Last month, July 9-11, 2022, COMTO held its 51st National Meeting and Training Conference under the theme “Navigating the Future: Advancing Transportation Beyond Disruption”. Nearly 800 COMTO members, partners, and supporters came together in Fort Lauderdale, after a 3-year hiatus due to COVID-19 to explore and strategize on creating an equitable and diverse industry. It was quintessentially COMTO.

COMTO was described by Secretary Pete Buttigieg as “The Voice for Equity in Transportation”. A 51-year-old organization with focus on ensuring transportation leadership and workforce reflect the communities served. Our mission is “to ensure opportunities and maximum participation in the transportation industry for minority individuals, veterans, people with disabilities and certified MWDBE businesses through leadership training, professional development, scholarship and internship funding, political advocacy, partnership building and networking opportunities.” With 35 (and growing!) chapters across North America, COMTO provides meaningful partnerships with Transportation Agencies and Private Firms to actualize their equity, diversity and inclusion goals while providing unparalleled networking opportunities and training for transportation professionals across disciplines.

COMTO’s focus as we work with Transportation Agencies and Private Firms is to help create an integrated culture of equity and make it business as usual. With our Agency members, COMTO works to evaluate existing efforts, share best practices and in some cases serve as a neutral-third party in facilitating information gathering, disseminating resources and presenting findings. This work can be challenging, but it is always rewarding. This work is the true embodiment of COMTO, with proven success over 50 years as we work to move forward our vision of full access in transportation for all.

To share one outstanding example, in 2006, former COMTO President & CEO Julie Cunningham led transformational work on the 1-64 project in St. Louis Missouri, culminating in what is known in transportation circles as “the Missouri Model”. With COMTO as an equity partner, the Missouri Department of Transportation was able to answer intense community concerns, create a culture of inclusivity and utilize diverse teams to exceed project goals. When a commission meeting was held prior to the start of the project, there were dozens of community representatives present, making threats of civil protest, if the project moved forward excluding consideration of community concerns.

Once COMTO was brought in as an equity partner, listening sessions were held with representatives from various groups within the community. A unique community partnering agreement process was instituted that prioritized reaching a consensus with community leadership. The result was a highly successful project that came in eleven million dollars under budget, three weeks ahead of schedule and exceeded the federal workforce goals for minorities, women and participation from disadvantaged business enterprises (DBE’s). The plan was subsequently utilized for the Paseo bridge project in Kansas City and the Mississippi river bridge project.

In January, COMTO released our 2022-2025 Strategic Plan. In addition to supporting agencies and firms working to foster a culture of equity, COMTO has prioritized the professional development of our members to ensure growth and attainment of the experience needed to serve on boards and in positions of leadership. We have tied our success metrics to the success of our members, and work to celebrate those promotions and appointments. We are committed to providing innovative programming to address the ever-evolving needs of industry leadership and critical skill building.

If your Agency or Organization is not yet a member of COMTO, please reach out, as we would be thrilled to connect and explore opportunities for collaboration!