March 2, 2026
Contact: Delia Gonçalves FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Vice President, External Affairs delia@comto.org 571.998.2071
COMTO Celebrates Women’s History Month Honoring 10 Trailblazers
Driving the Transportation Industry
Arlington, VA The Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) is kicking off Women’s History Month with a salute to 10 extraordinary women driving the transportation industry. COMTO’s Women Who Move the Nation awards recognize women leaders for their excellence, innovation, and exemplary dedication to moving the nation. COMTO will highlight the achievements of these trailblazers throughout the month of March and will gather to celebrate these women in the industry’s premier award ceremony on April 15, 2026.
There’s another reason to celebrate this Tax Day. 2026 marks our 15th Annual Celebrating Women Who Move the Nation Awards Breakfast. To date, COMTO has inducted 162 women into its signature class of leaders. The honorees encompass a variety of multi-modal transportation, spanning both the public and private sectors. Each year, this sold-out event brings together private company executives and transportation agency CEOs from around the country to pay tribute to 10 women at the top of their class.
The 2026 COMTO Women Who Move the Nation Honorees are:
• Shalonda Baldwin - California Regional Business Leader, Transportation Infrastructure, WSP
• Sharon Jean-Baptiste - President, Ardmore Roderick
• Joi Taylor Dean - CEO, Richmond Metropolitan Transportation Authority
• Caroline Decker - Chief Government Affairs Officer, GFT
• Deborah Ale Flint - CEO, Greater Toronto Airports Authority
• Justine Johnson - Chief Mobility Officer, Michigan’s Office of Future, Mobility, & Electrification
• Kelli Kelly - Vice President, Business Development & Strategy, Kiewit
• Nadine S. Lee - President & CEO, DART
• Melissa Mullinax - Vice President of Growth, HNTB
• Anna Roach - Executive Director & CEO, Atlanta Regional Commission
“As a 2015 honoree, I know first-hand the immense pride each of these women feel in being honored for their hard work and dedication to this industry. And to receive this award in front of your peers is a moment I will never forget!” said Tanya Adams, Chair of COMTO’s Board of Directors and Senior Vice President, Director of Strategic Partnership, WSP USA.
The 15th Annual Celebrating Women Who Move the Nation (CWWMN) Awards Breakfast takes place April 15, 2026, from 8:00 – 10:30 AM at the Grand Hyatt 1000 H Street, NW, Washington, DC. This highly anticipated event uplifts women across all modes and sectors who have transformed transportation. Tickets and sponsorship opportunities can be purchased at 2026 Celebrating Women Who Move the Nation.
“Recognizing these leaders beginning in Women’sHistoryMonthis an intentional act of appreciation,” said April Rai, COMTO’s President & CEO, “they are a true reflection of the work we promote here at COMTO: leadership that is innovative, inspiring, and reflective of the community. The future of transportation is in good hands.”
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AboutCOMTO
TheConferenceofMinorityTransportationOfficials(COMTO)isanational,multimodalmembershiporganizationcommittedtoensuringtransportationservesall.Withmore than3,000organizationalmembersandanetworkofover100,000professionals, COMTOadvancesworkforcedevelopment,industryengagement,andcollaborative transportationplanningacrossthepublicandprivatesectors.
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