I'm Jessyn Farrell.
I am the new director of the Office of Sustainability
and Environment for the city of Seattle.
The goal of the Office of Sustainability and Environment
is to make sure that every single person
in the city of Seattle
has access to a healthy environment
that's clean air, clean water, and access to healthy foods
while advancing race and social justice.
I got the honor of serving
in the Washington State Legislature as
a House of Representative for Northeast Seattle
in the 46 district for three terms.
I was the executive director
of Transportation Choices Coalition.
I grew up in Lake City
and moved to Lake Forest Park
when I was nine,
went to University of Washington.
I have three kids.
They have been with me
throughout my entire career.
They grew up being a part of politics.
I was born with a hole in my heart
the size of a quarter.
So before age seven, I couldn't run.
I could not keep up with other kids.
My parents didn't have health insurance at that time,
but the Seattle Children's Foundation paid for it.
And that impacts my kind of sense
of wanting to engage with
my community and wanting to
make it better and my belief that
every single person in our community
is precious and deserves access
to the things that make you feel
healthy and make you thrive,
in part because I know really viscerally
what it feels like to not thrive.
The team at OSE
is passionate and talented and dedicated
and that feels great to get to work
with people who are just so clearly
motivated by doing good in the city.
When we're talking about
what we need to do
in the face of climate change,
we need to go big.
We need to not be afraid
of tackling these big,
challenging problems.
How do we decarbonize transportation?
How do we decarbonize our buildings?
How do we do it in a way
that centers equity and justice?
Really preparing ourselves
to make big investments over the next several years.
That is one of the things I see as my core role.