The Thurston County community gathered in Olympia on Wednesday to celebrate three leaders who have made significant impacts in the community: TVW, the Squaxin Island Tribe and Sensory Tool House LLC founder Katie McMurray.
Leadership Thurston County, an educational program run by the Thurston County Chamber Foundation, presents the Distinguished Leader Awards every year to celebrate community leadership and recognize leaders who demonstrate outstanding initiative, inspire others, and make a significant community impact.
“Leadership is all around us, whether we want it or not. Everyone is watching and looking for goodness in the world, especially now, when we need it the most,” said Jeff Barehand, president and CEO of Sky Bear Media and emcee of Wednesday’s award ceremony.
“Leadership Thurston County's mantra for years is ‘great leaders make great communities,’ and I think you've heard plenty of that tonight, and have witnessed it and felt it,” said Thurston County Chamber President and CEO David Schaffert.
Videos made by Bear Sky Media celebrating each award recipient are accessible online at https://leadthurstoncounty.com/dla.
TVW
A nonprofit founded in 1993 on the belief that the public has the right to know what their government is doing, TVW provides live, unedited coverage of proceedings for all three branches of Washington state government.
TVW maintains a repository of digital archives dating back to its first broadcast in 1995 providing access to current and historical digital resources, with a goal of increasing civic access and engagement.
“TVW does more than report what happens. It teaches democracy in action, inviting every citizen into the public square,” Barehand said. “TVW empowers citizens to participate, engage and make informed decisions that shape our communities. They strengthen the connection between people and their government, foster civic dialogue and inspire collective action around the globe.”
Individual TVW board members have won Distinguished Leader awards in the past, but this is the first year TVW as an organization has been recognized.
“We do really important work,” said TVW President and CEO Renee Radcliff Sinclair. “You may have heard the Legislature is in town. Sometimes, in the rush of what happens when they're in town, we can forget, and so it's really good for me tonight to be reminded just how important the work we are doing is.”
Squaxin Island Tribe
Members of the Squaxin Island Tribe are descendants of the maritime people who lived along the shores and watersheds of the seven southernmost inlets of Puget Sound for many thousands of years.
The tribe has been a guardian of the Puget Sound for generations, leading efforts to protect clean water, restore shellfish beds and make decisions that will honor and benefit those who come after.
“Squaxin Island Tribe has long understood that leadership is not just about influence. It is about stewardship. It is about showing up for the land and water to sustain us, for the health and wellbeing of the community and for the partnerships that strengthen our entire region for generations,” Barehand said.
“As Squaxins, we don't see ourselves as leaders. We see ourselves as partners,” said Squaxin Island Tribe Chairman Kris Peters.
He later added, “We love this land, we love these waters, we love this area. We're not trying to be leaders. We're just trying to do the good, right thing.”
The tribe recently purchased the Lee Creighton Justice Center from the City of Olympia, with the goal of transforming the 10.7-acre campus into a hotel with a meeting space and restaurant — a move tribal leaders say will benefit both the Squaxin Island Tribe and Thurston County.
“Honestly, we love the City of Olympia and Thurston County, Tumwater, Lacey. They're good partners, are good people, and we know that we can be truly stewards of this land and move it forward in a good way by working together,” Peters said.
Katie McMurray
A certified disability management specialist with four neurodivergent children, McMurray founded Sensory Tool House, LLC in 2021 after a friend asked her where to buy a sensory swing McMurray had in her home.
Most items that benefit neurodivergent people have to be ordered online, which often leads to items needing to be returned because the person couldn’t feel and experience items that could support them in a safe, sensory-friendly environment.
She opened a brick-and-mortar shop in Lacey to help make resources and products that help neurodivergent people more accessible in the Thurston County area.
The Thurston County Chamber of Commerce awarded McMurray a Boss of the Year award in 2023 for her commitment to including and supporting neurodivergent employees in the workplace.
She extends Sensory Tool House’s mission further by providing training, workshops and accessible business and event consulting.
“At the heart of all is a simple belief: no parent should ever have to apologize for their child's sensory needs. At Sensory Tool House, regulatory behaviors are met with understanding, never judgment. This is a space where differences are honored. Support is unconditional, and every person is allowed to exist exactly as they are,” Barehand said.
McMurray was unable to attend Wednesday’s award ceremony in person, disclosing over video that she had recently been diagnosed with colorectal cancer and had just finished a round of chemotherapy.
“I am weak and nauseous, and I don't want a ‘Pitch Perfect’ moment on the stage,” McMurray joked.
She spoke briefly about her experience, noting that there is no history of colorectal cancer in her family and she’s below the recommended screening age.
She encouraged anyone who is of screening age or who is concerned about family history to advocate for themselves and hopefully catch the cancer earlier than she did.
“I hope that me asking you to advocate for yourself and get screened will help at least one person not have to go through what I'm going through, and my family is going through, and my team,” McMurray said.
She thanked her team for their support and their ongoing work in the community.
“It takes not only my team, but a community willing to learn, evaluate and adjust to break down the barriers that those who are neurodivergent and disabled face every day,” she said.
McMurray and her team received a standing ovation when McMurray ended her video message and Sensory Tool House employees accepted the Distinguished Leader Award on her behalf.
