In observance of Women’s History Month, the Conference Of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) will host its 5th annual Celebrating Women Who Move the Nation (CWWMN) awards breakfast on March 16, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the J.W. Marriott, 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C.
Fourteen outstanding women, representing multi-modes within the transportation industry, will be recognized and saluted for their contributions to the industry. Nearly 500 attendees, representing all sectors of the transportation industry, including government and private firms, are expected to join the celebration.
"COMTO is very excited about this year’s class of honorees. They are extraordinary woman with amazing accomplishments who reflect the diversity in modes of transportation in this country. I look forward to celebrating each of them in March," says Mioshi Moses, COMTO president and CEO.
2016 Celebrating Women Who Move the Nation Honorees:
- Deborah Ale-Flint – executive director, Los Angeles World Airports
- Kimberly Avery – Southwest region engineer, Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT)
- Flora Castillo – vice president of community and strategic engagement, UnitedHealthcare
- Grace Crunican – general manager, San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART)
- T. Bella Dinh Zarr – National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
- Polly Hanson – chief of police, Amtrak Police Department
- Bryna Helfer – director of public engagement to the secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
- Grindly Johnson – deputy secretary of transportation, Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT)
- Feysan Lodde – founder, MV Transit
- Valarie McCall – chair, American Public Transportation Association (APTA)
- Margaret O’Meara – vice president, Boston office, WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff
- Karen Philbrick, executive director, Mineta National Transit Research Consortium
- Leanne Redden – executive director, Chicago Regional Transportation Authority (RTA)
- Mary King – formerly of AC Transit – Posthumous Award
COMTO inaugurated its Celebrating Women Who Move the Nation awards in 2012, starting a new tradition of recognizing the accomplishments and influence of today's outstanding women in transportation. The 2016 list of recipients brings the total number of honorees to 62. As in years past, these leaders represent a broad cross section of the industry.
