Category: Feature

When North Kitsap School District Superintendent Rachel Davenport walks into a classroom, she doesn’t just see students learning math, science, or history. She sees future welders, nurses, software engineers, and small business owners. She sees the heartbeat of Kitsap’s economy—and the responsibility of public education to help shape it.

Rachele Turnbull is quietly reshaping what it means to lead in construction. As CEO of Clark Construction, she combines technical expertise, vision, and a collaborative leadership style to build not only structures, but also opportunities—for her employees, her clients, and the next generation of women in the trades.

As Chair of the Greater Kitsap Chamber Board and a key leader at Land Title Company of Kitsap County, Susan Larsen has become a linchpin in the region’s ongoing story of growth, change, and community resilience. Her journey is one marked by adaptability, mentorship, and a belief that the best kind of leadership happens when people feel connected and empowered.

In Kitsap County’s evolving business landscape, Monica Blackwood is known as a connector, a strategist, and a steady advocate for people. As President and CEO of West Sound Workforce, she has built her career on bridging the gap between employers looking for talent and job seekers searching for opportunity.

Tara Scouten knows firsthand what it means to dream of a home. Growing up in Minnesota, she watched her single mother juggle multiple jobs just to keep food on the table. Out of those struggles came two ambitions that shaped her life: to be the first in her family to graduate from college, and to one day have a home of her own. 

When a devastating earthquake struck Morocco’s High Atlas Mountains in September 2023, entire communities were reduced to rubble. For many families, centuries-old homes—built from rock and mud, passed down through generations—crumbled in an instant. In the wake of this disaster, a small but determined nonprofit, Friends of the Rif, stepped in to help rebuild not just houses, but hope.

On a sun-dappled morning on Bainbridge Island, the hum of creativity is palpable inside the Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network—better known as BARN. 

In the sprawling 25,000-square-foot facility, the air is alive with the sounds of saws in the woodshop, the rhythmic clatter of looms in the fiber studio, and the quiet focus of artists, makers, and learners of all ages. But BARN is more than just a collection of studios and tools; it is a living, breathing community where craft, learning, and service come together to foster connection and innovation.

When residents near Hansville first heard that aerial pesticide spraying was coming to the clear-cut timberlands just outside their community, they didn’t know they were about to start a countywide movement.

The news hit in 2018, at the height of national headlines about glyphosate — the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup — and the growing list of lawsuits linking it to cancer and other serious illnesses. People in Kitsap County began to connect the dots between those headlines and the reality in their own backyard.

In the heart of Kitsap, Vibe Coworks is more than just a place to get work done. It’s a thriving community, a hub for innovation, and a testament to the power of connection in the modern working world. As remote and hybrid work reshape the landscape of business, Vibe Coworks stands out as a beacon for professionals seeking not only a desk, but a sense of belonging, growth, and inspiration.

For nearly half a century, the Bremerton-Kitsap Airporter has been more than just a shuttle service. For residents of the Kitsap Peninsula, it has been a lifeline—a reliable link to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and, by extension, the wider world. But beyond the miles traveled and passengers carried, the company has built a legacy rooted in family, service, and community.