, Program Coordinator, Shop 81 Customer Care
Simeon Kirillov, Machinery Mechanic, Shop 14 Central Zone
Spencer Grover, Locksmith, Shop 34 Lockshop
Jen Weiss, Carpenter, Shop 15 Northeast Zone
