Meet the Seattle residents who will help provide a vital avenue for community voices and influence in how Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) fulfills its mission. SPU is excited to introduce its new Customer Review Panel (CRP).
At SPU, our vision is to be a community-centered, one water, zero waste utility. One way this vision is brought to life is through our volunteer CRP members, who share diverse community connections, professional skills, and lived experiences to help shape SPU’s work. CRP members advise SPU leadership and make recommendations to the Mayor and City Council, as they recently did for the 2025-2030 Strategic Business Plan Update, on utility rates, water, and waste priorities.
We want to extend a special thank you to our partners at the City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods (DON) who helped spread the word to their networks to recruit these newly appointed CRP members. This includes DON’s Equity and Engagement Advisors who have been collaborating with us to ensure our outreach efforts are effective in recruiting new diverse members, while enhancing coordination.
Meet the New CRP Members
Each member is dedicated to the work in their respective communities and builds on SPU’s goal to expand representation on the panel. They bring a wide range of lived experiences, backgrounds, and geographic locations and adding to our existing connections to communities such as Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), low-income, unhoused, immigrant and refugee communities.
Jeremy Febus
(District 5 – Mayor Appointment)
- A civil engineer for over 25 years, Jeremy brings hands-on technical insight and works closely with SPU as both a professional and customer. He is committed to transparent, holistic planning that connects infrastructure decisions to housing affordability, safety, and environmental quality, particularly in surface and stormwater management.
Rita Howard
(District 4 – City Council Appointment)
- Rita is a retired technical writer, teacher, artist, and community advocate with deep ties to older adults, working families, and BIPOC communities. She is on the board of commissioners for the Seattle Housing Authority and a past president of the Mayor’s Council on African American Elders. Rita combines creativity and technical rigor with a strong equity lens.
Reappointed CRP Members
We are also excited to continue working with our current CRP members as they begin their second term, bringing expertise in accessibility, conservation, homelessness advocacy, and community organizing to help ensure SPU’s work reflects the diverse needs of the communities we serve.
Ebony Frazier
(District 2 – City Council Appointed)
- Ebony serves as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator for King County’s Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention, where she leads efforts to ensure accessibility and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act across jail facilities. In this role, she develops ADA-compliant policies and training, collaborates with leadership to expand accessibility, and provides consultation on urgent accessibility needs. Ebony has a master’s degree in Public Administration from the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Washington.
Raj Kumar
(District 7 – Mayor Appointed)
- With over 35 years managing energy, water, and waste reduction for Nestlé Purina, achieving zero waste across 20 manufacturing plants, Raj brings extensive industrial conservation expertise. He now volunteers with AARP Tax-Aide, Seattle Education Alliance, and grows food for Mary’s Place, driven by a passion for waste reduction to benefit future generations.
Amanda Richer
(District 1 – Mayor Appointed)
- Amanda leverages her lived experience of being unhoused to advocate for data-driven solutions to homelessness. As Vice Chair of the Seattle/King County Healthcare Network for the Homeless Governance Council, she provides crucial feedback from unhoused individuals and service providers, passionately advocating for equitable access to clean water and sanitation.
Robin Schwartz
(District 1 – City Council Appointed)
- A South Park resident, Robin is deeply engaged in the Duwamish Valley through work with the Duwamish River Community Coalition, Concord Elementary PTA, Duwamish Valley Affordable Housing Coalition, and South Park Neighborhood Association. She is passionate about climate resilience and equitable outreach, especially for renters and low-income individuals most impacted by environmental issues.
SPU is excited and honored that each has chosen to volunteer and help make Seattle a healthy, safe, and affordable place for everyone. Learn more about the CRP.
Questions about the SPU Strategic Business Plan or CRP? Email SPU_CorpPolicy@Seattle.gov.