When asked about legacy, Sound Transit’s newly selected Chief Economic Development and Civil Rights Officer, Daphne Cross, immediately thought about her parents. Raised right in the heart of Seattle, Daphne was born to Jesse and Lottie Cross, who operated and owned Sunshine Center Laundromat just on 23rd & Spring in Seattle’s Central District from 1969-1975. Being a black woman and the daughter of proud and hardworking small business owners, at first, Daphne said she didn’t realize how much of an achievement for her parents this was until she started working with small and disadvantaged business communities herself.

“I was [just] a little kid” Daphne said. “It’s pretty quite unimaginable these days what they did to achieve that.”

Long before her professional career at Sound Transit, Daphne’s background made her very aware of how women, black people, and people of color within her community have not been provided the same opportunities and resources needed to pursue their dreams. Having a desire to support her community and honor her parents’ legacy, Daphne made a promise both in honor of her parents’ memory and for her daughter, Briaan Barron.

“I made a promise…that I would live a life that makes them proud” Daphne said. “I’m walking in the big shoes of the many leaders who got me here, living and passed, and will not let them down.”

Therefore, for the past nearly 24 years she’s worked with Sound Transit in various roles, Daphne has committed herself towards creating opportunities to help her team members and the community members Sound Transit serves to achieve their own dreams like that of her family. One example of this commitment was Daphne’s joining Sound Transit’s department of Civil Rights, Equity, and Inclusion department back in 2018.

Another example is the foundational role Daphne played in creating employee resource groups within Sound Transit. These groups provided employees safe environments to share their various lived experiences to engage in real conversations about race, diversity, equity, inclusion and other identities in the name of fostering a better work environment.

“I am a strong advocate for the fair treatment of people in all aspects, so leading civil rights programs was a natural next step” said Daphne.

Such initiatives would eventually lead to Daphne’s recent selection as an officer of the CEO’s executive cabinet. Acknowledging how connected economic development and civil rights are, Daphne said she aims to broaden her vision within her new role by dismantling systemic barriers to ensure equal opportunities for jobs and access to resources and services to all individuals and businesses within the region.

One method towards realizing this vision is creating resources that make it easier for small business owners to do business with Sound Transit. Being a public agency leading large projects, Daphne said she wants to address the continuous struggle small, disadvantaged businesses face by providing new options to support said small businesses in doing business with Sound Transit.

“We’re thinking more innovatively of ways to remove those barriers” said Daphne. “We’re going to do the best we can to help more and more people.”

One way of addressing these barriers is the creation of the Sound Transit Economic Empowerment Loan Program (S.T.E.E.L). A low-interest business loan program, Daphne said the program acts as a direct response towards removing traditional bank lending barriers by providing applicants with their representative to guide applicants closely through the loan process during their first year of approval. Additionally, the S.T.E.E.L. program will be complemented by the promotion of a Sound Transit technical assistance program that provides various educational resources and services to any businesses either interested in, or currently doing business with Sound Transit.

Another way of addressing said barriers is through partnerships with community organizations, such as Tabor 100. Emphasizing the importance of such partnerships, Daphne said organizations such as Tabor 100 help act as the “eyes and ears” for feedback in spaces that Sound Transit otherwise may not have access towards.

“In my perspective, I see what Tabor 100 does, and other agencies as the roots, trunk and branches of our communities’ livelihood,” said Daphne. “ We honestly cannot be successful without these partnerships and engagement.”

Circling back to the topic of legacy, Daphne said none of this would be possible without the examples her family have set for her with the importance of serving one’s own community, and beyond.

“They’re huge,” said Daphne. “My parents are why I started it, and my daughter is why I continue it… I’m committed to not letting them down.”