Executive Director’s Announcement
To the Bus family,
I’m writing to share that I will be stepping down from my role as Executive Director of The Washington Bus by the end of this year. I am so proud of what we’ve achieved over the last two years. In 2017, we hosted Candidate Survivor, the largest candidate forum in the state for the Seattle mayoral election. This legislative session, our work with The Washington Voting Justice Coalition helped pass Automatic Voter Registration, Same Day Voter Registration, and Pre-Registration for 16- and 17-year olds, a major step forward in reducing barriers to voting in our state. This summer, we welcomed 14 impressive young people to our Fellowship alumni. I’m honored to be part of this growing network, now 169 people strong.
As I look ahead, I couldn’t be more excited for the Bus’s future. We’re refining our winning strategies for voter engagement, building momentum for a new strategic plan, and recruiting new expertise to our Board of Directors. It’s been an honor to work with a staff of talented young people so dedicated to fulfilling our mission. As always, the Bus will continue to support the leadership of young people from underrepresented communities: people of color, young women, LGBTQ+ youth, working class youth, and first-generation students.
I’m grateful for the support of our board as we work closely together on a transition plan over the coming months. I’m committed to supporting our staff and board in this process through the election season to ensure we end this year stronger than ever and ready to tackle 2019 and beyond. I am also grateful to all our volunteers, donors, alumni, and friends for your unwavering support of the Bus. This community is what makes this work possible. We still need you — there is so much more to come.
Yours,
Emilio R. Garza
A Personal Message from the Board of Directors
On behalf of the Washington Bus Board of Directors, we want to share our utmost gratitude to Emilio Garza for his leadership as Executive Director over the past two years. In driving the Bus, Emilio has both embodied our values holistically and helped to accomplish significant victories for the communities we serve and their ability to take part in the political process. As a longtime member of the Bus family, Emilio has given us a chance to benefit from his passion and dedication to making the Bus a better, more welcoming place for all. His meaningful collaboration with community partners has led to momentous wins in increasing political access and participation, not just for young people, but for all people in Washington State. Under his leadership, we’ve seen the Bus grow and mature into a place where our expertise in the field is undoubted. His contributions to the Bus, in both concrete wins and culture, will leave a meaningful legacy for our community.
While we will be sad to see Emilio go after this year’s election, we are excited to watch the next part of this journey unfold – for both him and the Bus. We look forward to celebrating Emilio’s tenure as Executive Director at this year’s Victory Fund event on October 16th at FareStart in the Pacific Tower at 6PM. We hope you can be there. Please join us in expressing our deepest gratitude to Emilio for his leadership and his continued partnership to ensure success in November and beyond.
Please feel free to reach us directly with any questions or thoughts. Sera and Aaron can be reached via email at contact[at]washingtonbus[dot]org. Victory Fund event details and registration can be found here.
With gratitude,
Seferiana Day and Aaron Robertson
Washington Bus and Washington Bus Education Fund Board Presidents