Making the Difference!
These award winners continually demonstrate support, commitment, advocacy & creativity in promoting & using commute alternatives. Read their stories below!
2023 Commute Smart Champions |
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| 4th Quarter | ||
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Champion ETC Jan Dormady Jan is the Paratransit Admin Assistant for STA. Jan is also a dedicated vanpooler. She’s been vanpooling since 2017 and with a 14-mile roundtrip commute, has saved nearly 26,000 miles on Spokane County roads, and also over $7000 in commuting costs. Read more about Jan! |
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Champion Commuter Joshua Hagen Joshua is the Logistics Coordinator for URM Stores and an avid bicyclist. Joshua rides his bike every day. The only times he doesn’t is if the roads are too icy or there is too much snow, and on those days, he carpools! Read more about Joshua! |
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Champion Commuter Danielle Nybo Danielle is a Court Clerk for the City of Spokane – Public Safety. Danielle began working for the city at a different site, but after accepting a job at the Public Safety building, she immediately began riding the bus. Read more about Danielle! |
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Champion Commuter Kevin Erickson Kevin is a Correctional Industries Supervisor 2 at Airway Heights Correction Center. He has been a vanpooler for nearly 15 years. Soon after Kevin began working at AHCC, a coworker was talking about their vanpool program. Read more about Kevin! |
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| 3rd Quarter | ||
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Champion ETC Marilyn (Missy) Eaker Marilyn is the Administrative Clerk for the City of Medical Lake and has also been the ETC since August of 2022. She markets her program to 21 employees. Read more about Marilyn! |
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Champion Commuter Mark Buescher, PA-C Mark is a Physician Assistant for NWOS. Mark has been an avid cyclist since he was a young kid. Mark moved to Spokane in 1989 but didn’t work at a site that made cycling an option for him. Read more about Mark! |
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Champion Commuter Denise Guiles Denise is a Food Service Worker at Sacred Heart Medical Center. Her mom took her on her first bus ride when she was about 6 years old, and she’s been riding the bus ever since. Read more about Denise! |
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Champion Commuter Clayton Krietzman Clayton started teleworking when telework became an option due to the Covid-19 outbreak and teleworked full time. Now that Covid restrictions have ended, Clayton is required to work in the office 4 days a week and continues to telework 1 day a week. Read more about Clayton! |
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| 2nd Quarter | ||
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Champion ETC Margaret Terry Margaret is the Chief PBX Operator for Lakeland Village, located in Medical Lake. She has been the ETC since 2018 and markets her program to 700 employees. Read more about Margaret! |
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Champion Commuter Brian Thomas Brian is a Business Analyst for CHAS (Community Health Assoc of Spokane). He’s about as multi-modal as you can get. He rides his bike nearly every day, carpools with his wife when he can’t, takes the bus occasionally and also works from home! Read more about Brian! |
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Champion Commuter Emily Rebert Emily is the Cultural Resources Subject Matter Expert for Fairchild Air Force Base. Soon after she began working on base in 2020, she knew it was important to find a way to reduce her commuting costs, since she had a 40-mile round trip commute. Read more about Emily! |
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Champion Commuter Mike Picollo Mike is the Assistant City Attorney for the City of Spokane and has worked downtown at City Hall for the last 32+ years. He’s commuted by public transportation primarily for environmental reasons. Read more about Mike! |
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| 1st Quarter | ||
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Champion ETC Angie Swan Angie Swan is the HR Specialist for Eastern WA US Probation, located in downtown Spokane and markets her program to 26 employees. Read more about Angie! |
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Champion Commuter Thomas Johnson Thomas is a Correctional Officer at Airway Heights Correction Center. Thomas has been riding his bike to work for many years. Living on the westside he used to ride his bike from Tacoma to Ft. Lewis each day, that’s a 36-mile commute! Read more about Thomas! |
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Champion Commuter Benjamin Christiansen Benjamin is a Court Clerk I for the City of Spokane, Public Safety Building. He’s been riding the bus since he was a child, as his dad was a driver for STA and recently retired after 34 years. Read more about Benjamin! |
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Champion Commuter Tyler Smith Tyler is a Deputy Base Civil Engineer for FAFB. Ty has been using commute options for the last 20 years, but only in the last 5 years working at FAFB. Read more about Tyler! |
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2022 Commute Smart Champions |
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| 4th Quarter | ||
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Champion Business Leader Josh DiLuciano Josh is the Vice President of Energy Delivery for Avista, which employs approximately 1,800 employees in Spokane. Avista offers up a CTR recognition program, subsidized vanpool & bus passes and secured bike storage. Read more about Josh! |
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Champion ETC Jennifer Lavway Jennifer is the HR Coordinator for TTEC, formerly Faneuil. She’s been the ETC since 2021 and markets her program to approximately 100 employees in Spokane Valley. Read more about Jennifer! |
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Champion Commuter Dan is a Senior Business Analyst for Avista. Through the years, Dan has carpooled, walked or bicycled into work. Read more about Dan! |
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Champion Commuter Calie is an Administrative Assistant for the Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency. Calie began working for Clean Air in 2019, during the COVID pandemic. Read more about Calie! |
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Champion Commuter Steven is a Grants and Planning Specialist for the WA State Dept. of Ecology. Being environmentally conscious, Steven started using commute options after he began working at the Dept. of Ecology in June 2019. Read more about Steven! |
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| 3rd Quarter | ||
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Champion Business Leader Gretchen Guess is the Executive Director of Operations for Providence. Providence Sacred Heart employs nearly 5,000 employees in the lower south hill medical community. Read more about Gretchen! |
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Champion ETC Nicholas Swan Nick is a Public Benefits Specialist 4 for the Department of Social and Health Services at the Spokane Valley CSO/Call Center. Nick has been the ETC for the last 6 years and markets his program to around 160 employees. Read more about Nick! |
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Champion Commuter Patrick Hallinan Pat is an Environmental Engineer for WA State Dept. of Ecology. Pat began riding his bike to work in the mid-90s. Read more about Patrick! |
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Champion Commuter Chandan Bhuta Chandan is a Senior Office Assistant for the Division of Child Support. She’s been using commute options for the last 22 years. Read more about Chandan! |
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Champion Commuter Rob Brewer Rob has been using some sort of commute option for the last 10 years. Throughout the years, he has walked, biked, carpooled, teleworked and worked a compressed work schedule. Read more about Rob! |
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| 2nd Quarter | ||
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Champion Business Leader Clark Brekke Clark is the President and CEO for Goodwill Industries on the Inland Northwest. Goodwill Industries employs nearly 600 employees throughout Spokane County! Read more about Clark! |
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Champion ETC Norma Cantu Norma is the Career Services Program Assistant and the ETC for SCC. She’s been the ETC for nearly 14 years! Read more about Norma! |
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Champion Commuter Eddie Ramirez Eddie is a Labor II for the City of Spokane, Water Department. Eddie rides his bike to and from work each day. Read more about Eddie! |
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Champion Commuter Scott Larson Scott Larson is a Maintenance Mechanic 3 for Eastern Washington University. Scott began vanpooling 2 years ago, shortly after being hired at EWU. Read more about Scott! |
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Champion Commuter Tamera Cleveland |
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| 1st Quarter | ||
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Champion Business Leader Randy Rudin Randy is the Acting Field Operations Chief for WA State DSHS – Division of Child Support. Randy has been a long-time supporter of CTR. Read more about Randy! |
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Champion ETC Sandi Hamilton Sandi is the HR Specialist II for Goodwill Industries of the INW. She markets her program to nearly 200 employees at the downtown site. Read more about Sandi! |
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Champion Commuter Candise Branum Candise is the Health Sciences Librarian for Gonzaga University. She’s been an avid bicyclist for the last 18 years. Read more about Candise! |
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Champion Commuter Dawn Mosher Dawn is an Interlibrary Loan/Summit Technician for EWU. Dawn has used public transportation her entire life. Read more about Dawn! |
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Champion Commuter Nadine Kramer Nadine is a Client Account Representative for Frontier Behavioral Health. She has been teleworking since COVID hit in March of 2020. Read more about Nadine! |
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2021 Commute Smart Champions |
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| 4th Quarter | ||
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Champion Business Leader Tatjana Roberts |
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Champion ETC Margee Chambers |
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Champion Commuter Jason Ball |
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Champion Commuter Lisa Woodard |
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Champion Commuter Josh Potter |
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| 3rd Quarter | ||
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Champion Business Leader Amelia Clark Amelia Clark is the Administrative Officer for Spokane Regional Health District, which employs 300 employees near the downtown area. Click to read more! |
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Champion ETC Rebekah Buettner Rebekah is a HR Admin Assistant for Washington Trust Bank. She’s been the ETC since April 2019. She markets her program to nearly 500 employees in downtown Spokane. Click to read more! |
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Champion Commuter Robert Ethington Robert Ethington is a Support Enforcement Technician for WA State DSHS – Division of Child Support. Robert is quite a dedicated commute option user! Click to read more! |
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Champion Commuter Crystal Belwood Crystal Bellwood is a Library Archive Para-Professional for EWU. Crystal began working at EWU in 2015 and has ridden the bus to work every day since. Click to read more! |
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Champion Commuter Will Slemp Will is a Court Clerk 1 for the City of Spokane, Public Safety. Will walks 1.2 miles to and from work every day! Click to read more! |
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| 2nd Quarter | ||
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Champion Business Leader Shirley Maike Shirley Maike is the Mayor for the City of Medical Lake. She also served as the ETC for many years at Eastern State Hospital. Click to Read More! |
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Champion ETC Karen Troxell Karen is the ETC and CTR Coordinator for Gonzaga University. She is also an Americorp volunteer. She’s been active in Gonzaga’s CTR program since 2019. Click to Read More! |
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Champion Commuter Nita Alexander Nita is a Graphic Designer and Prepress Technician for The Spokesman-Review/NW Offset Printing. She has been using commute options since 2010, saving nearly 15,000 miles off our roads. Click to Read More! |
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Champion Commuter Karin Ryon Karin is the Administration Assistant for Spokane Transit and has been riding the bus to work for the last 11 years. Click to Read More! |
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Champion Commuter Maria Arguinzoni Maria is an Accounting Clerk for the City of Spokane – Public Safety. She has been carpooling for nearly 20 years. Click to Read More! |
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| 1st Quarter | ||
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Champion Business Leader Joe Duricic Joe is the Water and Fuel System Maintenance Shop Foreman for Fairchild AFB. Joe has been an active CTR supporter since 2002. Click to read more! |
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Champion ETC Jocelyn Urban Jocelyn has been the ETC for Altek, Inc. in Liberty Lake since October of 2018. She markets her CTR program to 157 employees and walks her talk by carpooling to work each day. Click to read more! |
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Champion Commuter Andrew Duffey Andrew is an Accountant for the City of Spokane, City Hall. He began riding the bus soon after he began working for the City in July of 2016. Click to read more! |
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Champion Commuter Darroll Woelk Darroll works in 1st Class Vehicle Maintenance for Spokane Transit. He has been riding his bike to work, nearly every day, for the last 15 years. Click to read more! |
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Champion Commuter Ivanna Lomas Ivanna is the Park & Rec. Coordinator for City of Medical Lake. She’s been using commute options for the last 3 ½ years. She rides her bike, carpools and occasionally teleworks. Click to read more! |
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2020 Commute Smart Champions |
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| 4th Quarter | ||
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Champion Business Leader Loren Searl - City of Spokane Water Department Loren believes promoting CTR at the worksite benefits both the employee and the employer. Employees save money by using commute options and since most employees work a compressed work schedule, that allows them a greater work/life balance. Click to read more! |
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Champion ETC Jody Long - Spokane Transit Paratransit Jody is the Paratransit Clerk for STA Paratransit and has been the ETC for nearly the last 4 years. Jody markets her program to 84 employees. Click to read more! |
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Champion Commuter Jim Moneymaker - Eastern Washington University Jim is the Business Manager for Facilities & Planning at EWU. Jim has been riding the bus to EWU every day, for the last 18 years. A couple months after Jim began working at EWU, he noticed the bus pulling up, right outside his building. Click to read more! |
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Champion Commuter Shayne Schoonover - City of Spokane Public Safety Shayne is a Court Clerk 1 for the City of Spokane, Public Safety. She’s been riding the bus since she began working for the City 12 years ago. With an 18-mile round trip commute, Shayne has reduced over 35,000 miles and saved over $10,000! Click to read more! |
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Champion Commuter John Rockwell - Spokane Transit John is the Senior Information Systems Manager for Spokane Transit. He met his wife at STA about 6 years ago and they soon began carpooling together. They enjoy the money they save by sharing their 44-mile round trip commute.Click to read more! |
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| 3rd Quarter | ||
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Champion Business Leader Connie Lambert-Eckel - Lakeland Village Connie is the Superintendent at Lakeland Village, which employs over 750 staff members and is located 20 miles from downtown Spokane, in a rural community, outside of Medical Lake, WA. Click here to learn more! |
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Champion ETC Karrie Diana - City of Spokane, Water Department Karrie is a Clerk II for the City of Spokane, Water Dept. She’s also been the ETC for the last 5 years. Karrie markets her program to approximately 150 employees. The City offers fully subsidized bus passes, preferred parking for carpoolers, bike racks, lockers, compressed work schedules and teleworking. Click here to learn more! |
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Champion Commuter Mark Zielfelder - City of Spokane, Water Department Mark is a Laborer II in the Hydrant Division for the City of Spokane, Water Dept. Mark works a compressed work schedule and is also an avid carpooler. He began carpooling in February of this year after learning that several of his co-workers live in close proximity. With a 10-mile one-way commute, Mark likes the money he is saving and the positive impact he has on the environment by carpooling. Click to learn more! |
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Champion Commuter Missy Eaker - City of Medical Lake Missy is the Accounts Payable Clerk Cashier for the City of Medical Lake. She has been walking or bicycling to work every day since she began working at the City in January 2017. Living within a mile of her worksite, she says it makes no sense to drive into work. Click to learn more! |
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Champion Commuter Grace Callahan - Eastern Washington University Grace works with EWU’s student government—the ASEWU—as their program support supervisor. She began carpooling over 24 years ago. Grace was co-workers with the ETC for EWU at the time. Since they were neighbors, Nadine strongly encouraged Grace to begin carpooling together. Click here to learn more! |
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| 2nd Quarter | ||
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Champion Business Leader Tim Hansen - Spokane County Tim is the HR Director for Spokane County, which employs nearly 2000 employees, both on the County campus and throughout all of Spokane County. Tim personally walks his talk by carpooling with the HR Manager, as often as he can. Click here to learn more! |
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Champion ETC Julie Korssjoen - Spokane County Julie has been the Parking Coordinator and ETC for Spokane County since March 2019. She markets her program to nearly 2000 County employees. Spokane County offers nearly every CTR Program element; Nearly fully subsidized bus passes. Employees pay only $5 a month for a monthly STA pass. Click here to learn more! |
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Champion Commuter Greg Garrett - STA Vanpool and Paratransit Greg is currently the Vanpool Manager for Spokane Transit. He began working at STA in 2009 as the Vanpool Coordinator, working at the Plaza downtown. He took advantage of the free monthly bus pass that STA provides a and began riding the bus daily. | |