OLYMPIA -- DSHS Public Records and Privacy Manager Kristal Wiitala has received the prestigious 2008 Frank Homan Award from the Washington State Bar Association's Administrative Law Section.

Honored at a ceremony in Olympia May 13, Wiitala was praised for her long-term distinguished service as an administrative lawyer in state government and an expert in public disclosure of government records.

Wiitala was a senior editor and co-author of the Bar Association's authoritative Public Records Act Deskbook which is the go-to reference for lawyers, the public and the courts working on public records disclosure matters.

"We're proud to have Kristal on our DSHS team," said DSHS Chief Risk Officer Kevin Krueger. "She works tirelessly to ensure that the public has appropriate access to the documents created by their state government."

The award is named after the late Senior Administrative Law Judge Frank Homan who served 28 years with the Office of Administrative Hearings.

# # #

DSHS does not discriminate and provides equal access to its programs and services for all persons without regard to race, color, gender, religion, creed, marital status, national origin, sexual orientation, age, veteran's status or the presence of any physical, sensory or mental disability.