Director of Civil Rights Compliance & Small Business Outreach​

 

Demarcus Peters leads the Civil Rights Compliance and Small Business Outreach team at Espousal Strategies, bringing more than two decades of experience advancing access and opportunity in public infrastructure. He is a nationally respected expert in workforce development, supplier diversity, and compliance for megaprojects, with a track record of creating meaningful opportunities for small, disadvantaged, and women-owned businesses.

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At Espousal Strategies, Demarcus supports civil rights compliance and subcontractor engagement on high-profile projects including the I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project, TriMet’s 82nd Avenue Transit Project, and Multnomah County’s Earthquake Ready Burnside Bridge. He collaborates closely with agency partners and contractors to ensure public investments deliver equitable outcomes for local communities and businesses.

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Prior to joining Espousal Strategies, Demarcus held senior leadership roles across the country, including with the City and County of Denver, LA Metro, MARTA, and Cincinnati Metro. As a consultant with Triunity Engineering, he provided compliance oversight on major infrastructure projects totaling more than $1.6 billion, including the Westside Purple Line (D Line) and Airport Metro Connector (AMC). Earlier in his career, he developed national training programs for small businesses in partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Small Business Transportation Resource Center (SBTRC) and the Small Business Administration, resulting in increased minority participation in federal contracting programs.

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Demarcus holds a J.D. from Texas Southern University and a B.J. in Public Relations from the University of Texas at Austin. A SHRM-Certified Professional, he is also a longtime member of COMTO and APTA, and has served on multiple national and regional equity-focused advisory boards. Demarcus is committed to using public investment as a tool for shared prosperity.