Who We Are

Lisa Bogardus currently serves as the Assistant Executive Secretary for the Seattle Building & Construction Trades Council, which represents 19 affiliates and over 20,000 workers. She also serves on the Executive Board of the Puget Sound Labor Agency, in addition to serving on the Sound Transit Board of Directors, Sound Transit Diversity Oversight Committee and the Move Seattle Levy Oversight Committee. Lisa is a Delegate to the MLK Labor Council and a Member of United Association Local 32. Prior to her position with the Building Trades Council, Lisa served the Port of Seattle for seven years as Labor Relations Manager and Project Labor Agreement Manager in the Port’s Capital Development Division. Ms. Bogardus has worked as a practicing attorney in the State of Washington, as a Public Defender at the Defenders Association for five years, and as an Assistant Attorney General for the Washington State Attorney General’s office. She holds a J.D. degree from University of Oregon Law School and a B.A. from State University of New York at Stony Brook. 

Jack Brand lives in Rainier Beach.  After retiring from UW, he began volunteering with the Rainier Beach Action Coalition (RBAC), which works to advocate for community needs and implement the Rainier Beach Neighborhood Plan.  He worked with RBAC on the Recreating Henderson project and now facilitates RBAC's monthly Transportation and Land Use Roundtable.  He is keenly interested in making sure that Seattle's transportation infrastructure addresses historically marginalized communities and that equitable solutions are aggressively pursued.  Jack is a musician, film composer and songwriter, and performs and records with the Seattle band Polydendron. 

Alex Hudson is the Executive Director of Commute Seattle, driving transformative change in how Seattle moves. She leads citywide efforts to reduce drive-alone commuting, expand transportation access, and strengthen the region’s economy. With over a decade in transportation policy, urban advocacy, and nonprofit leadership, she has delivered measurable results by building powerful coalitions, shaping policy, and securing investments that make cities more equitable and sustainable. 
 
Previously, Alex served as Executive Director of Transportation Choices Coalition, where she led statewide campaigns that expanded transit, improved street safety, made transit free for every young person in Washington, and advanced equitable mobility. Before that, she was Executive Director of the First Hill Improvement Association, where she championed neighborhood planning, transportation advocacy, and public space projects. Known for her ability to align diverse stakeholders, she turns complex challenges into actionable, impactful solutions. 
 
A lifelong Seattleite, Alex pairs deep local knowledge with a pragmatic, data-driven approach. Outside of work, she’s a voracious reader, avid traveler, and film lover. 

Leonard is a manufacturing engineer, urbanist, and community organizer with Tech4Housing, where he advocates for abundant and equitable housing and transportation options for the citizens of Seattle. Leonard is also a member of the YMCA Get Engaged program. There are always new things to see in this city, and you can find him exploring them on his E-Bike. 

Chase Kitchen has been fortunate to spend over 15 years in public service helping federal, state, and local government leaders make meaningful progress on complex policy and political challenges to support more sustainable, equitable, and just communities. Chase has extensive experience in transportation and environmental policy having spent over a decade as an advisor to federally and locally elected representatives. He currently supports state and provincial leaders in their efforts to use intercity passenger rail to meet regional mobility needs. Chase is a volunteer member of the boards for Seattle’s Manufacturing, Maritime, and Industrial Association and Commute Seattle, where serves as Treasurer. He also volunteers for Cascade Bicycle Club’s Pedaling Relief Project. Chase gets around town primarily by bike and bus.   

A retired financial services executive, Pumphrey has held leadership positions with financial institutions in Washington, Idaho, and California. Pumphrey has served on corporate boards during much of his career and on non-profit boards including locally, the College Spark Foundation, and The Downtown Seattle Association. Pumphrey graduated from University of Washington with a degree in business and received a master's degree in banking from the Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington. A neighborhood and community safety advocate, he has resided in West Seattle for 27 years. 

Kaid Ni Ray-Tipton (he/him) is a dedicated public service professional with experience in the federal government, nonprofit program management, and community organizing. Previously, Kaid supported training and policy implementation efforts at Impact Justice, partnering with the U.S. Department of Justice to uphold national carceral standards. His early career includes positions with Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, Congressman Adam Smith, and the Office of Barack and Michelle Obama, where he specialized in legislative correspondence, constituent services, and data systems management. Kaid holds a Master of Public Administration from The George Washington University and a B.A. in Communications and Sociology with Honors from the University of Washington. 

Nafiso Samatar is the Executive Director of the Somali Independent Business Alliance (SIBA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting immigrant, refugee, and BIPOC communities through business training, technical assistance, and advocacy. With over 25 years of experience working with communities of color, Nafiso has led numerous projects focused on equity, transportation, environmental justice and economic empowerment. Her leadership at SIBA has included projects such as helping over 100 local drivers navigate the City of Seattle’s electric truck incentive pilot program and supporting small businesses with critical resources. Nafiso brings deep community knowledge, financial oversight experience, and a strong commitment to equity to the Seattle Transportation Levy Oversight Committee. 

Lucy has dedicated her career to ensuring quality urban design, multimodal mobility, and equitable access are integral and essential elements of cities.  Her expertise ranges from managing and engaging in external and internal negotiations, working closely with elected and appointed leadership, preparation of standards and guidelines, negotiating and closing out multifaceted development agreements, and performing complex permit reviews and inspections. Lucy works as part of, and for 10 years led, multi-disciplinary teams whose engineers and urban planners must balance the complicated requirements for urban infrastructure, building, and site construction. She is a graduate of UW’s College of Built Environments and a longtime resident of the U District. 

Zach is a resident of Capitol Hill and made Seattle his chosen home five years ago. He’s been an advocate for transit and alternative modes of transportation since high school. While attending college in his hometown of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, he was a member of the Livable Streets Advisory Board, which is a volunteer advisory board that advocates for livable streets and alternative modes of transportation. Growing up in a suburb that puts cars before people and experiencing the negative impacts of car-oriented infrastructure, he is committed to advocating for better transit service, safer streets, and environmentally friendly neighborhoods. Outside of the Levy Oversight Committee, Zach is a Co-Chair on the Seattle Transit Advisory Board and a Retail Barista Trainer at a Seattle based coffee roasting company. 

Jack Whisner lives in Ballard and is active both politically and physically.  He has been a Democratic activist since 1972 and now helps in the 36th District with many steps in the interim.  He has been a leader with the Metropolitan Democratic Club, Feet First, Transportation Choices Coalition, and served on several issue area committees.  He walks, bikes, rows, and plays basketball.  He earned a MA in Economics at the UW.  He was a transit planner for Metro for 33 years and also was an economist, legislative analyst, waiter, dishwasher, houseboy, busboy, and paperboy.  Boot straps!  He will follow pavement management, sidewalks, and transit flow issues carefully. 

Wes is a co-chair of the Pedestrian Advisory Board who lives in Northgate with his family and without a car.  Along with serving on SPAB for over three years, Wes has volunteered with the Transit Riders Union, Move Redmond, and Share the Cities to help make Seattle and Puget Sound better for people walking and rolling.  If he’s not working, Wes can usually be found exploring some random nook of the city, riding the bus for fun, or trying to find some curling to watch.