CONTACT: Gatwiri Muthara, Membership & Communications Manager, COMTO
[email protected] – 240-899-2973 (mobile)
CONTACT: Bill Cramer, Communications Director, IBTTA
[email protected] – 202-210-2962 (mobile)
The Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) and The International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA)
Sign Memorandum of Understanding to promote careers for women and minorities in transportation.
WASHINGTON, DC (January 14, 2021) – A. Bradley Mims, President and CEO of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO), a nonprofit organization founded in 1971 dedicated to advancing minorities in the transportation industry with 34 chapters in the U.S. and Canada, and
Pat Jones, Executive Director and CEO of the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA), the worldwide association for the owners and operators of toll facilities and the businesses that serve them, founded in 1932, with members in 23 countries on six continents released the following statements upon signing a joint Memorandum of Understanding forming an alliance to address mutual objectives by each organization.
“COMTO and IBTTA look forward to working together. IBTTA is eager for our members to engage and collaborate with COMTO members to foster increased representation resulting in a more equitable transportation system providing greater mobility for all users,” said Pat Jones, Executive Director and CEO, IBTTA.
"The partnership between COMTO and IBTTA is a step in the right direction to increase opportunities for women and minorities in the toll facilities industry. Both organizations are leaders in their respective fields and the partnership will certainly have an impact regarding diversity and equity,” said A. Bradley Mims, President and CEO, COMTO.
The MOU will:
- Promote the transportation infrastructure sector as a rewarding career choice for women and minorities;
- Further the participation, advancement and recognition of women and minorities in the transportation infrastructure sector, both public and private;
- Provide professional development opportunities to help them advance their skill sets and careers to ensure the sector’s future success;
- Encourage their participation in organizational leadership activities at the national, state and local levels; and
- Cooperate with others who share these objectives to achieve them.
Recognizing the benefits of establishing an institutional arrangement to achieve the following:
- Increase member access to information, including business and career opportunities, in the respective fields of both organizations;
- Facilitate and expand the dissemination of that information to each other’s members;
- Collaborate on topics of common interest and support diversity objectives that ensure a level playing field for training, education, employment and contract opportunities for minorities in the field of transportation; and
- Provide regular consultation among the leadership to review and assess programs and identify opportunities for coordinated efforts.
COMTO and IBTTA will work together to:
- Support each other in the development of programmatic content for their meetings and conferences, including identifying candidate speakers;
- Identify opportunities for jointly sponsored convening activities, such as conferences, workshops, webinars, meetings, and local chapter activities;
- Publicize each other’s major conferences and meetings in their e-newsletters;
- Provide recognition as an allied organization at each other’s annual meetings; and
- Exchange two complimentary registrations for leaders of each organization to participate in the other’s annual meetings.
For more information, please contact Gatwiri Muthara at [email protected] or Bill Cramer at [email protected].
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The Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) founded in 1971, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing minorities in the transportation industry. With over 30 chapters in the U.S. and Canada, COMTO is driven by a mission to ensure opportunities and participation in transportation for minorities, veterans, people with disabilities and certified MWDBE (minority, women or disadvantaged-owned) businesses through leadership training, professional development, scholarship and internship funding, advocacy, partnership building and networking opportunities. COMTO will celebrate its 50th year of expanding opportunities for minorities in transportation as an organization in 2021. For more information, please visit www.comtonational.org.
The International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) is the worldwide association for the owners and operators of toll facilities and the businesses that serve them. Founded in 1932, IBTTA has members in more than 23 countries on six continents. Through advocacy, thought leadership and education, members are implementing state-of-the-art, innovative user-based transportation financing solutions to address the critical infrastructure challenges of the 21st Century. For more information, please visit www.ibtta.org or join us on Twitter @IBTTA.