March is Womxn’s Month - a time to reflect, celebrate, honor and acknowledge the often-overlooked contributions of womxn throughout history and today.
Historically an effort focused on achievements, Womxn’s Month has evolved into a movement that champions gender equity, increases visibility and advocates for inclusion.
At Sound Transit, we intentionally use the letter "x" to spell out "womxn." The "x" recognizes the agency of womxn, individually and collectively, and challenges the notion of defining womxn through their relation to men.
For Brenda Nnambi, Womxn's Month is "an opportunity for all of us to acknowledge and celebrate the rich history and contributions of women in this country and around the world."
She is our Deputy Director of Civil Rights, Equity & Inclusion and this month's "Inside Sound Transit" guest - where we introduce you to the people working to make it easier to get to where you live, work and play!
Nnambi has been with Sound Transit for a little more than six years, and before that served as Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity for over 22 years at the Washington State Department of Transportation.
She is a member of our Womxn Empowering Sound Transit (WEST) employee resource group, seeing it as a great way to "connect with other women and allies within the agency about topics that impact us on a personal and professional level."
Inclusion and respect are some of Sound Transit's core values - not just for our employees, but for our passengers as well.
Read on to learn a little bit more about Brenda!
Q: What do you tell your friends you do for work?
A: I’ve done this work for more than 30 years so my friends know that it has been my life’s work to create awareness and support of diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace, in our programs and services as well as in contracting opportunities.
Q: What’s your passion outside of your job?
A: I live 75 miles from Sound Transit’s headquarters so as a result of working from home during the pandemic, I have renewed my interest in cooking. I have been enjoying making new never-tried dishes and posting them on social media. My husband has been really enjoying my renewed passion for cooking!
Q: What attracted you to work at Sound Transit?
A: I was ready for a change, and liked that I could actually be involved in what I like to call “legacy” work in helping to build a transit system where small and disadvantaged businesses could play such a critical role.
Q: How do you get to work?
A: When I was commuting to the office, I would typically drive to Lakewood to take the Sounder train to Seattle.
Q: What three things would you take with you to a desert island (besides food and water)?
A: My husband (is this allowed since he’s not a thing?), a lighter and a swiss army knife.