- One word to describe yourself: Goal-oriented
- Alma Mater: University of Idaho, B.A. International Studies & Spanish Language; Eastern Washington University, Master of Urban & Regional Planning
- Favorite book: “Middlesex” by Jeffrey Eugenides
- Favorite TV show: “Meet the Press”
- Favorite movie: “Inception”
- Favorite hobby(ies): Trail running, triathlons, volleyball and grilling
- Fun fact about yourself: He’s a big fan of tattoos
- What is your favorite transit system (outside of the one you work for or have worked for!) and why?: Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) because I have fond memories of being an eager and inspired young professional commuting from Greenbelt, Maryland to Capitol Hill while interning in the U.S. Senate.
Growing up, Brandon Rapez-Betty always said he’d go to law school or join the U.S. Peace Corps. When he didn’t score well on the LSAT, he served 2 years in the Dominican Republic, where he learned a lot about community planning and development, which led to grad school in urban and regional planning. Upon graduation, an opportunity arose at Spokane Transit Authority in the Communications Department that allowed him to use his interpersonal skills with the public while requiring his knowledge of planning and public administration.
In his 4 years at Spokane Transit Authority, Rapez-Betty has led the public education program for a historically successful ballot measure, was instrumental in the implementation of a fare increase program that is sensitive to the needs of the community, and successfully led the communications efforts for an 18-month, $5 million transit center renovation. He has also become the primary spokesperson for Spokane Transit, a key liaison to the CEO, and has developed a huge network of transit supporters through his efforts in community relations and public outreach.
Because of his commitment and contribution, he was recently promoted from sr. communications specialist, focused primarily on public outreach, to customer and community relations manager, responsible for community relations, public outreach, customer service, transit center operations and pass sales. In just 6 months he has streamlined processes to increase pass sales and refreshed training and techniques to improve customer service performance at STA.
Rapez-Betty was instrumental in the passage of Proposition 1 in November of 2016, which will fund STA Moving Forward, a 10-year plan to maintain, improve and expand transit service throughout the Spokane Region. He managed the development and implementation of two public education programs for public transportation ballot initiatives, working with the CEO, legal counsel and the board of directors. The first, although an amazing effort, failed by fewer than 500 votes. The second achieved 55 percent voter approval, the largest victory in the history of transportation measures in the Spokane region. STA’s public education program earned both a first-place Adwheel Award from the American Public Transportation Association and the Spokane Regional Marcom Association’s Blaze Award — the “best of show” award given to the highest-scoring campaign entry that demonstrates a clear impact on its target audience.
Another huge success was the public outreach program surrounding STA’s recent fare increase, also led by Rapez-Betty. He presented to dozens of businesses and associations throughout the region, ran surveys and participated in one-on-one meetings with local community leaders to gather input on the next fare increase. As a result, the STA Board voted to implement the fare change in two phases, easing the impact on low-income customers. Rapez-Betty also led the communications strategy for the 18-month renovation of STA’s transit center, known as The Plaza — an extremely successful project that came in on time and under budget.
Rapez-Betty has been recognized for his achievement with as a2017 Rising Start from the “Spokane Journal of Business.” He was in the 2012 Class of Leadership Spokane, was a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in the Dominican Republic between 2005 and 2007, and was a 2016 Ironman Finisher.
“My role as the Customer & Community Relations Manager has a maze of dotted lines throughout our agency, as well as throughout the Spokane region. The opportunity to gather information, bring people together, and find mutually beneficial solutions to everyday challenges keeps me on my toes and gives me a sense of relevance.”
“Embrace the complexities of government and public administration within the agency, but create a clear, simple and relatable message to the public. We live in a time where we fight for mere seconds of the public’s attention, and it is too often wasted on technical and process jargon. People want distilled information in a convenient fashion. If I’ve learned anything from my peers at STA, it is to appeal to common sense and be straight forward about the options available.”
