Customer Review Panel
About Seattle Public Utilities
Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) provides essential drinking water, drainage and wastewater, and solid waste services to more than 1.6 million people in the greater Seattle area, all while protecting our environment. About 1,400 SPU employees work with our community to provide affordable and equitable stewardship of our water and waste resources for future generations.
A Customer Review Panel was established to provide input on the Strategic Business Plan and periodically review Seattle Public Utilities' progress in implementing the plan. Panel members are selected by the Mayor and City Council.
Bobby Coleman
Bobby Coleman leads environmental stewardship and sustainability initiatives at Seattle Housing Authority. His professional experience has focused primarily on energy and water efficiency projects and program development and management, capital planning, continuous improvement, and data analysis. He is passionate about human and environmental health and well-being, historic preservation, and food politics. Bobby lives in Queen Anne.
Ebony Rose Frazier
Ebony Rose Frazier works at King County Community Corrections Division Administration section as a project manager. She has a master's degree in Public Administration from the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Washington. She is on the Executive Board of Africatown, and a lead volunteer with Gifts of Hope. Ebony sees the importance of connecting community to local government and will bring her lived experience and anti-racism lens to work with SPU on ways to model inclusive, equitable practices.
Gretchen Glaub
Gretchen is the Salmon Recovery Coordinator for Snohomish County. Gretchen is interested in Puget Sound ecosystem recovery, specifically addressing water quality issues - contaminants of emerging concern (e.g., PAHs, PBDEs). She describes herself as: a “renter who has worked with landlords to implement updates for resource conservation (water, heating); professional interested in supporting activities to recover our endangered species and restore our salmon runs on the brink of listing; volunteer invested in sharing knowledge and passion for Puget Sound environs with others; individual with deep love for our shared environment.” SPU is excited and honored that each has chosen to volunteer and help make Seattle a healthier, stronger, and more affordable place for everyone.
Manav Goel
Manav Goel works in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood, as Technical Lead in the Social Impact organization at Meta. He is a board member of Sound Generations and past board member of the organization, Hey Mentor. Manav has strong interests in upgrading the Utility infrastructure for climate resilience, enhancing the innovation cycle of “circular economy” (which focuses on reusing, repurposing, and recycling) by the strategic use of waste as a resource, and the use of information technologies (including artificial intelligence and social media platforms) to improve organizational performance and ensure equitable community engagement.
Raj Kumar
Raj Kumar spent more than 35 years directing process improvements and managing energy, water, and waste reduction for 20 manufacturing plants and corporate headquarters of Nestle Purina, bringing them to zero waste to landfills. He currently spends his time volunteering with AARP on tax preparation for low-income seniors in Seattle, working with youth at Northwest Education Access, and growing food in his P-Patch for Mary’s Place and Ballard Food Bank. Raj is passionate about waste reduction, energy and water conservation to make our world better for future generations. He moved to Seattle about five years ago to get closer to his grandchildren. He has observed that City of Seattle recycles and composts its waste, and Raj would like to take this even to higher levels by smart recycling and “educating” its residents.
Allison Mettler
Allison Mettler, a resident of the Lawton Park neighborhood, is working as an intern for SPU’s Water Efficiency Team. She also volunteers for Friends of Discovery Park. Allison has strong interests in improving water quality through stormwater runoff management and removing barriers to electronic waste collection. She would also like to find effective ways of communicating SPU priorities to newcomers and others who may not have adequate access through current information campaigns.
Noel Miller
Noel Miller, P.E. is a retired municipal public works and utilities director and a licensed civil engineer with a Master’s in Public Administration. His 40 year career has been focused on municipal stormwater, wastewater, water supply and transportation programs, systems and projects in the Puget Sound region. His early career involved practicing as a project engineer for several local consulting civil engineering firms. In 2012, he was appointed to the SPU’s Creeks, Drainage and Wastewater Advisory Committee and served as a co-chair. In 2013 and 2014, he served as the Chair of the Customer Review Panel, supporting the creation of SPU’s 2015-2020 strategic business plan. A Seattle resident since the late 1970‘s, Noel now resides in the Phinney Ridge neighborhood after living in the West Seattle, Matthews Beach and Madison Park neighborhoods. He is an advocate for increasing the public’s understanding and appreciation of regional and local water quality issues and infrastructure in general. He is also interested in finding effective solutions to the ongoing challenge of financing SPU’s programs and projects.
Amanda Richer
Amanda Richer leverages her lived experience being unhoused to advocate for data driven and evidence-based solutions to end homelessness locally, regionally, and nationally. As a Community Liaison for DON, Amanda brings valuable feedback from the unhoused community and service providers to inform projects throughout the City. She serves on several boards and committees and is the Vice Chair of the Seattle/King County Healthcare Network for the Homeless Governance Council. Amanda is a passionate advocate for those without clean and regular access to water and the environmental, health, social, and mental impact this has.
Nafiso Samatar
Nafiso Samatar works as President of the Somali Business Alliance. She has a long history of helping small businesses, especially in minority, immigrant and refugee communities, coordinate with the City of Seattle and access essential city services. For the past 20 years, she has focused on empowering these communities by helping them navigate city services. SBA has established strong relationships with local governments, regional organizations, chambers of commerce and community organizations. Nafiso is interested in helping with outreach to small businesses to educate them about the benefits of sustainability and conservation efforts, such as improving water-use efficiency, to reduce their Utility costs.
Robin Schwartz
Robin Schwartz is a South Park resident, heavily involved in the Duwamish Community through Duwamish River Community Coalition, Concord Elementary PTA, Duwamish Valley Affordable Housing Coalition, and South Park Neighborhood Association. Robin is very interested in climate resilience in the Duwamish Valley and equitable outreach, particularly for those most impacted like renters and low-income people.
Miki Sodos
Miki Sodos is a small business owner in Seattle. She is a 30-year veteran of the food service industry, and she co-owns Bang Bang Kitchen in Rainier Valley and Bang Bang Café in Belltown. Originally from New Mexico, she moved to Seattle in 2002 after graduating from the University of New Mexico with a political science degree. She has been a vocal advocate for small business issues and a participant in social and small business causes. Miki is interested in providing equal quality of services to all Seattle neighborhoods and increasing education about clean water issues, particularly in marginalized communities.