The panelists shared strategies on equitably delivering services across districts with different histories of investment, clarifies internal city roles for directing resources, and elaborated on how community input can be used to inform the elected and the administrative staff’s decision-making.
Moderator:
Marta Hanson, National Program Manager, Power the Polls. Former member of the Independent District Commission, serving as Co-chair May 1- June 30, 2023.
Panelists:
Jenifer Chao, Director of the Department of Neighborhoods, City of Seattle, WA
Jenifer is of Mien ethnicity and immigrated to the U.S. with her family as a refugee from Southeast Asia. She was raised in the Central District and Beacon Hill and now lives in South Seattle. A graduate of the University of Washington, Jenifer has more than 23 years of experience in public service. Prior to joining the City of Seattle in 2009, Jenifer worked in the non-profit sector and as a small business owner. Building and supporting community has always been important to Jenifer. Her previous work includes helping young people pursue their education and career pathways, implementing the City’s first innovation fund that promotes racial equity, neighborhood planning and community development in the Chinatown International District, and creating a cannabis equity program that addresses the historical injustices of the war on drugs by providing opportunities in the cannabis industry to those who have been most impacted. Race and social justice are close to her heart. Jenifer believes in centering humanity and bringing people together. She understands the value of uplifting the voices of impacted communities and including those voices in the creation of policies, plans, or programs for equitable decision-making.
Veronica Davis, Director of Cities Program, for AtkinsRéalis, Houston, TX
Veronica O. Davis, PE is a self-described transportation nerd and author of Inclusive Transportation: A Manifesto for Repairing Divided Communities. She believes everyone should have access to safe, reliable, and affordable transportation. She is currently the Director of Cities Program for AtkinsRéalis. She has over twenty years of experience in civil engineering and planning. Under the Mayor Turner Administration, she was the Director of Transportation & Drainage Operations for the City of Houston. She is also the co-founder and former Managing Partner at Nspiregreen LLC. She is one of the co-founders of Black Women Bike (BWB). She was the Vice President and City of Houston representative on the National Association of City Transportation Officials. She earned her dual Masters Degrees (Engineering Management and Regional Planning) from Cornell University. She has a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from the University of Maryland. In July 2012, the White House recognized her as a Champion of Change and Transportation Innovator for her professional accomplishments and community advocacy in transportation. She currently lives in Houston, Texas with her husband and daughter.
Gabriel Sanchez, Brookings Research Fellow on Governance Studies and Director of University of New Mexico Center for Social Policy, NM
Gabriel R. Sanchez, Ph.D., is a senior fellow in Governance Studies at Brookings. Sanchez is a professor of political science and the Founding Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Endowed Chair in Health Policy at the University of New Mexico. He is also the director of the UNM Center for Social Policy, and a founding member of the UNM Native American Budget and Policy Institute. Sanchez is also the vice president of research at BSP Research, a leading survey firm focused on the Latino electorate. A leading expert on Latino and New Mexico politics and policy, he regularly provides political commentary to several state, national, and international media outlets including the New York Times, CNN, Los Angeles Times, and the Economist. Sanchez is a nationally recognized expert in survey research and the utilization of rigorous research to inform public policy decisions at the federal, state, and local levels.