If you haven’t already heard, TCC has some exciting news to announce! Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan recently appointed Transportation Choices Coalition Executive Director Shefali Ranganathan as Deputy Mayor. On behalf of the entire TCC Board and staff, we are thrilled for Shefali’s new opportunity and we are deeply grateful for her dedication, leadership, and unwavering dedication to the mission of TCC.
A TCC staffer for over 10 years, Shefali has been an integral part of our growth and success as an organization. Under her leadership, TCC supported significant transit expansions all across the state from Spokane to Ellensburg, including the Sound Transit 3 expansion in the Puget Sound region. She brought a strong focus on racial equity to TCC’s programs, forging the Transit for All coalition with partners Puget Sound Sage and OneAmerica. The many victories of this coalition included ORCA LIFT, the most expansive low-income transit fare program in the nation, which has helped 40,000+ riders reduce their transit costs by nearly 50% in 2016.
And as we look back with gratitude for her time at TCC, we must also look forward to our future as an organization.
Effective immediately, TCC Board Member Toby Crittenden will step down from the board to serve as TCC’s Interim Executive Director. Toby is the former Executive Director of the Washington Bus, an organization focused on engaging young people in advocacy and civic engagement. He has a long history with TCC, beginning in 2005 with the successful Transit Now campaign to create King County Metro’s Rapid Ride system. Currently, he consults with non-profit organizations on enhancing their strategy and ability to enact systems change. We are grateful to have his support during this transition time; there is no one better suited than Toby to step seamlessly into this role. He has committed to staying at the helm until our next Executive Director is in place.
The TCC board and staff will be conducting a nationwide search for a new Executive Director and will engage a search firm to support this effort. In the meantime, it is business as usual for TCC! Next year is our 25th anniversary and we have a great year planned to celebrate and highlight the growth of transit in Washington state.
Thank you for your support of Transportation Choice Coalition. Together we are bringing more and better transportation options to Washingtonians, and we could not do it without you!
