Welcome to the Transportation Equity Workgroup (TEW)!
አማርኛ • 繁体字 • 简体中文 • ភាសាខ្មែរ • 한국어 • Oromiffa • af-Soomaali • Español • Tagalog • ትግርኛ • Tiếng việt • English
About Us
Our job is to make sure everyone has access to safe and affordable transportation. We especially focus on helping communities that have not received enough support in the past.
The TEW is an independent entity that advises SDOT on policy; its members are not City employees. For inquiries about the TEW, including media, please email transportationequity@seattle.gov.
Translation Services
Individuals, coalitions and community-based organizations in need of language access services to help complete and submit applications or Letters of Support may email transportationequity@seattle.gov or call (206) 530-3260.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can apply if you have experience and are affiliated with a group in King County helping:
- BIPOC communities
- Low-income communities
- Immigrants and refugees
- People with disabilities
- LGBTQIA+ people
- Housing insecure people
- Women and female-identifying people
- Youth and aging people
- People who were formerly incarcerated
- Neighborhoods facing high displacement
We make all efforts to accommodate the needs of our group. Our staff will work with you on finding solutions for your specific needs.
Yes! During your first three months of orientation, you'll earn $50 per hour. Once you complete the orientation process, you'll earn $75 per hour and can earn up to $7,500 a year.
You will be expected to serve for three years, and can extend for two more years after your first term. You will attend 2-4 meetings (mostly on Zoom) and work around 9-10 hours each month. You will work with other group members and city staff during these meetings.
A group of TEW members and SDOT staff will review the submitted applications and letters of support during the recruitment process. This group will then choose candidates to interview. After the interviews, the group will make the final decision and inform candidates of the results.
The TEF is a plan we made with community members to ensure a more equitable transportation system. We are now working on putting this plan into action.
For more details or to ask questions, feel free to email us at transportationequity@seattle.gov. We look forward to hearing from you!
Current Workgroup Members
Akira Ohiso (Workgroup Co-Chair), Sound Generations
Akira is a licensed social worker with 20 years of experience working with older adults in community-based programs. He has been an employee of Sound Generations for eight years, where he developed a passion for direct service and local systems that impact older adults. Originally from New York City, he worked with Holocaust survivors, older adults living with HIV/AIDS, and the New York City Housing Authority to provide services to residents of a Naturally Occurring Retirement Community (NORC). In addition to community work, Akira is an artist who has partnered with the Office of Arts & Culture, the Maynard Alley Partnership, and SDOT to activate public spaces around the city. Other projects include the University of Washington’s Tech Policy Lab, Amplifier Art, and Avaaz. His art often intersects with his social work training to raise social awareness around issues that are important to him.
Sharon Sobers-Outlaw (Workgroup Co-Chair), Wider Horizons Village
Sharon Sobers Outlaw, MSW, MHP, CDP, is a multifaceted professional with several roles as a clinical social worker, counselor and certified Minority Mental Health Consultant. Previously served as part-time faculty at Seattle Central Counseling 101 imparting her expertise to future professionals. Sharon is also a certified Behavior Activation Therapist, further enhancing her ability to provide effective support and interventions. Effective public communicator on aging & caregiving. Strong commitment to holistic care and advocacy extends to her full-time role as a caregiverfor her mother, alongside active engagement in aging programs and services. Former President Leschi 9th Community Council, Vice President Central district Council, Member City Wide neighborhood Councils Furthermore, she contributes her leadership skills to the ONYX Fine Arts Collective board and the Transportation Equity Workgroup for the Department of Transportation, driven by her fervent dedication to cultural awareness, equity, inclusion, and social justice.
Andy Pham, Friends of Little Saigon
Andy Pham (he/him) is the Community Engagement Manager at FLS, working with small businesses, residents, volunteers and community partners in the Little Saigon Community. Having grown up in South Seattle, Andy cares deeply about the forces of gentrification and patterns of development that lead to displacement and erasure of significant cultural/social anchors. Andy envisions a society where people of all backgrounds and lived experiences are healing and thriving, home is safe and our well-being is prioritized. Prior to FLS, he worked as a youth development worker, providing free after-school programming to immigrant and refugee youth of color living in the King County subsidized housing system. He also served on Neighborhood House’s Equity and Diversity Committee as the co-coordinator. Andy holds a BA in Economics with a concentration in International Development from Macalester College.
Ayan Mohamed, Refugee Women's Alliance (ReWA)
Ayan Mohamed (she/her) works in the Family Empowerment department at the Refugee Women’s Alliance (ReWA), supporting immigrant and refugee families with access to employment, housing, and critical resources. She also works with the Family Success Center, supporting early learning providers through community engagement, advocacy, and partnerships. With over 9 years of community-based work, Ayan is a dedicated advocate actively engaged in advancing equity and uplifting community voices.
Judy Avitia-Gonzalez, Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery
Judy Avitia-Gonzalez is the co-owner and co-director of the Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery in the White Center neighborhood of Seattle, WA. Founded in 2019, Nepantla is an inclusive art gallery grounded in the Chicana/o arts traditions. Their mission is to make art an accessible experience. They host monthly art exhibitions that uplift the voices of artists and marginalized communities, host free arts programming, organize community events and provide a gift shop that highlights women makers, Chicana/o artists and artisans, LGBTQIA+ and more.
Judy is an aspiring photographer and a mother of 3, raising a son and two daughters in the White Center neighborhood that she grew up in. She is the daughter of Mexican immigrant parents and passionate about uplifting the voices of marginalized communities. Her previous role with King County Housing Authority helped her become a strong and trusted community organizer which over the years has led to many close partnerships with community groups and cultural arts organizations. She is a bilingual, unapologetic Chicana who strives to create a welcoming space for community at Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery.
Lakeisha Jones, FAME - Equity Alliance of Washington
Keisha is a representative of FAME Equity Alliance which supports the development of affordable housing for families of color, with a focus on Black and African American families. Through their work, they create pathways to wealth building by advocating for investments and policy changes that address systems that have historically excluded communities of color from full participation in economic growth and community development.
Keisha earned her bachelor’s degree in Child and Family Studies with a focus on Early Childhood Development, and currently works for Seattle Public Schools in special education. Her background has strengthened her commitment to equity, care, and community-centered service. Being part of the Transportation Equity Workgroup has allowed her to grow her experience in creating more equitable resources for her community, while also strengthening her leadership and equity skills within transportation. As a District 3 resident, she enjoys attending community-driven events that help bridge communities and build unity.
Makayla Ndamele, Young Women Empowered (Y-WE)
Makayla Ndamele is the Affinity and Alum Program Coordinator at Young Women Empowered (Y-WE) in the Hillman City neighborhood of Southeast Seattle. Y-WE youth and mentors engage in arts, affinity spaces, farming, outdoor adventures, summer camps, and other activities that spark joy and belonging. At Y-WE, Makayla coordinates after-school programs for young women and gender-expansive youth ages 13 to 19, cultivating spaces that affirm LGBTQ+ youth and youth of color and foster community, creativity, and wellness. Makayla is passionate about building a world where young people can embrace their autonomy and where care and learning flow across generations.
Before joining Y-WE, Makayla advanced student leadership and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives at the University of Washington Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity. She also led volunteer outreach, designed trainings, and supported unhoused young adults at Roots Young Adult Shelter. These experiences shaped Makayla’s commitment to community engagement, education, leadership development, and building sustainable systems of care. Makayla holds a Bachelor’s in Public Health–Global Health from the University of Washington.
Marisa Parshotam, Lake City Collective
Marisa has been involved with Lake City Collective since its inception, first through a multilingual civic engagement outreach project in 2019, and then as a member of the organization's steering committee in 2020 focused on environmental and anti-displacement efforts. For over 6 years she has worked directly with low-income immigrant, refugee, and BIPOC community members from a wide range of backgrounds and language groups in her job as a coordinator of English, technology, workforce, and leadership programming for adult English learners (first with Literacy Source, then with OneAmerica). Her passion for community engagement, language justice, and organizing was shaped significantly through her involvement with Lake City Collective and its intentionality around centering the voices and issues affecting BIPOC communities north of Seattle's ship canal. Marisa lives in Northeast Seattle and is passionate about building equity, opportunities, and power alongside immigrants and BIPOC folks in her community. She is driven by her love for community and a desire for people too often left out of conversations to be centered in decision-making and the institutions that directly impact their lives.
Melvin Givens, Pacific Northwest Black Pride
(Bio coming soon.)
Former TEW Members
- Rizwan Rizwi (Co-Chair Emeritus), Muslim Housing Services
- Yordanos Teferi (Co-Chair Emeritus), Multi-Service Center (MSC)
- Steven Sawyer (Co-Chair Emeritus), People of Color Against Aids Network (POCAAN)
- An Huynh, Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDpda)
- Karia Wong, Chinese Information & Service Center (CISC)
- Amir Noir Soulkin, East African Community Services (EACS)
- BB Jones, New Horizons
- Ellena Jones (Co-Chair Emeritus), Passion to Action
- Cesar Garcia, Lake City Collective
- Yu-Ann Youn (Co-Chair Emeritus), UW Robinson Center
- Ellany Kayce, Duwamish Tribal Services
- Khatami Chau, Food Empowerment Education & Sustainability Team (FEEST)
- Kiana Parker, UW Center for Experiential Learning & Opportunity
- Kristina Pearson, Duwamish Tribal Services
- Chris Rhodes, Rainier Valley Corps
- Christina Thomas, Rainier Valley Greenways
- Phyllis Porter, Rainier Valley Greenways
- Micah Lusignan, Disability Rights WA
- Julia Jannon-Shields, Puget Sound Sage
- Sokunthea Ok, Department of Neighborhoods Community Liaison
- Analia Bertoni, Department of Neighborhoods Community Liaison
- Brian Chu, Mary's Place
- Dalton Owens, UW Brotherhood Initiative
- Heather Shin, Young Women’s Christian Association
- Jessica Salvador, The Common Acre