2014 Post Conference Accelerate by COMTO

ACCELERATE The quarterly newsletter for the Conference Of Minority Transportation Officials

2014 Post Conference Issue

Board Chair’s Message PAGE 3

President’s Message PAGE 4

COMTO Leadership Institute PAGE 5

CITY Intern Summer Wrap–Up PAGE 6

2014 Scholarship Winners PAGE 9

2014 Industry Award Winners PAGE 10

Thank You to our Sponsors PAGE 12

Success in Atlanta 2014! On to Boston in 2015! Page 13

COMTO Chapter Presidents Page 14

Welcome New Members Page 15

Welcome Back Columbus Page 16

DBE Corner Page 17

Calendar of Events Page 18

OSDBU Participated in SBA’s Boots to Business Events Page 20

Salute to Veterans Mark Your Calendar Page 21

Special Tribute to Julie Cunningham Page 22

The Movement Continues: Developing Leaders & Building Historically Underutilized Businesses

A TRIBUTE CH2M HILL honors former COMTO President and CEO Julie Cunningham for her commitment to equality at all levels of the transportation industry. We pay tribute to her legacy and pledge to move forward COMTOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mission of advocacy, development and education for minorities in transportation.

ch2mhill.com/transportation ÂŠ 2014 CH2M HILL TBG080714022946DEN

Board Chair’s Message Dear COMTO Family, Another year is coming to a close and it has been a monumental one for COMTO. Losing Julie Cunningham, our President/ CEO, was painful. A good friend and an extraordinary leader, her passion was to take COMTO from ‘good to great.’ We are already well underway to continuing Julie’s good works. As we conduct a national search for a new President/CEO, we are very fortunate to have Linda Jacobs Washington to lead us as Interim President/CEO. She has my full support. Under Linda’s guidance, we had a very successful National Meeting and Training Conference. More than 800 industry professionals were in Atlanta as we fittingly celebrated Julie’s legacy, enjoyed great workshops, training sessions and networked with a host of young leaders-scholars, interns and emerging leaders. Anyone who missed it lost out on a tremendous opportunity. During the Conference, we launched four new forward thinking initiatives. In this issue, you can read more about: – The Julie Cunningham Legacy Fund (JCLF), established to honor her memory and to provide more opportunities for our youth. A very special thanks to Jackie Davison, Will Scott and the JCLF Committee for spearheading this tremendous effort. – The COMTO Leadership Institute (CLI), which is our brand new flagship education and training center. This is huge, folks. It will truly link all of our programs. CLI is where we will groom, grow and develop our next generation of leaders, from the classroom to the boardroom. Thanks to Parsons Brinckerhoff for providing the initial funding. – COMTO Studio71 has already provided us with thousands of photos and videos. It’s a tremendous resource for marketing and telling our own story. – COMTO History Book, Four Decades of Leveling the Playing Field, is our effort to chronicle our rich history, share lessons learned and create a path for others to follow. This is an ongoing project. We need your input. As always, our young leaders made us proud. The CITY Intern Program continues to marvel us all with the wealth and depth of young talent it introduces to this industry every year. Our Scholarship Program grows with even more support from our partners. This year we were able to award a record 15 scholarships to deserving students - yet another testament to our commitment to develop and train the next generation of leaders for the industry. In addition to all of these wonderful programs, a personal note of appreciation and thanks to COL Jim Paige for his leadership, guidance and continued support. I’d also like to welcome and introduce you to our newest Board members. I challenge them to look forward and join us in all of our good work. – Tracey Bessellieu, Member At Large, is Vice President, Director of US Human Resources for Parsons Brinckerhoff. – Dr. Grady Dale, Member At Large, is a Clinical Psychologist for the American Institute for Urban Psychological Studies, Inc. – Greg Johnson, Member At Large, is Chief Operations Officer for the Michigan Department of Transportation. We have lots of work to do. Please mark your calendars for: –September, Joint Leadership Meeting & Congressional Black Caucus BrainTrust –October, APTA Expo/COMTO Pavilion –March, Women Who Move the Nation & View from the Hill As always, thanks for your continued support and commitment to COMTO. Warm Regards,

Robert Prince

Post Conference Summer 2014 | ACCELERATE 3

president’s Message To the COMTO Family, My short message is to simply say thank you for the opportunity to serve as your Interim President and CEO. With your help, we can certainly continue Julie’s terrific initiatives and great work. The 43rd National Meeting and Training Conference was a huge success, due in large part to the excellent support from each of you. Thanks for helping to make it a very special event. I witnessed first–hand your passion and commitment to the ideals of COMTO. You are an inspiration to me. For those of you who could not be with us in person, we know you were there in spirit. Never doubt that each of us can make a difference, and when we forge our collective efforts together, we will continue to accomplish great things to “level the playing field”. Please join me over the next few months in celebrating COMTO’s rich history and embracing our future. We have several important events on the horizon (see COMTO National Activities), and we want to ensure that each one is even more successful than in the past. I encourage you to visit the COMTO website regularly, as information is frequently being updated. Please continue to send us news and announcements from your area of the country. We want to share your good news as well as keep everyone abreast of what is going on in the industry. With all of our new, forward thinking initiatives, this is a wonderful time to be a part of COMTO and actively engaged. We encourage all of our members to support their local chapter by attending meetings, offering ideas, volunteering to serve on committees, helping to grow the membership and, equally important, mentoring and coaching those in the transportation industry, especially our young leaders looking to climb those ladders of opportunity. There are plenty of opportunities to engage and get active. All Aboard!!!!

Linda Jacobs Washington

4 COMTO | Moving the Nation

Off to good start

CLI COMTO Leadership Institute We are on track with our five (5) year Strategic Plan. The COMTO Leadership Institute (CLI) is a giant step in executing our plan. It links all of our youth and leadership development programs under one umbrella.

– Shirley DeLibero

CLI is the product of our succession planning efforts. As we envisioned, CLI • Provides the overarching framework to execute our strategic plan. • Offers our members an online resource for training, professional development and mentoring. • Links all of our leader development programs (Scholars, CITY Interns, Emerging Leaders) under one umbrella; as they move from the classroom to the boardroom. A very special thanks to Parsons Brinckerhoff for the initial funding, Scholarship Committee Chair Tracey Bessellieu, Board Advisor COL Jim Paige, and all the others who worked so hard over the past few years to bring this to life. Julie would be proud!

CLI – Emerging Leaders “Our emerging leaders are prepared to lead the industry, right now.” – Bob Prince, Board Chair COMTO As an integral part of the CLI, the Emerging Leaders (ages 25-40) subcommittee develops key initiatives to engage this group of professionals seeking to build the skills needed to advance to the executive suite. Under the 2014 theme of “Bloom Where You Are Planted,” key initiatives developed together with the Succession Planning Committee include: the successful implementation of an executive coaching webinar series; increased participation of adults ages 25-40 on COMTO Chapter Committees; and an interactive workshop at the 2014 National Meeting & Training Conference. The webinars are being well received throughout the community. Subcommittee members conducted the first two webinars in May and June, 2014; first with guest Keith T. Parker, CEO/GM of MARTA and second with Cynthia Jones-Parks, President of Jones-Worley. Both were moderated by India Birdsong, a Transportation Manager for Chicago Transit Authority. The executives discussed the topics, “A Day-in-the-Life” of an industry executive, career/business development, work/life balance, and balancing community service and work responsibilities. In July, during the 43rd National Meeting and Training Conference, the nearly 50 emerging leaders got a front row seat with industry professionals to include training

“I feel honored to be part of the Emerging Leaders Program.” – Aaron Davis, Emerging Leader of the Year Award Winner sessions with Janet Hill, Hill Family Advisors; and Doris McMillon, President, McMillon Communication. Dr Kendra Taylor, subcommittee chair and Associate VP of Transportation, AECOM, moderated the workshop. As an added bonus, the emerging leaders joined a portion of the “CEO Summit,” a closed strategy session with various CEOs from the private and public sector. “We are pleased COMTO is working so hard to develop these young leaders,” stated Jerry Premo, Vice President, AECOM. The Emerging Leaders subcommittee members include Stephen Anderson, India Birdsong, Aaron Davis, Eugene Hucks, Adelee LeGrand, Maxine Pryor, and Dr. Kendra C. Taylor, Chair. Post Conference Summer 2014 | ACCELERATE 5

CITY Intern Summer Wrap–Up

Helping Young Leaders

CLIMB

THE LADDER OF OPPORTUNITY

CITY Stakeholders Acumen AECOM

Careers In Transportation for Youth (CITY) Internship Program A Partnership Initiative to Develop the Next Generation of Leaders for the Transportation Industry

APTA CH2M Hill Cubic Corporation

2014 CITY INTERNS: A LIFE CHANGING SUMMER – LARGEST CLASS EVER

DDOT FTA Regional Offices Atlanta DC Denver New York Philadelphia San Francisco Hillsborough Area Regional Transit LA Metro LTK Engineering MARTA NYCT Parsons Brinckerhoff Tampa International Airport Tampa-Hillsborough

Making eye contact when speaking. Dressing for success. The value of first impressions. Resume writing. What to do with a major in math. Learning how skills are transferable. These are some of the experiences described by the 2014 class of CITY (Careers In Transportation for Youth) interns during their 10 weeks this summer. Consistent throughout was one word: confidence. “We have grown,” said Jarinat Williams, an architectural engineering major, who interned at the Federal Transit Administration in Washington, DC. Not only does she feel different, the junior at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte said, other people have noticed and commented on it. “I do feel more confident.” A unique partnership between COMTO, the Federal Transit Administration and key industry stakeholders, the CITY Internship Program is designed to expose underrepresented college juniors and seniors to the transportation industry. Over the course of 10 weeks, the program provides hands-on experience. It is all about helping these students make the transition from college to the real workplace; reaching out a hand to help these future industry leaders climb the ladder of opportunity. “Our stakeholders and our chapter liaisons help to make this program run as smoothly and efficiently as it does,” said CITY Program Manager, COL RET Jim Paige, who describes it as “sipping from a fire hose. This is non-stop mentoring, networking, listening, and learning to lead.”

Expressway Authority Valley Metro VIA Metropolitan Transit WMATA

6 COMTO | Moving the Nation

“So much information in such a short amount of time can be a little overwhelming,” said Deputy Program Manager, Jacqueline Burrell, “until it starts to sink in. Our emphasis is on soft skills, working with multiple generations and understanding those and other nuances in the workplace.”

CITY Intern Summer Wrap–Up (continued) At COMTO’s 43rd National Meeting and Training Conference, held in Atlanta and co-hosted by COMTO Atlanta and MARTA, which had nine CITY interns, the students met a host of leaders to include the likes of former U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young, former U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater, and FTA Deputy Administrator Therese McMillan, among many others. They had a reception and luncheon in their honor where they rubbed shoulders with CEOs and other guests. They attended workshops and had several non-stop training sessions of their own. During closing ceremonies, held in each of the 12 cities hosting the college students, the interns were recognized, welcomed and encouraged by transportation leaders to look to the industry as a viable career path. Visit comto.org for photo gallery of closing ceremonies. In Philadelphia, AECOM Vice President David Didier commented that unlike other intern programs, things get personal with CITY Interns. “We get to meet with them one on one. It’s fantastic.” CH2M Hill Vice President Jannet Walker concurred. “At COMTO’s National Meeting and Training Conference, there was such energy, a terrific feeling in the room during the interns’ luncheon with CEOs,” she said. “Where else do interns get to sit down and have a conversation over lunch with key decision makers.” Asia Robinson, a civil engineering major at Temple University, did so well, AECOM offered her another internship this fall while she’s at school. “Wow, when I first started I wasn’t sure which direction I wanted to go in. This experience, this internship has given me that direction. This has been a life changing summer.” Many industry leaders expressed interest in looking for people “up for challenges” when they hire. Keith Altamirano attends the City College of New York. An electrical engineering major, he interned at CH2M Hill in New York. Back in the day, internships consisted primarily of running for coffee and filing papers, noted CH2M Hill Vice President Thomas Klin. “Keith worked on real projects and climbed a steep learning curve.” Acknowledging the other transportation firms present, Klin said “I want first dibs on hiring Keith.” Many of the interns knew little about transportation when they first started, other than running to catch that train or bus and hoping it was on time. Now they realize what goes on behind the scenes and what it takes to keep that train and bus moving.

Talking with various transportation professionals, Khafre Powell, a math major, gained a better understanding of what he could do with his major. “I saw analysts at work and planners taking measurements. I learned how finance is key,” said the Morehouse College junior who interned at D.C.’s Department of Transportation. The 2014 class of CITY Interns consisted of 31 interns working in 12 cities: Atlanta, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Tampa, and Washington, DC. They hail from 26 colleges and represent the total gamut of majors, from business, computers, economics, engineering, global affairs, math, political science, pre-law, public relations, and urban planning. “The transportation industry needs a variety of skills,” noted Betty Jackson, FTA CITY Program Manager. COMTO received well over 400 applications. “To see the quality and diversity of these students is impressive,” said Linda Ford, Director of the FTA’s Office of Civil Rights, who attended DC’s closing ceremony on behalf of FTA Deputy Administrator Therese McMillan.

Welcome to to AtlAntA. AtlAntA. Welcome I want to wish all the attendees I want to wish all the attendees of the Conference of Minority of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials’ 43rd Transportation Officials’ 43rd National Meeting & Training National Meeting & Training Conference a successful and Conference a successful and productive event. productive event. At Georgia Piedmont Technical College, we are Atworking Georgia toPiedmont Technical College, we our are “Make Transit Go,” through working to “Make Transit Go,” through our accredited Transit Training Program located in our accredited TrainingTraining ProgramCenter. locatedWe in our Regional Transit Transportation are Regional Center. We are a proudTransportation to be a sponsorTraining of this year’s COMTO as a proud a sponsor of this COMTO as well asto anbe academic partner toyear’s the transportation well as an academic partner to the transportation industry. industry. To learn more about our exciting career pathways Toinlearn more aboutplease our exciting career pathways transportation visit our website www. ingptc.edu. transportation please visit our website www. gptc.edu. Again, welcome and enjoy. Again, welcome and enjoy. Jabari Simama, Ph.D. President Jabari Simama, Ph.D. President

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CITY Intern Class of 2014 ATLANTA

PHILADELPHIA

1 Benjamin Allen Atlanta Metro State College Pre-Engineering

1 Cameron Dodson Temple University Mechanical Engineering

2 Reginald Askew University of Georgia Public Relations 3 Delilah Bell Georgia State University Public Relations/Public Policy 4 India Ellis Spelman College Economics/Civil Engineering

SAN ANTONIO

SAN DIEGO

SAN FRANCISCO

DENVER

Jeremy Barnette Norfolk State University Computer Engineering

1 William Everett Morehouse College Industrial Engineer/Math

TAMPA

1M iranda Figueiredo University Massachusetts, Dartmouth Business Marketing

DETROIT 1 Wai Kit Chang University of Michigan Civil Engineering

2R icardo Harris Florida Memorial University Aviation Management

LOS ANGELES

3F ahim Ibrahim University of South Florida Industrial Engineering

WASHINGTON, DC

Dianna Barba Stanford University Civil Engineering

1 I saiah Floyd George Mason University Global Affairs 2N imah Ismail Howard University Civil Engineering

NEW YORK

3K hafre Powell Morehouse College Mathematics

1 Keith Altamirano City College of New York Electrical Engineering 2 Julianne Johnson Farmingdale State College Aviation Administration

PHOENIX

Alecia Williams Bethune Cookman University Computer Science Engineering

2 Wetian Wang University of Michigan Civil Engineering

Caesar Sanchez University of Illinois Mathematics

9 Garrison Ushery University of West Georgia Physics/Engineering

2 Brenda Vue University of Colorado Denver Urban Planning (Geography)

Jawuan Pugh Valley City State University Business Administration

7 Jessica St. Julien Louisiana State University Mechanical Engineering 8 Dana Tzegaegbe University of West Georgia Urban Planning (Geography)

3A sia Robinson Temple University Civil Engineering

5 Devonte Ferrell Southern Polytechnic University Construction Engineering 6 Nathaniel Lane Southern Polytechnic University Mechanical Engineering

2 I brahim Kargbo Villanova University Electrical Engineering

8 COMTO | Moving the Nation

4D iamond Smiley Spelman College Political Science/Pre-Law 5J arinat Williams University of North Carolina, Charlotte Architectural Engineering

2014 Scholarship Winners CORPORATE PARTNER SCHOLARSHIPS LTK Transportation Planning Scholarship

LTK Engineering Scholarship

Chase Roberts

Aqshems Nichols

Hampton University Hampton, VA

University of Texas Austin, TX

Parsons Brinckerhoff Engineering Scholarship Maurice Nick

Amadi Collier

Brenau University Fairburn, GA

University of Maryland College Park College Park, MD

Parsons Brinckerhoff Golden Apple Scholarship

Parsons Brinckerhoff Women in Leadership Scholarship

McKenzie Bradford

Mariah Stanley

Reservoir High School Entering Wake Forest University Winston–Salem, NC

Trinity Washington University Washington, DC

Atkins North America Achievement Scholarship

Atkins North America STEM Scholarship

Atiena Branch

Jon Alexander

King’s Fork High School Entering University of Virginia Charlottesville, VA

California State University San Bernardino, CA

CH2MHILL Industry Partner Scholarship Isaiah Black

Dr. Henry A. Wise High School Entering Marshall University Huntington, WV

COMTO NATIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS Rosa L. Parks Scholarship Lacy Malone

Carmen E. Turner Scholarship Jonathan McCoy

University of Pittsburgh Bradford, PA

Morgan State University Baltimore, MD

North Carolina A&T Matching Scholarship

Trailblazer Scholarship

Ahmed Lamarre

Wesley Pratt

North Carolina A&T State University Greensboro, NC

University of Central Florida Orlando, FL

Thomas G. Neusom Scholarship

COMTO National Scholarship

Michael Bastanipour

University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign Champaign, IL

Austin Douglas

Hendrickson High School Entering Angelo State University San Angelo, TX

Post Conference Summer 2014 | ACCELERATE 9

2014 Industry Award Winners 2014 Scholars and Industry Award Winners continued

The COMTO Awards and Recognition Program was established in 1985 to recognize organizations, members, industry leaders and minority professionals for their dedication and commitment to the industry. The 2014 winners are:

Chapter Awards Best Membership Recruitment/Retention Activities Award COMTO Philadelphia

Best Grass Roots Activities COMTO Central Florida

Chapter of the Year COMTO Jacksonville

The Historically Underutilized Business Firm of the Year Award G.W. Peoples Contracting Inc.

The Reverend Jerry Moore President’s Leadership Award Emille L. Williams, COMTO Philadelphia

Signature Awards Industry Innovation and Leadership Award Elizabeth Peak Jacksonville Transportation Authority Dr. Alfonz Ruth Washington, DC Department of Transportation

Gerald Anderson Sibling Award Rhonda Briggins-Ridley Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) Atlanta, Georgia

Inter-Modal Innovation Award Massachusetts Department of Transportation

Executive of the Year William M. Johnson Baltimore City Department of Transportation Linda S. Watson Capital Metropolitan Authority Austin, Texas

Thomas G. Neusom Founders Award Joe Erves Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) Atlanta, Georgia

Emerging Leader of the Year Award Aaron Davis Hartsfield–Jackson International Airport

Corporate Citizen of the Year Award Harold Hoffman Jr. Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company

Board Chairman Exemplary Service Award Linda Washington Interim President & CEO COL Jim Paige Board Advisor

10 COMTO | Moving the Nation

The Movement Continues: Developing Leaders & Building Historically Underutilized Businesses Post Conference Summer 2014 | ACCELERATE 11

Thank You to our Sponsors Industry Partner

Bronze

AECOM CH2MHILL Parsons Brinckerhoff

3M AnsaldoBreda, Inc. American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Balfour Beatty First Data Corporation First Transit and First Vehicle Services Georgia Piedmont Technical College Gude Management Group Maryland Transit Administration New Flyer of America, Inc. Regional Transit Authority RouteMatch USSC Group, Inc. Veolia Transportation

Diamond LTK Engineering Services Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) MV Transportation Inc.

Platinum Atkins North America Cubic Transportation Systems

Gold Jones Worley

Friends of COMTO

Silver

360 Total Concept Caduceus Occupational Medicine, LLC. Capitol Management Group CI2 Aviation, Inc. Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) G.W. Peoples Contracting, Co. Inc. J. Burrell Communications Kansas Department of Transportation Lumenor Consulting Group Mass Mutual Missouri Department of Transportation Transit Marketing Group Urban Empowerment Ministries ViewSet Corporation

Grant Capitol Management Hartsfield–Jackson International Airport International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers Jacksonville Transit Authority (JTA) STV, Inc.

See you in Boston 2015! 12 COMTO | Moving the Nation

Success in atlanta 2014! 2424 Piedmont Road, N.E.

Atlanta, GA 30324-3330 August 2014 404-848-3245 30, o 404-848-3628 f

On behalf of COMTO Atlanta, let me extend our appreciation and thanks for making the 43rd National August 30, 2013 Meeting & Training Conference a very special event and a fitting tribute to our dynamic President/CEO Julie Cunningham. On behalf of COMTO Atlanta, I would like to extend our great appreciation for your participation and support

This conference was aOfficials’ big success, in large in theyear’s Conference of Minority Transportation (COMTO) 43due National Meeting and Training Conference. part to our stakeholders and friends. Your support and This year’s conference was a big success and definite proved to be one of the most well attended conferences in recent years. Without yourwhat support made and participation, we would not have possible. been able to accomplish this participation were the conference event. rd

We look forward active participation in next year’s conference and wish you the best success in your Again, thankto your you. future endeavors.

Sincerely, See you next July in Boston for another great conference!

Sincerely, Joseph Erves

President, COMTO Atlanta

Joseph Erves

On to Boston 2015! Embracing Innovation | Inspiring Leaders | Bridging Opportunities Conference of Minority Transportation Officials

jjerves@itsmarta.com

The COMTO Boston chapter gave Atlanta conference attendees a tantalizing preview of what’s in store when Boston hosts the 44th National Meeting & Training Conference next year in the Cradle of Liberty. From bags of Cape Cod potato chips, a local favorite, to life-size scenes of the city’s most famed sites – complete with cutouts for picture-perfect selfies - it’s obvious COMTO Boston is thrilled to welcome COMTO members back for the first time in 14 years. We’ll be showcasing Boston’s best through our programs, events, facility tours, and sightseeing excursions. The conference theme, ‘Embracing Innovation, Inspiring Leaders and Bridging Opportunities,’ also speaks to Boston’s strengths and reflects our commitment to working together to shape transit’s future by catalyzing new ideas, championing new voices, and leveling the playing field for minority businesses and professionals. We are Boston Strong! The 44th COMTO National Meeting & Training Conference promises to be one of the best yet, bringing together all sectors–public, private and academic. Make plans now to experience Boston in 2015!

Celia Blue See you in July,

Celia Blue President, COMTO Boston Chapter

Post Conference Summer 2014 | ACCELERATE 13

2014–2016 COMTO Chapter Presidents Arizona Gary Flunoy Small Business Outreach Administrator Valley Metro Phoenix, AZ

Colorado State Daniel Pearsall DBE/SBE Sr. Project Manager Regional Transportation District–Denver Denver, CO

Michigan Kimberly Avery Deputy Region Engineer Michigan Department of Transportation Taylor, MI

Atlanta Rhonda Briggins-Ridley, JD Senior Director of External Affairs Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority Atlanta, GA

Dallas Keith Britton Principal Iconic Consulting Group, Inc. Dallas, TX

New Jersey Ophelia Adderley Manager of Homeland Security New Jersey, Transit Corporation Newark, NJ

Delaware Corey Burris Customer Service Manager Delaware Transit Corporation Wilmington, DE

New York Yvette Janniere-Houlder Director Program Management Metro North Railroad New York, NY

Fort Lauderdale Loraine Kelly-Cargill Transportation Planning Manager South Florida Regional Transportation Authority Pompano Beach, FL

Northern California Dana Lang Grants Unit Manager San Francisco Police Department Oakland, CA

Austin Melissa Foreman Senior Transit Planner URS Corporation Austin, TX Birmingham Wytangy Peak-Finney Senior Planner Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority Birmingham, AL Boston Celia Blue Registrar of Motor Vehicles, Registry Division Massachusetts Department of Transportation Boston, MA Central Florida Carla Williams Community Relations Specialist Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority Tampa, FL Chicago Eunice Escobar Program Manager Asset Management Oversight Programming Regional Transit Authority Chicago Chicago, IL Cincinnati Lamont Taylor Human Resource Manager Frisch’s Restaurants, Inc. Cincinnati, OH Cleveland Eric Johnson Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority Cleveland, OH Columbus To be announced 14 COMTO | Moving the Nation

Houston David Johnson Quality Control Manager First Transit Houston, TX

Oregon/SW Washington Chapter Coral Egnew Senior Community Affairs Representative TriMet Portland, OR

Indiana Debra Simmons Managing Principal Engaging Solutions, LLC Indianapolis, IN

Philadelphia Emille L. Williams Manager of Engineering, Buses Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) Philadelphia, PA

Jacksonville Endya Freeman Revenue Manager Jacksonville Transportation Authority Jacksonville, FL

San Antonio Marcus Peoples Vice President, Human Resources VIA Metropolitan Transit San Antonio, TX

Kansas City A.J. Byrd Community Liaison Missouri Department of Transportation Kansas City, MO

Southern California Gwendolen Gray Project Controls Engineer AECOM Los Angeles, CA

Maryland Meshelle Howard Director of Civil Rights & Fair Practices Maryland Transportation Authority Baltimore, MD

St. Louis Kevin Triggs Neighborhood Development Manager Beyond Housing St. Louis, MO

Miami Kenneth Jones Section Chief, Bus Maintenance Miami Dade Transit Miami, FL

Washington, DC James Cheeks Chief Traffic Engineer District Department of Transportation Washington, DC

welcome new members ARIZONA Krista Bowers Melissa Boyles Jose Galindo Andrea Greer-Tucker Jawuan Pugh * Vijayant Rajvanshi Gricel Sato Greg Walker Gregory Williams ATLANTA Benjamin Allen * Reginald Askew * Atlanta Beltline, Inc. Kwadwo Atta Delilah A. Bell * Ann Marie Boyd India Ellis * Devonte Ferrell * Nathaniel Lane * Kerin Lester Brandeis Malbrue Patrick Minnucci Anthony D. Morrow Kendra Radford Everton Reid Evelyn Richards Kenyata Smiley Jessica St. Julien * Soji Tinubu Dana Tzegaegbe * Garrison Ushery * Susan Wheatley AT-LARGE Atiena Branch Richard Crockett Dennis L. Dorsey Richard Fierce Earnest Smith AUSTIN Dean Ainuddin Diponker Mukherjee Aqshems E. Nicols BIRMINGHAM Mikesha Harvill BOSTON Tina Beasley Richard Rauceo Julian T. Tynes

CENTRAL FLORIDA Miranda Figueiredo * Ricardo ‘Rico’ Harris * Rafael Hernandez Fahim Ibrahim * CHICAGO Ardmore Associates Janet Gonzalez HDR, Inc. Monica McMillan-Robinson Kimberly Slaughter COLORADO STATE William Everett * Dan Heilig Ida Pennymon Tracy Raby Brenda Vue * DALLAS Fluor Enterprises, Inc. DELAWARE Kevin Bradley Belinda Strickland HOUSTON Shedrick Baptiste Qing Li Jie Liu Jason S. Morgan RD Ratcliff Peijia Tang INDIANA Evelyn Gearries Victor Holove JACKSONVILLE Aisha Eccleston Kenyatta Y. Lee Mitchell K. Woodall MARYLAND Sean Adgerson Katrina J. Dennis Rudy de Leon Dinglas Lynda M. Dorman Patricia Guiles Robin Henry Shabnam Izadi Angela Johnson Jones Wilson H. Parran Charles W. Penny Sameer Sidh James T. Smith Barbara M. Webb-Edwards

MIAMI Richard Dunbar Emilio Gonzalez Gregory Owens MICHIGAN Dayo Akinyemi Wai Kit Chan * Delora Hall Tyler Dominique King Jon P. Kolbasa Derron Ledbetter Jamery Taylor DeAnte Thompkins Weitian Wang * NEW JERSEY Norene Daniels Kim Dobson Ashley Fields Winnie Terry Lyla R. Wilkins NEW YORK Keith Altamirano * Winston Brown Crystal McKenzie, Inc. (CMI) Albert Culler Eric Fantauzzi Melissa Gissentanner Kobi Grant Mary Hadley Lloyd Hercules Julianne Johnson * Tee Milerson Jada M. Parker Brian Stein Richard Watson NORTHERN CALIFORNIA Jeremy Barnette * Thuston A. Britt Sylvester Fadal Philip Stevenson Lang * Mark Williams OREGON/SW WASHINGTON LeAnne Owens

PHILADELPHIA Brandon M. Boyer Ciani Brown Jasmine N. Brown Cameron Dodson * Brianna J. Fletcher Cerena George Ibrahim Kargbo * Danitrov H. Ortes Ketnah Parchment Asia Robinson * Jazmine M. Smith Monroe W. Smith Philip Stokes SAN ANTONIO LaSonya Allen Caesar Sanchez * SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Dianna Barba * Roderick Goldman Irma Licea Long Beach Transit Miriam S. Long Barbara Sullivan George Alecia Williams * ST. LOUIS Gerard Hutchinson Felicia M. Miller Harris WASHINGTON, DC Farhan Daredia Veronica O. Davis Isaiah Floyd * Dag Gogue Elana Harris Nimah Ismail * Shahanga Lee Alvin Nichols Khafre Powell * Cheryl Pyatt Alfonz Ruth Tim Rutten Diamond Smiley * Transit Labs Mark Washington Errol Williams Jarinat Williams * Chinaka Young

Visit www.comto.org for frequently updated list of new members.

CITY Interns*

Post Conference Summer 2014 | ACCELERATE 15

Welcome back Columbus COMTO Interim President and CEO Visits COTA Helps Kick Off Chapter Revival

Photo (l-r): Clinton Forbes, COTA VP, Operations; Linda Washington, COMTO Interim President /CEO; Quincy Howard, COTA Contracts/DBE Program Administrator; Curtis Stitt, COTA President/CEO

Linda Washington, COMTO’s Interim President and Chief Executive Officer, visited the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) earlier this summer and kicked off the revival of COMTO’s central Ohio chapter. In a meeting with COTA’s leadership team and other Ohio transportation organizations, Washington discussed COMTO’s vision, mission and objectives. “We are excited about reviving the COMTO chapter in central Ohio,” said Clinton Forbes, COTA Vice President of Operations. “We look forward to working with our transportation partners and the business community to make the central Ohio chapter one of the best in the Midwest.” Washington was welcomed to central Ohio during a luncheon hosted by COTA and attended by several transportation and community leaders. Guests included: Chris Adams, Bascom & Adams; Melinda Carter, City of Columbus; Suzanne Bell, Columbus Regional Airport Authority; Dennis Clark, Dynamix; Scott Porter, Dynamix; Denise Gilliam, Elford Construction; Ginger Cunningham, Ginger Cunningham & Associates; Anthony Whitmore, Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority; Tish Hairston, Harris Medical Transport; Lynn Robinson, MORPC; Marci Wright, ODOT; Keith Stevens, ProTeam; Frank Spaturo, Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA); Jim Gee, General Manager, Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority; Elissa Schneider, Transit Columbus; Olando Epps, TWU, Local 208; Lyntel Cannon, TWU, Local 208; Marcia Woods Johnson, TWU, Local 208; Lisa Combs, TWU, Local 208; and Catherine Girves, YAY! Bikes. She talked about COMTO’s new forward thinking initiatives and its current ongoing programs, such as its TCRP (Transit Cooperative Research Program) Ambassador Program.

16 COMTO | Moving the Nation

Tiffany Pannell, manager of COTA’s Mobility Special Programs is one of COMTO’s TCRP Ambassadors. Pannell noted that the Ambassador Program is designed to help disseminate the industry’s best practices and latest research on a peer to peer basis. “We do the Ambassador Program in collaboration with APTA because research is the lifeblood of this industry,” said Washington. “This is just one of the many partnership programs COMTO operates,” said Washington, cheering the central Ohio chapter on.

DBE Corner COMTO’s Vision to Create DBE Clearinghouse Housing ‘best practices’ and successful new initiatives under one roof is the impetus behind COMTO’s proposed DBE clearinghouse.

the question: “Is there a DBE clearinghouse that archives all of the best practices into one web-based system for state DOTs, transit agencies, airports, etc?”

Historically, Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) have yet to find equity in the bid process when competing for opportunities to participate on federally funded contracts. There are a host of issues associated with the DBE program not reaching its full potential, including: DBEs who lack adequate equipment, experienced employees on staff, bonding/insurance, and financial wherewithal. However, a number of contract-granting entities including State Department of Transportation (DOT) offices have developed successful initiatives that have seen competitive gains in DBE contracting.

A DBE clearinghouse would have the ability to reach people efficiently and effectively, and therefore, help each DBE office develop a toolbox strategy when the contracting opportunity presents itself. DBEs and offices that maintain DBE programs can achieve an increase in participation if proven processes are made accessible. Additionally, the new DBE rules create more access to equity in bid performance; it is up to us to implement approaches to help achieve DBE goals.

As we ponder the myriad of challenges that DBEs face, we also think of all of the transportation conferences that we have attended and trade organizations where we have been active members. Each of the aforementioned experiences has provided an opportunity to mirror success in implementing a best practice model for DBEs. This begs

DBE Committee Members Marcela Alcantar, Natasha Cobb, Kunjan Dayal, Terry Garrett, Charnelle Hicks, Walter Livingston III, Lloyd Lovell, Ken Middleton, Myneca Ojo, Timothy Porter, Ferdinand Risco Jr., DeborahThompson, Kim Williams

Terrence Hicks – Chair

SmartMove is a 5-year plan created by VIA through input from the San Antonio community and the SmartWay SA planning process. SmartMove will offer more travel choices for everyone, including Modern Streetcar, Westside Multimodal Transit Center, U.S. 281 North Park & Ride, Brooks Transit Center, Robert Thompson Transit Center, and enhanced Downtown Patron Amenities.

Be a part of SmartMove at VIAsmartmove.com. VIA salutes COMTO on its 43rd National Meeting & Training Conference 2014 Post Conference Summer 2014 | ACCELERATE 17

Celebrating Women

Calendar

who move the nation

CALENDAR 2014 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 CBCF/COMTO 22nd Annual Transportation Braintrust Walter E. Washington Convention Center Room 207B Washington, D.C.

A Breakfast Awards Ceremony Hosted by the Conference Of Minority Transportation Officials

MONDAY, OCTOBER 13 – WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15 American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Expo COMTO Pavillion George R. Brown Convention Center Houston, TX

2015

Promote Your Corporate Brand During Women’s History Month

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2015 8AM – 11AM Annual Celebrating Women Who Move the Nation (CWWMN) Breakfast J.W. Marriott Hotel Washington, DC.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013 Wednesday, March 11, 2015 8:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. JW Marriott Hotel JW Marriott Hotel 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DCNW 20004 Washington, DC 20004 SponSorShip opportunitieS

SATURDAY, JULY 11 – TUESDAY, JULY 14, 2015 44th National Meeting and Training Conference Boston Park Plaza Hotel Boston, MA.

Moving the Nation

Conference Of Minority Transportation Officials Administrative Offcie 12100 Sunset Hills Road, Ste 130 Reston, VA 20190 www.comto.org

For Chapter Events & Activities please visit: www.comto.org

MARKETING Strategic Planning Public Relations Marketing Programs Branding Creative Services

ENVIRONMENTAL Wayfinding & Signage Design Interpretive Environments Identity-Brand Design

18 COMTO | Moving the Nation

JONES WORLEY SALUTES

COMTO’s

National Meeting & Tr a i n i n g Co n f e r e n c e

Cynthia Jones Parks President/CEO cjonesparks@jonesworley.com Moving the Nation

Jones Worley, founded in 1990 by Cynthia Jones Parks, is a boutique communications agency with a national reputation for high-impact branding, marketing and signage design. Jones Worley’s creative talents help millions of people throughout the U.S. navigate airports, hospitals, hotels, libraries and public transit. The Atlanta-based firm has the distinction of branding the Atlanta Streetcar, the MARTA “Breeze” card and five other transit smart cards around the country. Jones Worley has provided wayfinding and signage for The World of Coca Cola, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the Federal Reserve Bank and the Centennial Olympic Games. 723 Piedmont Avenue, NE Atlanta GA 30308-1416 TEL 404.876.9272 | FAX. 404.876.9224 | www.jonesworley.com

Creating a better tomorrow

Ranked #1 in Transportation by Engineering News-Record, AECOM provides a blend of global reach, local knowledge, innovation and technical excellence in delivering solutions that create, enhance and sustain the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s built, natural, and social environments.

www.aecom.com

OSDBU Participated in SBA’s Boots to Business Events This summer, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT), Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization’s (OSDBU) field offices, or Small Business Transportation Resource Centers (SBTRCs), took part in the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) “Boots to Business: Reboot” events across the country. During these events, Veterans were introduced to the fundamentals of business ownership and lead through the key steps for assessing business concepts and developing business plans.

Led by SBA Regional Offices and experts from the Syracuse University’s Institute for Veteran and Military Families (IVMF), the events also introduced participating Veterans to a network of lifetime business support through the USDOT-OSDBU’s SBTRC network, Veteran Business Outreach Centers, Women’s Business Centers, Small Business Development Centers and SCORE Counselors. SBTRCs work closely with the transportation contracting community and technical assistance providers to serve businesses within their respective regions. Utilizing these partnerships and industry expertise, SBTRCs provide business counseling that includes procurement and technical assistance to Small Businesses, Women-Owned Business, Veteran-Owned Businesses and Minority-Owned Businesses, including certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) in the transportation industry. The USDOT establishes agreements with chambers of commerce, trade associations, educational institutions and other business organizations to serve as SBTRCs, also known as USDOTOSDBU Field Offices. For more information about OSDBU and to find the SBTRC near you, please contact the OSDBU Regional Assistance Division at (202)366-1930 or visit us at www.dot.gov/osdbu. For more information on SBA’s “Boots to Business: Reboot” event series, please visit www.boots2businessreboot.org.

20 COMTO | Moving the Nation

To our Veterans and their Families

Thank you for your service and sacrifice

Veterans Day November 11, 2014 On August 5, 2014 COMTO Michigan held a scholarship dinner and awards event which honored Greg Johnson for his career achievements. Greg was recently appointed to the National Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) Board of Directors for 2014-2016 and will serve as an At-Large Member. Greg is the Michigan Department of Transportation’s (MDOT’s) Chief Operations Officer, overseeing its seven regions, Bureau of Development, Bureau of Field Services, Office of Operations Administrative Services, and the Office of Business Development. Congratulations Greg on your achievements!

Mark Your Calendar COMTO’s 44th National Meeting & Training Conference Embracing Innovation | Inspiring Leaders | Bridging Opportunities

July 11–14, 2015 Boston Park Plaza Boston, Massachusetts

Post Conference Summer 2014 | ACCELERATE 21

In Memoriam

JulieCunningham President/CEO COMTO 2001 to 2014

Under her dynamic leadership, COMTO became a nationally recognized advocate for workforce diversity and inclusion. She is greatly missed.

For career opportunities and/or information, please visit 22 COMTO | Moving the Nation

pbworld.com

Special Tribute to Julie Cunningham To Honor Julie and Her Family, We take a moment to honor Julie Cunningham for her magnificent leadership over the past 13 years. With grace, passion, and the elegant power of an eagle, she took COMTO to new heights- from good to great. Her untimely passing leaves a leadership void in the industry. She will be sorely missed. So, with a sense of honor and obligation to her and her wonderful family, we proudly announce the Julie Cunningham Courage in Leadership Fund (JCLF). The fund, established in her name, will assist COMTO in continuing her great work supporting the people she worked tirelessly to serve and developing the next generation of leaders. Please join us in celebrating her legacy. See information below for details.

The Julie Cunningham Legacy Fund Honoring a profile in Courage and Leadership The Julie Cunningham Legacy Fund (JCLF) honors the memory of COMTO’s former President & CEO, Julie Cunningham, who led the organization through unparalleled growth and development (from good to great) over the last 13 years. Her untimely passing coupled with the respect and love COMTO family members, the transportation industry and government entities have for her, deems it fitting to create the JCLF. The fund and the recognition it infers shall be used to continue the work that Julie loved and to support the people she worked tirelessly to serve.

FUNDING GOAL:

$250,000

FUND ACTIVITIES INCLUDE: – Advancing the COMTO Leadership Institute (CLI)

u The JCLF began accepting donations on July 7, 2014 with the first donations coming from the committee members who agreed to donate a minimum of $1,000 each.

– Offering scholarships

u During the 43rd National Meeting and Training Conference in Atlanta, the COMTO

– Supporting HBCU’s transportation programs & initiatives

Board of Directors donated $10,000 to the fund and will do so annually.

– Developing focused transportation, education, and networking opportunities for appointing authorities of transit agency board of directors

– Advocating training programs for community stakeholders – Developing High School and Junior College transportation initiatives

TO DONATE: Visit – www.comto.org/julie

You may also send donations to: COMTO National Attn: JCLF Fund 12100 Sunset Hills Road, Suite 130 | Reston, VA 20190

JCLF COMMITTEE Co-Chairs

Members

Jackie Davison Will Scott

Ron Barnes Debra Carter Frank Martin

Helen McSwain Andrella Kenner Wanda Oliver

1875 I Street, NW, Suite 500 Washington, DC 20006

202 857 8065 | info@comto.org | www.comto.org

Post Conference Summer 2014 | ACCELERATE 23

ACCELERATE

COMTO LEADERSHIP NATIONAL CHAIR

BOARD MEMBERS AT-LARGE

Robert H. Prince, Jr. AECOM Boston, MA

Tracey Bessellieu Parsons Brinckerhoff New York, NY

1ST VICE CHAIR

Mary Ann Collier Swayzer Engineering, Inc. Dallas, TX

Warren Montague Detroit Department of Transportation Detroit, MI

2ND VICE CHAIR Freddie Fuller CUBIC Transportation Systems, Inc. Arlington, VA

SECRETARY/TREASURER Renee Edwards Dallas Area Rapid Transit Dallas, TX

CHAPLAIN

Lester Woods Missouri Department of Transportation Jefferson City, MO

IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR Roosevelt Bradley United Brake & Clutch Service, LLC Miami Lakes, FL

Dr. Grady Dale, Jr. The American Institute for Urban Psychological Studies, Inc. Baltimore, MD Greg Johnson Michigan Department of Transportation Lansing, MI Dr. Dianne T. Mendoza VIA Metropolitan Transit San Antonio, TX

COUNCIL OF PRESIDENTS REPRESENTATIVES Emille Williams Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority Philadelphia, PA Dan Pearsall Denver Regional Transportation District Denver, CO

COUNCIL OF PRESIDENTS REPRESENTATIVE ALTERNATE Meshelle Howard Maryland Transit Authority Baltimore, MD

INTERIM PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Linda Jacobs Washington Washington, DC

FOUNDER AND HONORARY CHAIRMAN EMERITUS The Rev. Jerry Moore Washington, DC

BOARD ADVISORS Debra Carter Corporate Advisor Shirley DeLibero Succession Planning Advisor Aisha Eccleston Maritime Advisor A. Bradley Mims Legislative Advisor COL RET Jim Paige Senior Advisor & Chief Strategist Deborah Underwood Academic Advisor

Accelerate is a quarterly newsletter published

by the Conference Of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) 1875 I Street, NW, Suite 500 Washington, DC 20006 Administrative Office 12100 Sunset Hills Road, Suite 130 Reston, VA 20190 703.234.4072 info@comto.org | www.comto.org

COMTO Vision Statement To see the diverse faces of America equally reflected in all levels of the transportation industry.

COMTO Mission Statement To ensure a level playing field and maximum participation in the transportation industry for minority individuals, businesses, and communities of color through advocacy, information sharing, training, educational, and professional development.

COMTO Objectives — — — —

embership Growth and Retention M Training, Education and Professional Development Advocacy and Public Awareness Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUBs)