Seattle Within Reach

Background

Councilmember Tammy Morales hosted the fifth edition of Seattle Within Reach -- a series, about how we build a Seattle in which everyone has the ability to live, work and play - within reach. This episode focuses on arts and culture.

Watch the 3/29/23 Town Hall

Speakers

Chieko Phillips

Chieko Phillips is the Heritage Program Director at 4Culture, the cultural funding agency for King County, Washington, where she supports organizations and practitioners who preserve and share the histories and material culture of King County, Washington. Previously the Director of BlackPast, an online resource for global African and African American history, she has also held positions at the Northwest African American Museum, the United Negro College Fund, and Photographic Center Northwest. Chieko sits on the board of the Association of King County Historical Organizations and the Washington Museum Association and has previously served as a City of Seattle Arts Commissioner. A graduate of Davidson College, Chieko holds a BA in History and an MA in Museum Studies from the University of Washington.

Randy Engstrom

Randy Engstrom has been a passionate advocate and organizer of cultural and community development for over 20 years. He is currently the owner and principal of Third Way Creative, a collaborative consulting studio focused on cultural policy, racial equity, and creative economy. He is also Adjunct Faculty at the Seattle University Arts Leadership Program where he teaches cultural policy and advocacy, and regular lecturer at the Evan’s School of Governance and Public Policy at the University of Washington. Most recently he served as Director of the Office of Arts and Culture for the City of Seattle where he expanded their investments in granting programs and Public Art, while establishing new programs and policies in arts education, cultural space affordability, and racial equity. At the City he also led several multi-department subcabinets, including Affordability and Livability, Youth Opportunity, The Future of Work, and COVID Recovery. He served as Chair of the Seattle Arts Commission in 2011 and was Chair of the Facilities and Economic Development Committee from 2006 to 2010. Before joining the City he owned Reflex Strategies, a cultural and community based consulting practice. From 2005-2010 Engstrom was the Founding Director of the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, a multimedia and multidisciplinary community space that offers youth and community member’s access to arts, technology, and cultural resources. Prior to Youngstown, Randy spent 3 years as the Founding CEO of Static Factory Media, an artist development organization that owned and operated a record label, bar/performance venue, graphic design house, recording studio, and web development business. In 2009 Randy received the Emerging Leader Award from Americans for the Arts and was one of Puget Sound Business Journal’s 40 Under 40. He is a graduate of the Evergreen State College in Olympia, and he received his Executive Master’s in Public Administration at the University of Washington’s Evans School of Governance and Public Policy.

Erick Arguello

Erick Arguello is the Advocacy Manager under the Center for Social Justice at GLIDE. Erick’s work spans over 25 years advocating to preserve and protect the Missions Latinx Cultural Assets and Latinx immigrant community. He is the Founder and President of Calle 24 Latino Cultural District. There are now 10 cultural districts throughout San Francisco aimed to preserve San Francisco’s cultural diversity. He is the recipient of the 2011 KQED Latino Heritage Month Local Hero Award, 2014 Cesar E. Chavez Legacy Award, 2014 San Francisco Latino Heritage Award, 2008 LGBTQ Individual Community Grand Marshall, and the 2003 Instituto Familiar De La Raza, Ollin Rodrigo Reyes

Background

Councilmember Tammy Morales hosted the fifth edition of Seattle Within Reach -- a series, about how we build a Seattle in which everyone has the ability to live, work and play - within reach. This episode focuses on environmental and climate justice.

Watch the 2/22 Town Hall

Speakers

• Councilmember Tammy J. Morales, City of Seattle Councilmember
• Katie Valenzuela, Sacramento City Council
• David Mendoza, Director of Public Advocacy and Engagement, the Nature Conservancy

Background

Councilmember Tammy Morales hosted the fourth edition of Seattle Within Reach -- a series, about how we build a Seattle in which everyone has the ability to live, work and play - within reach. This episode focuses on economic development & community wealth building.

Watch the 7/22 Town Hall

Speaker Bios

Tracy Hadden Loh

Tracy Hadden Loh is a Fellow with the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Center for Transformative Placemaking at Brookings Metro. Prior to joining Brookings, Dr. Loh was senior data scientist at the Center for Real Estate and Urban Analysis at the George Washington University School of Business. Dr. Loh was previously the director of research at the Rails-To-Trails Conservancy. Dr. Loh is a graduate of DC public schools and holds a Ph.D. in city and regional planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In addition to her research interest in placemaking, Dr. Loh served two years representing Ward 1 on the Mount Rainier City Council in Prince George’s County, MD. She is currently a member of the board of directors of Greater Greater Washington.

Njuguna Gishuru

Njuguna is a lab leader with the People’s Economy Lab, a Seattle-based organization that works to advance the transition to a regenerative economy in Washington State by supporting the development of new economic models and systems that center and empower Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. He is passionate about implementing transformative economic development strategies that combat white supremacy and its entrenched legacies of injustice. Njuguna’s personal background and extensive experience in banking, consumer protection and community development make him uniquely suited to serve the needs of Black and brown neighbors for true economic empowerment. Njuguna serves as Director on the Boards of the Nehemiah Initiative, Urban Family, NextCycle WA and One Vibe Africa. He is the son of two of Seattle’s most renowned African Community leaders and is deeply committed to advancing their legacy of serivce in Washington State.

Background

Councilmember Tammy Morales hosted the third edition of Seattle Within Reach -- a series, about how we build a Seattle in which everyone has the ability to live, work and play - within reach. The May 26, 2022 event featured a conversation about creating safe streets for all and increasing mobility.

Watch the 5/26 Town Hall

Speaker Bios

Anna Zivarts

Anna Zivarts is a low-vision mom and nondriver who was born with the neurological condition nystagmus. Since launching the Disability Mobility Initiative (DMI) at Disability Rights Washington in 2020, Anna has worked to bring the voices of nondrivers to the planning and policy-making tables. Through DMI, Anna has built a nondriver storymap, compiled the expertise in these stories into a groundbreaking research paper that she presented to the AASHTO Board, and launched a #WeekWithoutDriving challenge for elected leaders to understand what it’s like to get around without driving themselves.

“At least a quarter of the people in our community can’t drive – that’s people like me who have physical disabilities that prevent us from driving, and it’s also young folks, seniors, people who can’t afford cars or gas and people who have anxiety, PTSD or other mental health conditions that make driving not the best choice. We need to build communities where our mobility is just as valued as the mobility of people who have the privilege to get behind the wheel, because those communities will be more resilient, more connected, and more equitable.”

Councillor Christine Boyle- Christine

Councillor Christine Boyle- Christine is a first term City Councillor with OneCity Vancouver, a community organizer, a climate justice activist, and an ordained United Church Minister.

In her first term in office, Councillor Boyle has led Vancouver’s work on addressing the Climate Emergency with a strong equity lens. She led Council to implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. She has supported life-saving responses to the poisoned drug crisis. She has worked to strengthen tenant protections, especially for our most housing insecure neighbours. And she has been instrumental in protecting and expanding non-market, co-op and rental housing in every neighbourhood.

Christine has also done national climate justice organizing among diverse faith communities, including at COP21, and at the Vatican, and with Faith & the Common Good. And she spent many years leading Strategic Communications at the Columbia Institute’s Center for Civic Governance and with GreenJobs BC. Christine was born and raised on unceded Coast Salish Territories. She has a BSc in Urban Agriculture and First Nations Studies from UBC, and a Masters of Religious Leadership for Social Change from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. Christine and her partner Seth Klein are raising two kids in East Vancouver.

Clara Cantor

Clara Cantor (she/her) is a community organizer with Seattle Neighborhood Greenways, advocating for safety and accessibility for people walking, rolling, biking, and accessing transit. She believes in the power of grassroots organizing, the importance of centering those furthest from justice in transportation, and the incredible value of befriending neighbors and bringing people together. Clara is an artist and maker, community builder, and lifelong bike commuter. She lives in the Rainier Valley with her wife and kiddo.

Background

The April 14, 2022 event featured a conversation with Seattle's sister city, Nantes, France - including Deputy Mayor Pierre Emmanuel Marais and Deputy Mayor Mahaut Bertu - as well as Miguel Maestas from El Centro de la Raza and Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, an Alderman from the Chicago City Council.

Watch the 4/14 Town Hall

Speaker Bios

Deputy Mayor Pierre Emmanuel Marais

Pierre Emmanuel Marais is the Federal Secretary and Spokesperson for the Brittany Democratic Union party and Deputy Mayor of Nantes Metropole in charge of transportation, mobility, international relations, and new residents. He was first elected to the Municipal Council in 2014 and then as Deputy Mayor in 20020.

Deputy Mayor Mahaut Bertu

Mahaut Bertu, a member of the Socialist Party and the Environmentalist Left Union, is Deputy Mayor of Nantes Metropole in charge of equity, the non-sexist city, anti-discrimination and community life. She is a member of the Regional Council for the Pays de la Loire region. She was elected in 2020.

Miguel Maestas

Miguel is the Housing and Economic Development Director of El Centro de la Raza (The Center for People of all Races), in Seattle, WA, and has been with El Centro for a total of 22 years. Miguel is actively engaged in community development and organizing communities for advocacy and participation, and has distinguished himself as an effective leader and a respected community organizer. Miguel has had many roles with the organization over the years including youth case manager, operations and facilities oversite and cultural events coordination. Miguel has a leadership role in innovative and inclusive development, including Plaza Roberto Maestas, an award winning mixed-use affordable housing development at El Centro’s main campus. Miguel has also helped lead the development of two childcare centers in affordable housing developments in Seattle with three additional sites currently in the planning and construction phases.

Carlos Ramirez-Rosa

Carlos Ramirez-Rosa represents portions of Chicago’s Albany Park, Avondale, Hermosa, Irving Park and Logan Square neighborhoods as Alderman of the 35th Ward. Now in his second term, Carlos works to (1) take on City Hall's big and powerful special interests, and (2) put our neighborhoods and working families first.

As a member of the Chicago City Council, Carlos has fought for and won (1) property tax relief for struggling homeowners, (2) strengthened protections for immigrant Chicagoans, and (3) policies that preserve and promote affordable housing in our neighborhoods.

Participatory democracy, equity, inclusion, and transparency are at the heart of Carlos’ work as a local elected official. That’s why Carlos has spearheaded participatory planning and participatory budgeting processes to ensure community voice and community needs are prioritized in local zoning, infrastructure, and budgetary decisions.

A community organizer prior to his election as 35th Ward Alderman, Carlos previously worked as a congressional aide for U.S. Representative Luis Gutierrez, a deportation defense organizer with the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, and a local school council representative at Avondale-Logandale School.

Carlos serves as Vice Chair of the Chicago City Council’s Latino Caucus, dean of the Democratic Socialist Caucus, and is a member of the City Council’s Progressive Caucus and LGBTQ Caucus. He has been recognized by Chicago Magazine, Crain's Chicago Business, and The Nationmagazine for his outspoken progressive leadership and grassroots organizing work.

Carlos received his B.A. in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. A graduate of Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, Carlos is a proud product of our Chicago Public Schools.

Watch the 3/31 Town Hall

Speaker Bios

Seattle Planning Commission

Radhika Nair - Radhika is an urban planner with more than 10 years of experience in the Puget Sound region. She has a multidisciplinary background in land use planning, policy research and analysis, and community engagement. Radhika's focus, and what she enjoys most about her job, has been her work to integrate equity and social justice into decision- and policymaking to effect change that benefits communities of color, impoverished communities, immigrant or minority communities, and other groups. In her job at BERK Consulting, Radhika manages a variety of projects including community and subarea plans, housing studies, economic development plans, and park system plans; she also implements culturally relevant engagement and collaborative community partnerships with diverse communities She is currently leading the environmental review for the City of Seattle’s Transportation Master Plan, the first Comprehensive Land Use Plan for the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, and the Tacoma Tideflats Subarea Plan. With Seattle’s Little Saigon neighborhood she is creating a community action plan.

Jamie Strobes - A passionate community development professional, Jamie joined the Planning Commission to support equity and resilience in Seattle, ensuring livability and increasing community accessibility to city planning and policymaking, particularly for immigrants, refugees, communities of color and low-income communities. She has been active in environmental justice and equitable development, and brings a strong knowledge of environmental health, air quality, sustainability issues and social justice, and background in culturally-relevant community outreach and engagement, particularly with youth and limited English speaking populations. Jamie is actively involved in community work, serving on the boards of the non-profits Asian Pacific Islander Community Leadership Foundation (ACLF) and APICAT for Healthy Communities, on the Climate Justice Committee of Got Green, was a former Community Partner Steering Committee member of the City of Seattle's Environment & Equity Initiative. Originally from Hawai'i, Jamie is a University of Washington graduate and has been a Seattle resident for over fourteen years. She currently lives in the 130th station area.

Rose Lew Tsai-Le Whitson (Planning Commission, she/her) - joined the Seattle Planning Commission in 2021 with the intent of giving back to our community and collaborating on our collective vision for an equitable, inclusive, and eco-conscious Seattle. Rose nurtures a wellspring of passion for doing right by both people and the environment, shaped by her heritage as the mixed Chinese-Caucasian child of an immigrant; lived experience as a "third culture kid" and environmentalist activist blossoming into an equity-focused and intersectional environmentalist; and learned knowledge of Seattle and the contemporary and historical land use issues affecting our Indigenous, Black, and other minority communities. She also brings professional knowledge of land use policy as a wetland biologist at Jacobs, with 10 years of environmental investigation and permitting experience. Always learning, always growing, her approach is to listen first, digest by contemplating and asking clarifying questions, and then collaborate on solutions.

AIA

Dylan Glosecki - Dylan is an architect and urban designer focused on molding the built environment into inspirational, pedestrian-centered spaces in sync with nature's systems. He practices urban planning and architecture at VIA-Perkins Eastman and co-chairs the AIA Seattle Urban Design Forum, where he studies urban policy as a means to drive sustainable regional growth patterns. Dylan is a member of AIA Seattle’s Housing Task Force and Comp Plan Work Group.

Matt Hutchins - As one of the founders of CAST architecture, Matt has spent more than twenty years working to increase the vitality of the city and the environment. Active in the civic sphere, he serves on the Seattle Planning Commission and is a former Southwest Design Review Board Member and Groundswell NW Treasurer. In 2017, he co-founded MOAR (More Options for Accessory Residences), a grassroots organization that helped pass Seattle’s landmark ADU reform. At AIA, Matt serves on AIA Seattle’s Board of Directors, as co-chair of the Public Policy Board and a member of Housing Task Force and Comp Plan Work Group.

Puget Sound Sage

Ab Vergara Juaner (they/them) - Ab has been an interdisciplinary practitioner and community power builder since their student days at California State University. They organized with immigrant and low-income care workers and managed leadership programs for affordable housing and homelessness policy in Los Angeles after college.

Ab received their formal education and training in urban planning and public policy from New York University – Wagner School of Public Service. They specialized in planning and policy for affordable homes, public parks and open spaces, and neighborhood economic development.

Ab moved to Seattle in 2019 to live closer to their mom and family. It was so serendipitous that Puget Sound Sage was looking for someone to lead their Equitable Development Program while Ab was seeking to understand the local planning context of the region.