Renton Residents Among First Graduates of King County Veterans' Program

Renton residents Corrie Maxwell and Jason Schluter are among the county's first graduates of a program to help prepare military veterans for civilian jobs.

Maxwell and Schluter, a native of Renton, were among the first group of graduates in King County's Heroes Employment Reintegration Opportunity (HERO) Program, which places military veterans in six-month paid internships in various departments in King County.

Voters authorized the King County Veterans and Human Services Levy, which partially pays for the program.

Maxwell, originally from Yakima, was a Petty Officer Third Class in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps, having served at the Naval Dental Clinic, Naval Air Station Moffett Field, Calif.; the Naval Dental Center in San Diego; and with the 1st Dental Battalion, 1st Force Service Support Group, Camp Pendleton, Calif. She is applying for the dental hygiene program at Seattle Central Community College for the fall of 2014, according to the county.

She interned at the Department of Community and Human Services, Community Services Division.

Schluter was a Specialist in the U.S. Army having served at Kunsan Air Base in South Korea; McGregor Range in New Mexico; Fort Bliss, Texas; and Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He interned with King County Elections.

"When I drafted this legislation, I never could have envisioned how successful the Veteran Internship program would be in assisting these heroes make the transition into the civilian workforce," Councilmember Reagan Dunn, the prime sponsor of the ordinance creating the HERO Program, said, according to the press release. "We have now all seen first-hand the success of this program and I look forward to its continued growth. I encourage other public and private entities to look into implementing this program in their own organization."

For more information about the HERO Program, call 206-477-3261 or visit www.kingcounty.gov/jobs. For information about the King County Veterans Program, visit www.kingcounty.gov/veterans.