True to the trades: Heather Kurtenbach joins the WSOS Board
Washington’s future depends on a strong, skilled workforce — especially in the trades that build, power, and maintain our communities. From infrastructure, housing, and transportation to the projects that keep Washington running, the trades play a central role in building and maintaining our communities.
That is why we are proud to welcome Heather Kurtenbach to the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship (WSOS) Board of Directors.
Heather is the Executive Secretary of the Washington State Building & Construction Trades Council, where she helps guide statewide workforce strategy across the unionized construction trades. In this role, she is advancing efforts to:
- Expand access to union apprenticeship across all communities
- Strengthen pathways for women, BIPOC, veterans, and re‑entry workers
- Advocate for family‑wage jobs, workforce justice, and safe job sites
- Build a resilient, highly skilled labor force ready for Washington’s infrastructure and clean energy future
Her leadership reflects the same priorities that drive WSOS’s work in the trades — creating clear, supported pathways to high‑demand, living-wage careers for students furthest from opportunity.
From the job site to statewide leadership
Heather’s perspective is grounded in lived experience. She began her career in the construction industry as an ironworker, gaining hands‑on experience in the field and firsthand insight into the power of apprenticeship as a pathway to economic mobility.
Over nearly two decades in the trades, Heather has served in union leadership roles and worked as a general foreman on the SR 520 Bridge project, one of the region’s most complex infrastructure efforts. In 2019, she was appointed Political Director of Iron Workers Local 86, where she advocated for workers’ rights and engaged directly with policymakers on issues shaping Washington’s construction workforce.
Today, as Executive Secretary of the Washington State Building & Construction Trades Council, Heather sits at the center of conversations about workforce development, equity, and long‑term talent pipelines across the trades. She also brings deep governance experience through her service on the Workforce Education Investment Accountability and Oversight Board, the Board of Kids’ Chance of Washington, and as founder and Board President of BuildUp, an organization focused on expanding access to registered apprenticeships for historically marginalized communities.
Why the trades – and why CTS
Heather’s career reflects what we know to be true at WSOS: the trades offer some of Washington’s most stable, high‑demand, family‑wage careers — and apprenticeship and technical education are among the most direct routes to those opportunities.
The Career & Technical Scholarship (CTS) supports students pursuing certificates, associate degrees, and approved apprenticeships in high‑demand fields, including construction and the skilled trades. CTS provides up to $1,500 per quarter and can be used for tuition as well as essential costs like housing, transportation, food, and tools — barriers that too often stand between students and completion.
For students interested in the trades, CTS helps turn ambition into action by supporting the skills, credentials, and experience needed to step directly into Washington’s workforce. If you or someone you know is pursuing a certificate, associate degree, or apprenticeship in a high‑demand field, now is the time to apply.