Hester is our Policy Director superstar. You can find her testifying for better transit options in front of city council and legislators in Olympia, building intersectional coalitions, and leading our policy work with a strong racial and social equity lens. She also serves on the Washington State Transportation Commission and was appointed by Jay Inslee!
Say thanks to Hester for all her work and support TCC today!
Can you describe yourself in one sentence?
Since I gave up my car more than ten years ago, you’ll find me walking all over the city. Ideally I’m walking somewhere I can eat veggie dumplings.
Can you describe your commute in a meme?
What does a day in your life at TCC look like?
Well, I’m in heaven if I have time to do something like sit down and read a wonky research report about environmental justice strategies for mobility pricing. On the other hand, I get to spend most of my day meeting with really smart people that work in transportation at the city, county, region, and state. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel – a lot of my work is connecting folks doing similar work that can support each other on improving transportation equity at all levels.
Why do you support Transportation Choices?
Because I’m lucky enough to live in a city with great transportation choices, and I’m privileged enough to afford to live here, close enough to have access to them. There’s a lot of talk about transportation as a means to an end: access to transit really can be a lifeline, connecting folks to jobs, education, and more, which is *so* important, and what we’re fighting for every day. But if we dream really big, the journey there can be just as great. Nothing brings me as much joy as listening to podcasts on my walk to work. Or being able to space out on the bus as I go from here to there, maybe eavesdropping on someone’s conversation, or reading text exchanges over their shoulder…Basically, ultimately, we’re fighting for a system that doesn’t just help lift folks out of poverty and meet their basic needs, but really creates healthy, thriving communities and joy.
Why do you want your loved ones to support Transportation Choices?
So that when our transit system is robust enough that it can be easy and fast and reliable for all my friends and family regardless of where they live in the region, more of them will take the bus with me!
Who is your transportation hero?
Tamika Butler. Hands down. She spoke at a conference I attended about the intersection of race and equity and planning and transportation and brought down the house. My jaw was on the floor the whole time. So inspiring.
Q: Will you share a fun transit-related picture of yourself? What’s the story of this picture?
Getting the word out about mass transit!
