Champion ETC

Juli Wallace - WSDOT Eastern Region

Juli Wallace has been the ETC for WSDOT Eastern Region since March 2024. She markets her program to nearly 250 employees. WSDOT offers a variety of incentives to encourage alternatives to driving alone. They provide fully subsidized transit and STA Rideshare fares. Employees can also earn $1.50 each day for walking, biking, and carpooling. To support active commuters, they also offer indoor bike racks, outdoor bike lockers, and access to shower and locker facilities. WSDOT also promotes flexible work options, including compressed work schedules and teleworking. Additionally, they offer an emergency ride home program and hold internal gift card giveaways as extra motivation for participation.

When Juli took over the program, she found Spokane employees were unaware of WSDOT’s 100% subsidized bus pass benefit and had to pay up front before being reimbursed, unlike employees on the west-side who received free ORCA passes. At that time only one employee was using the program, so Juli worked with WSDOT Headquarters to change the process, and now Spokane employees no longer pay up front! Since, the update, awareness has grown, and 25 employees have STA Right to Ride bus passes.

Although resolving the transit fare issue was a major win, Juli’s proudest achievement was helping to establish WSDOT’s very first STA Rideshare. She worked closely with the WSDOT maintenance team in Ritzville and Sprague and partnered with STA to successfully get it up and running.

Her words of wisdom for other ETCs, “Go at your own pace and make the role your own, things will fall into place over time. This program is a great way to connect with people in your organization that you might not otherwise cross paths with”.

Congratulations Juli!