WHEREAS, Keith Cotton first began his long and valued service to the state in 2001 as an intern in the Washington State Department of Transportation in the planning office where he helped launch the first editions of the Gray Notebook, the national standard for performance reporting by a state agency; and

WHEREAS, Keith met his wife Megan while working in the Environmental Services Office in 2003, where he collaborated with others to assist in mitigating the environmental impacts associated with improving and preserving the state highway system; and

WHEREAS, Keith brought his talents (and his houseplants) to the Public Transportation Division in 2005, which would become his WSDOT home for the next fourteen years, the Public Transportation Division; and

WHEREAS, Keith's vision, diligence, and sense of innovation helped WSDOT develop and implement several projects while managing the state Commute Trip Reduction Program, a program that kept over 34,500 cars off of Puget Sound area streets and highways to help reduce congestion between 2017 and 2018 and saves more than four million gallons of fuel each year; and

WHEREAS, Keith's consistency of character, sense of humor, humility, and empathy for others made him an employee that his bosses, coworkers, and direct reports would run through walls for if asked to; and

WHEREAS, Keith established a sense of community through organizing events and outings within the public transportation division at WSDOT and beyond through his athleticism and leadership in putting together some of the most dominant softball and dodge ball teams the department has ever fielded; and

WHEREAS, Keith learned that he had a brain tumor the size of a lemon in January of 2013 and responded by fighting his cancer with determination and great ferocity to realize dreams and goals he had made with Megan; and

WHEREAS, Keith and Megan had a beautiful daughter named Grace in 2015 and a handsome son named William in 2018; and

WHEREAS, Keith was a lifelong fan of his beloved Chicago Cubs and was able to attend the 2016 World Series in person and was able to fly his "W" flag with pride after the Cubs won their first World Series since 1908; and

WHEREAS, Keith raised thousands of dollars for brain cancer research and clinical trials through his participation in the Seattle Brain Cancer Walk with friends, family, and fellow employees; and

WHEREAS, Keith Carroll Cotton passed away on November 9, 2019, and left behind a legacy as a fighter, a devoted father and husband, an amazing friend, and a standout employee for the Washington State Department of Transportation;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Senate of the state of Washington recognize and laud the important contributions of former WSDOT employee Keith Cotton, and offer our most heartfelt condolences to Keith's family and many friends.