Washoe County Manager Kate Thomas emphasizes staff wellness while outlining homelessness, mental-health efforts

Washoe County Manager Kate Thomas said the county’s ability to serve vulnerable residents depends on supporting its workforce and expanding coordinated homelessness and behavioral-health services.

Thomas, introduced in the profile piece as having more than 30 years in public service and joining Washoe County in 2017 as assistant county manager, said that workforce capacity matters because "in local government, in state government, 70 to 80% of the service delivery comes from people." She described balance — between attending board meetings, community events and departmental oversight — as essential to effective leadership.

Thomas outlined recent and ongoing efforts the county is leading to address homelessness and behavioral health. According to the profile, she helped lead work with the state to expand services at the Northern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services Campus and to open Washoe County’s Our Place shelter for women and families. The county now serves as the lead agency for regional homeless services and is cited as taking over the CARES Campus, operating Safe Camp and opening the Washoe Children’s Behavioral Health Center.

On workforce questions, Thomas said employee wellness and opportunities for skill growth are priorities. "If we're burned out, um if we are bored, if we are not given opportunities to do things that are outside of what we need to work on every single day...those opportunities need to come," she said, arguing that such opportunities help staff feel they are making a difference. The profile notes Thomas leads more than 3,000 employees across 24 departments and framed staff support as foundational to delivering community services.

The piece alternates between narrator summaries of Thomas's accomplishments and direct quotations attributed to Thomas. A transcription error in the original text rendered the county name once as "Washtenaw County"; the correct name is Washoe County. The profile does not list votes, formal actions or next procedural steps; it presents Thomas's priorities and the county programs she oversees.