Celebrate Women’s History Month with Metro!

March is Women’s History Month, which highlights the shining accomplishments of trailblazing women. In celebration of this, we’d like to take a moment to introduce you to some inspiring women of Metro whose work contributes to gender equality in transit.

Here they are, in their own words:

Darlene Watson, Streetcar Operator

My career began 26 years ago at Metro as a bus operator. After working in banking for 19 years, I wanted something different. My cousin, a bus operator at the time, suggested I apply to be an operator.

As a woman in what was viewed as a male-dominated field, it was a significant change from my previous experience working in banking with primarily women. I realized that Metro was an equal-opportunity workplace, a very diverse environment. King County Metro has given me the means to live a productive life as a single mom.

I had the opportunity to train at Link light rail as an operator, and now I am a streetcar operator at South Lake Union.

Hollie N. Alejandria, Rail Operations Chief

I work in transit because it provides an inclusive and supportive work environment that has enabled me to learn, grow and thrive in my career. Transit is good for women because women are valued, encouraged to contribute and provided with pathways to enter leadership roles. It was inspiring recently to see that all but one of the speakers at Metro’s Annual Meeting this year were women. It demonstrated that Metro empowers women and values the role women play in the organization.

Rail is a great place to work because of the many opportunities to learn and grow in a supportive work environment that values its employees. Rail has come a long way in its development since I started on Dec.10, 2007. But what has not changed is Rail’s continuous effort to make sure its staff receive the support and training they need to grow and develop in their careers.

Cindy Chen, Project/Program Manager for Market and Business Development.

In my five years at Metro, I’ve only ever had a woman as my supervisor. I have found Metro an incredible place to grow both as a professional and a person. I am lucky enough to have met and worked with brilliant, strong and dynamic women in my various roles and projects at Metro. Collectively, these women always push me to be smarter, more thoughtful and strategic about how I do my work, and most importantly, have nurtured and respected my ideas and contributions in tangible ways that result in better services and programs for the communities we serve across the county.

Verita Johnson, Service Information Chief

The ongoing shifts toward culture improvement make Metro a supportive place for women to work. Implementing Resource Groups, training and empowerment for all to make spaces more inclusive of women have aided in change. After starting as a bus driver 15 years ago and serving on the Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Committee for King County, I’m happy to see more conversations around dismantling stereotypes and openly challenging unhealthy systems, thoughts and practices. I am thankful for and hope to be like the pioneering women who said what needed to be said and did what needed to be done for me and future generations.

Patricia Spanjer, Zero Emissions Base Activation Lead

One of the things that I value most in my life is autonomy, and my career in public transportation aligns with that. Public transit empowers people to make choices about where they want to be in life and helps get them there. I am proud to be a woman working in transit and I’m thankful for the resilient, intelligent and powerful women who have come before me in this industry as well as those whom I work alongside every day at Metro. Women possess essential perspectives, leadership and decision-making skills that elevate individuals and communities around the world. Women are a great match for careers in transit. History demonstrates that systems are often designed, maintained and adapted to remove opportunities and limit self-determination for many folks, including women. This is harmful to individuals and society as a whole. All folks deserve equal opportunity to pursue their own goals and create a personally meaningful and fulfilling life.

Lluvia Ellison-Morales, Senior Community Engagement Planner

I work in transit because I sincerely wish to see daily commuting become a reliable, stress-free and green way of moving for us all. Seeing the leaders in this organization and working closely with the planners, engineers and construction teams – it’s obvious we’re all working to ensure this becomes a reality. Metro is a place of doers, not wishers. I see people, day in and day out, working ‘round the clock to ensure we’re delivering, and doing it right by putting our community first.