About Sangeetha Rayapati
Born to a Minnesota Swede and an Indian immigrant, Sangeetha Rayapati has had the Midwest in her heart from childhood. Before she settled in the Quad Cities in 2001, her family traversed the expanse of highways through this region from Pennsylvania, where she was raised, to visit her extensive Midwestern family. On their century-farm she worked and played with many cousins and embraced the traditions of her Swedish heritage. She learned the value of hard work and family connections, and developed a global perspective through her Indian relatives and the exchange students her family hosted for five years. She is passionate about understanding the world from multiple perspectives and working to make sure everyone has what they need to succeed.
Proven Leader. Trusted Team Builder.
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Sangeetha Rayapati (pronounced sung-GEE-tha rye-a-PUH-tee) spent her grade school years in West Chester, Pennsylvania, a large and prosperous community thirty miles outside of Philadelphia. After graduating from Valparaiso University with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Bachelor of Music, she headed to Minneapolis to work as a nurse on a Huntington's Disease unit and further study music at the University of Minnesota. After three years as a nurse she transitioned to full-time music work and married her husband, Michael. Together they have three daughters who are thriving in our Moline schools and community. Her parents, Karen and Jacob, joined her in Moline in 2006 and have enjoyed becoming a part of such a vibrant town. Before his death in 2014, Jacob volunteered through their church, First Lutheran (Moline), reading with Lincoln-Irving Elementary students and frequenting the Moline Public Library. You can find her mother volunteering at World Relief. Her brother, Prashant, is a retired research scientist for Archer Daniels Midland (ADM).
Sangeetha developed her passion for service from her parents' example. As a pre-schooler she helped her mother deliver clothing and supplies to migrant workers in the mushroom fields of southeastern Pennsylvania. After that, volunteerism followed her into adulthood. She has served as a girl scout troop leader, volunteered in her children's classrooms, served on the Board of Arrowhead Ranch and continues to provide service music at her family's church.
As a professional:
Currently, Sangeetha teaches music at Augustana College where she is head of the voice faculty. In her 2 decades as an educator, she has found a way to combine her healthcare and musical training as adviser for the pre-Music Therapy program and Aging Studies Minor. Her goals have always been to help students and society see the arts as more than entertainment and instead, as a path to wellness.
At Augustana she has distinguished herself as a LEADER beyond the classroom by serving on governance and advisory committees, employee benefits and search committees, and in key initiatives. She is proud of the comprehensive human resources and leadership training she received as a member of the inaugural Faculty Leadership Academy.
Prior to her time at Augustana, she was an ENTREPRENEUR, creating, recruiting and maintaining a private voice studio in Anoka, Minnesota and singing as a chorister with the Minnesota Opera. That entrepreneurial background is the foundation of her persistent study and understanding of economics and quality of life. In all of her roles as a professional and in community service, she draws on the creativity, detailed strategy, and planning that entrepreneurship provides.
When not engaged in community service she likes to read, listen, visit with friends, travel with family, and explore all the beauty that the world offers.
As Mayor of Moline:
In her first term as Moline's mayor, Sangeetha Rayapati has repaired our community reputation and restored trust in our local government. Her leadership helped stem the tied of resignations of city staff, placed experienced staff in key positions, and created stability in the city so that citizens could get the services they deserve.
Using a balanced, responsible vision for funding and services, she has worked with the City Council and staff to increase economic growth year over year while advocating for tools and projects that help Moline's financial bottom line. With these partners and tools, the city has improved our roads and sidewalks, delivered a new aquatic center and pickelball courts among park upgrades across the city, enhanced library programming, increased staffing for police and fire, and increased accountability of landlords for quality rental property. She has worked to build pathways of opportunity for our young people by creating paid internships in our city departments and writing legislation to address childcare and economic mobility needs.
Her efforts to address mental health needs in our community, workforce development, increase housing options, access and welcome for all, and environmental resilience strategies are ongoing and collaborative. She looks forward to delivering more results for her community in a second term.
