Source: US DOT

  • Leading experts will advise the Secretary on issues related to civil rights and expanding access to jobs and economic opportunities in transportation for all communities

Today, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced the appointment of 24 members to the Advisory Committee on Transportation Equity (ACTE) under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). Appointees to the Advisory Committee are drawn from academia, the private sector, and the transportation industry. They include experts in community engagement, transportation planning, design, research, policy, advocacy, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA). The group will hold its first meeting in the fall.

Secretary Buttigieg re-established the ACTE to provide independent advice and recommendations about issues of civil rights and various contexts of transportation equity from a variety of leaders. The ACTE was originally initiated during the tenure of USDOT Secretary Anthony Foxx and the re-establishment of the ACTE is necessary for the Department to carry out its mission to deliver the world’s leading transportation system, serving all American people through the safe, efficient, sustainable, and equitable movement of people and goods.

The ACTE will operate in accordance with the provisions of the FACA and the rules and regulations issued in the implementation of that Act. It will complement the work of the internal DOT Equity Council, which guides and oversees the process for institutionalizing equity across the Department’s policies and programs.

“We are grateful to the distinguished members of the ACTE, and I look forward to working with them as we continue our efforts to bring better infrastructure—and the jobs and opportunities that come with it—to every community across the country,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

The ACTE will play an integral role in USDOT’s efforts to implement its Equity Action Plan and Strategic Plan. ACTE Chair and former USDOT Secretary Anthony Foxx said, “With once-in-a-generation investments in transportation infrastructure championed by this Administration comes an equal responsibility to ensure that no community is left behind. For that reason, I welcome the opportunity to join with other members of the ACTE to add external perspectives to the vital work that USDOT has launched to promote transportation fairness in communities across the country, to establish a record of historical fact, and to develop a series of recommendations for this and future administrations, other stakeholders, including potentially Congress, state and local governments, and a broader set of transportation sector stakeholders.”

The main objectives of the Committee are to provide advice and recommendations to inform the Department about efforts to:

  • Help inform the Secretary on promising practices to institutionalize equity into Agency programs, policies, regulations, and activities;
  • Strengthen and establish partnerships with overburdened and underserved communities who have been historically underrepresented in the Department’s outreach and engagement;
  • Offer a forum for coordination and the exchange of information on equity concerns raised in local and regional transportation decisions; and
  • Provide added strength, objectivity, and confidence to management’s decision-making process.

The Department received and reviewed more than 240 applications for membership to the ACTE. The newly appointed members—who will each serve two-year terms—include:

  • Anthony Foxx, Professor of Practice, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University (Chair)
  • Stephanie Gidigbi-Jenkins, Partner, North Star Strategies; Vice President, Communities First Infrastructure Alliance (Vice Chair)
  • Shoshana Akins, Manager, Public Participation Planning, Delaware Valley Region Planning Commission
  • Charles Brown, Founder, Equitable Cities.
  • Flora Castillo, President, Pivot Strategies.
  • Clarence Daniel-Angapak, Community Development Division Director, Association of Village Council Presidents
  • Veronica Davis, Deputy Director, Houston Public Works; Director, Transportation and Drainage Operations, City of Houston
  • Destiny (Thomas) Deguzman, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Thrivance Group
  • Yochai Eisenberg, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Disability and Human Development, University of Illinois-Chicago
  • Icema Gibbs, Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility and DEI, JetBlue
  • Priya Sarathy Jones, Deputy Executive Director, Fines and Fees Justice Center
  • Vince Malone, Chief of Staff and Administration, WeGO Public Trust/Nashville MTA
  • Andrea Marpillero-Colomina, Sustainable Communities Program Director, GreenLatinos
  • Diana Mendes, Corporate President for Infrastructure and Mobility Equity, HNTB
  • Roger Millar, Secretary, Washington State Department of Transportation
  • Prashanthi Raman, Vice President, Global Government Affairs, Cruise
  • Azikiwe Rich, Executive Director of Performance Management, NYC Department of Transportation
  • Oliver Sellers-Garcia, Green New Deal Director and Senior Advisor to Mayor Michelle Wu, City of Boston
  • Tunya Smith, Director, Office of Civil Rights, North Carolina Department of Transportation
  • Camille C. Williams, Director, Social Responsibility, Transportation Diversity Council
  • Phil Washington, Chief Executive Officer, Denver International Airport
  • Eboni Wimbush, President and Chief Executive Officer, Airport Minority Advisory Council
  • Gregory Winfree, Agency Director, Texas A&M University Transportation Institute
  • Jing Zhang, Transportation Planner, Morgantown Monongalia Metropolitan Planning Organization