2023 Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) National Meeting and Training Conference

Sunny Los Angeles is host to this year’s COMTO event — the premier gathering of professionals in the transportation industry. This year’s theme, The Great Connector, is inspiration for four days of learning, training and networking with colleagues and industry leaders across all modes of transportation.

We are a proud sponsor and legacy partner!

Our Presentation

Sunday, July 9 

How Cultural Competency & Co-Creation Support Equitable Transportation Projects

• 2-3 p.m. PDT
• Theresa McClure (HDR), Brad Owen (LA METRO), Melissa Boyles (Stacy & Witbeck) and Nicole Franklin (BART, Link 21 Equity Advisory Council)

Transportation agencies are changing how they plan for and deliver infrastructure to incorporate equity into decision-making processes and community engagement. This panel will explore how LA METRO incorporated a cultural competency plan into the East San Fernando Light Rail Transit Project and took a “corridor first” approach to create economic opportunity for local area small businesses, robust workforce development components, and comprehensive diversity, equity, and inclusion elements. The panel will also discuss the use of co-creation, a form of equitable engagement that assumes shared power, responsibility, and decision-making with the community. The panel will address engagement in partnership with Community Based Organizations, compensation for engagement, how to define guidelines and manage expectations for participatory decision-making and provide examples of agency-wide policies and commitments to co-creation engagement.