Welcome to the Transportation Equity Workgroup (TEW)!

Current Workgroup Members

Lakeisha Jones (Workgroup Co-Chair), Monica’s Village Place One 

Keisha is representing Monica’s Village Place One. They serve many demographics and offer subsidized apartment complexes on a sliding scale, and does case managing. Keisha is an inclusive educator at a nonprofit preschool in downtown Seattle. Her center is an inclusive center serving children with special needs, disabilities, and diagnoses, as well as typical developing children. Keisha finished her bachelor’s in child and family studies and would like to get her master’s in applied behavioral analysis. She is looking forward to working with other likeminded people who appreciate the increase of equity! Being a part of this group will provide her with experience in developing more equitable resources for her community. Keisha enjoys community events and learning about people from all walks of life. When she’s not working, Keisha is involving herself in various extracurricular activities. She is also a mother of a teenager who is academically outstanding, which brings her so much joy.

Jessica Salvador, The Common Acre

Dr. Jessica Salvador is passionate about collaborating with communities, building meaningful connections, and fostering learning and development. As the child of immigrants and a first-generation college graduate, Jessica’s lived experiences, combined with a divers background in education, business, and nonprofits, deeply inform their commitment to social justice and liberation. Jessica holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, a Master’s in Education from the University of La Verne, and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Washington. Their work is rooted in advancing organizational effectiveness through a liberatory lens, driven by a belief in creating spaces for equitable systems and voices that have been historically excluded.

Dr. Salvador currently serves as the Executive Director of the Kitsap Immigrant Assistance Center. They are also a representative of The Common Acre on the SDOT Transportation Equity Workgroup (TEW). The Common Acre’s conservation and restoration efforts center the voices, leadership, and knowledge of BIPOC land workers, addressing the long-term impacts of redlining, economic disinvestment, environmental inequities, and disconnection from the land.

Akira Ohiso, Ballard Northwest Senior Center 

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. 

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.

Brian Chu, Mary’s Place

Brian Chu is the Sr. Program Administrator at Mary's Place, the largest provider of services and shelter to homeless families in King County. He joined Mary's Place in early 2020 and has been committed to destigmatizing family homelessness and providing trauma-informed care to families in need. Brian grew up in Seattle and has lived and worked in the city for over 3 decades, focusing on low-income housing, public policy, and community convening. He has a deep respect for the civic engagement process, with time spent as a legislative aide to former Councilmember Sally Bagshaw, as well as in the Seattle Department of Transportation's Public Space Management Division. As a daily transit commuter, Brian believes that robust, safe, and accessible multi-modal transportation infrastructure is a critical part of transportation equity, especially for communities that lack investment from, and representation in, the City process. Brian lives in District 5 in NE Seattle.

Dalton Owens, UW Brotherhood Initiative

Dalton Owens is a Built Environment Professional currently employed by Venture General Contracting LLC as a Project Engineer. He obtained a Bachelor's Degree in both Urban, Design and Planning & Political Science from the University of Washington. Dalton is passionate about the intersection between the Built Environment and Social Structures. He strongly believes that it is the responsibility of all Built Environment Professionals to design and build with consideration for all communities, especially those that have been historically marginalized. 

Throughout his academic and professional career, Dalton has held a passion for community driven work. His current roles include serving as a Get Engaged Commissioner for the City of Seattle Planning Commission and serving as an Alumni Mentor for the Brotherhood Initiative, the organization for which he represents on the Transportation Equity Workgroup. The Brotherhood Initiative is a cohort-based program at the University of Washington that seeks to support men of color in their pursuit of higher education. Dalton became affiliated with the organization in 2017 and has since taken on leadership roles to further support younger members. 

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. 

Sharon Sobers-Outlaw, 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.

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