Nehama Rogozen has created inclusive outreach campaigns for several SFMTA projects.
All year long, LGBTQ+ staff members across our agency help keep our transit system running and our streets safe. This Pride Month, we want to recognize their impact.
Today, we feature Nehama Rogozen, a public relations officer at the SFMTA. Learn why she's so driven to meet our high standard of inclusive outreach – and how it benefits both the public and our staff.
Making space for every voice
Rogozen has worked at the SFMTA for six and a half years. She started on our Customer Service team and learned a lot about the praise – and feedback – people send our way.
This inspired Rogozen to join our Public Outreach and Engagement team. She wanted to interact in person with the public to help us understand their needs. Her goal from the start: make space for every voice.
“Being deaf and being a bisexual woman – that has really shaped how I view the world and helped me recognize kindred spirits,” Rogozen says.
“When it comes to outreach, I always want to figure out who’s not there in the room and how we can do a better job of reaching them the next time.”
Over the years, Rogozen has worked hard to build on this strong foundation.
Rogozen hears from community members about the Valencia Bikeway Improvements Project.
Prioritizing inclusion at each stage of outreach
Rogozen has worked on a range of outreach campaigns for the SFMTA. From Van Ness to Valencia, every project is a chance to make outreach materials and community meetings accessible for even more people.
Key to her success? Rogozen credits regular trainings, feedback from colleagues and a team culture that values different perspectives.
Getting the word out
Language translation is a critical step. “It's about never assuming someone can or should speak English,” Rogozen says. “I think a lot about how we can reach community members who speak other languages and make them feel comfortable.”
To this end, Rogozen and her outreach colleagues work closely with our community liaisons to get collateral and digital content translated.
Another key step: meeting people where they are. “This means putting up flyers at community centers, laundromats, churches and other places where we can reach people,” Rogozen says. It also means leaning into text messaging and using channels like WeChat.
Opening up the conversation
Beyond securing in-person translators, Rogozen finds other ways to make community meetings accessible. “For bigger events, I’ve booked American Sign Language interpreters,” Rogozen says. “This way, people who use ASL to communicate can understand exactly what’s happening.”
Acknowledging concerns with compassion
Finally, Rogozen tries to acknowledge concerns with compassion. This helps her earn trust from people new to sharing ideas with a public agency.
“I work to validate people’s experiences,” Rogozen says. “I make it clear that they deserve an answer and if I don’t have it, I’ll work to get it to them.”
Making office meetings even more inclusive
Rogozen cares just as much about making our workplace more inclusive. In meetings, she works to give people the time they need to process information. This supports people who process new ideas at different speeds or may speak English as a second language.
Rogozen also avoids insider abbreviations on calls with multiple teams. And she puts on captions or requests them. This benefits many people, not just those with hearing loss.
And as Rogozen works to do her part, she says she’s thankful to work in such a tolerant environment. “I was already out when I joined this agency, but it’s been such a non-issue here to be queer, and that’s really cool.”
Joining her colleagues at the Pride Parade
Rogozen married her wife in May.
This weekend, Rogozen is excited to join colleagues as part of the SFMTA’s contingent in the San Francisco Pride Parade. And it’s an exciting moment, now that Rogozen and her wife are newlyweds. "Pride's definitely going to hit differently because of that – it will make being part of it even more special.”