Iranetta J. Dennis

SUPPLIER DIVERSITY DIRECTOR CENTRAL FLORIDA EXPRESSWAY AUTHORITY

Iranetta J. Dennis is the Supplier Diversity Director with the Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX). As the director, she is responsible for implementing CFX’s Supplier Diversity Policy and programs. She has 24 years in state government, 17 of which have been in areas of program development for small, minority and women-owned business enterprises.

Dennis holds a master’s degree in Public Administration and bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, as well as acquiring her certification as a Master Compliance Administrator. She has been acknowledged for her contributions and support of small, minority and women-owned businesses. Throughout her career, her primary objective has been to transition these businesses from the role of subcontractors to sustainable prime contractors within the community.

Dennis is the president of Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) Central Florida, a team of professionals with years of leadership, experience and knowledge in the transportation industry. The board provides ongoing counsel and oversight of the business strategy and organization affairs and are dedicated to ensuring longterm growth and success. COMTO Central Florida is a dynamic, multimodal transportation organization that provides leadership programs as well as advocacy services to businesses, members and communities within the Central Florida area including but not limited to; Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Hardee, Highlands, Polk, Pasco, Pinellas, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Sarasota Counties.

Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, which took place last year on September 21, is a nationally recognized day to highlight the pay and income disparities of Black women compared to their white, non-Hispanic male counterparts in the United States. Black women had to work 21.5 months to make what the average white man has earned in just 12 months. Despite being more likely to be the breadwinners of their families, Black women, on average, need a bachelor’s degree to make what white men make with just a high school degree. As a result, the targeted exclusion of Black women from education and equal pay has meaningful generational implications.

Education is often hailed as the most reliable path to economic success; however, the history of institutional racism and misogyny still permeates the majority of educational spheres and inhibits the progress of Black women. IWPR research found that, due to the impacts of systemic racism, many Black parents must send their children to underfunded high-poverty schools. In fact, an IWPR study found that 72% of Black children in New York City attend schools characterized by run-down facilities, high teacher turnover, high student-teacher ratios, and a lack of basic school supplies.