How IBTTA’s Diversity, Social and Racial Inclusion Task Force Came to Be

Though IBTTA’s Diversity, Social and Racial Inclusion Task Force has only been around for a year and a half, the idea to form it was planted a long time before it came into being in August 2020.

That’s according to Samuel Johnson, who served as IBTTA’s president in 2020 and oversaw the task force’s creation.

“(IBTTA Executive Director and CEO) Pat Jones and I had already been having discussions about the importance of increasing diversity within the association when we heard the significant outcries for racial justice from our membership both in the United States and internationally,” he said. “When the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and countless other unfortunate events occurred, the voices citing the need for change and an increased focus on justice resonated and amplified the call to action. We felt it was important that IBTTA clearly state its position and our intent to contribute to a better future for all.”

The first priority for IBTTA at the time, according to Johnson, was that the organization “did more than just put words on paper. We wanted to make sure those words resulted in action.”

And, so, they did.

In his capacity as IBTTA president that year, Johnson had the ability to create a task force within the IBTTA organizational structure without requiring additional approvals. Even if approval was required according to the association’s bylaws, it’s a guarantee that it would’ve been granted as the entire board, staff and IBTTA international membership were behind Johnson in support of a focused effort within IBTTA to deliver on its stated dedication to diversity, equity and inclusion. Still, before officially forming the task force, Johnson wanted to be sure that it would live on beyond the end of his IBTTA presidency.

“History has shown that achieving the association and societal outcomes we wanted would not happen overnight, so my focus was the long-term sustainability of the effort. I wanted to ensure it wasn't just the hot topic of the day, tied to the current association president who happened to be of color. I spoke to my successors--both (Pennsylvania Turnpike CEO) Mark Compton, who served as president in 2021 and (New Jersey Department of Transportation Commissioner) Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti, who currently serves as president. I also continued discussions with Pat Jones, our CEO, to make sure everyone was supportive of the concept, committed to the goals and that it would continue after my presidency.”

With the long-term support of IBTTA’s leadership on board, Johnson created the task force and handpicked two exceptional people who exemplified the tolling industry—Ferzan Ahmed, executive director of the Ohio Turnpike Commission, and Joi Dean, CEO of the Richmond Metropolitan Transportation Authority—to lead the new group. “Those two [Ahmed and Dean], with their capable leadership skills and understanding of the challenges and opportunities, were ideal choices in establishing and advancing this effort. They put out a call for interested and committed volunteers and brought in others who wanted to be involved, help build the committee and advance its mission. That passion and collaborative work has made this a successful start for what must reach the goal,” Johnson said.

While the task force has busily concentrated its actions in three key areas —Enlightenment; Recognition; and Growth and Best Practices—a broader sense of its noble goal of combating discrimination and injustice in transportation can be felt in every meeting the group hosts and in everything else the group does. Johnson noted “the task force has been deliberate and thoughtful in providing a safe space for members to have difficult conversations and broaden perspectives; use recognition to convey the factual evidence of the talent that exists across all shapes, sizes, colors and identities; and to share how people are taking steps to achieve the same goals within their respective communities and organizations.”

The task force has been very active, executing a Memorandum of Understanding to actively partner with the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO), providing IBTTA’s first annual award for excellence in Diversity and Inclusion and raising funds to award four $5,000 scholarships to students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities in 2020 and 2021.

“The history of transportation—especially in the United States—and how roads were built and where they were selected to be built has disproportionately impacted folks who look like me and other minority segments,” Johnson said. “Within and outside our industry we know that there have been many wrongs committed. We want to make sure we've learned from those mistakes, identified ways to overcome them and can guarantee they aren't repeated.”

Because, ultimately, the task force is part of a much bigger project that stretches beyond IBTTA and beyond transportation as a whole.

“We must continue the conversation and take actions until we achieve the Dream articulated by Dr. Martin Luther King, where people are judged for the content of their character and their abilities rather than by how they look,” Johnson said. "That is critical to how we move forward as an organization, as an industry, as a country and as a planet.”