The Association is partnering with transit leaders and organizations to highlight critical partnerships and shared goals, and to offer more educational opportunities for members than ever before. Here’s how you can benefit.
By Arianna Smith
Managing Editor
Transit California
Elevating diverse viewpoints in the transit sector isn’t new for the Association: for years, it’s been central to our commitment to serve our membership and to strengthen local and statewide partnerships in the transit industry.
In 2021, the Association formally stated its institutional commitment to racial equity and social justice, bringing the concepts forward through the landmark IDEA Task Force report that became a guiding principle for short- and long-term planning. With the adoption of the Association’s Strategic Plan in 2023, the Association proactively elevated educational programming offerings on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA).
The report and strategic plan reiterated the necessity for transit agencies to partner with and “lean into” the work done by, and support that is provided by organizations that lift up diverse voices in transit, including the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO), WTS International, and Latinos in Transit. One way the Association has done this has been through conference programming: for the past three years, both the Spring Legislative Conference and the annual Fall Conference & Expo have featured individuals from these organizations as speakers; additionally, since 2023, over 25% of the annual Fall Conference and Expo’s 20 concurrent session panels have been built with a DEIA focus on a wide range of transit topics.
Now in 2026, the Association is proud to be partnering with industry stakeholders and leaders to offer its members programming and informational discussions around months of cultural significance. The Association has already hosted record-breaking events and is offering two more in the coming months. Here’s how to learn more about what’s been offered, what’s coming up, and how you can lend your voice to future events.
Virtual and live events highlight diversity of transit leaders and California communities served
The first in the webinar series, The importance of community engagement in effective transportation planning, was held in February alongside COMTO to celebrate Black History Month. The conversation was moderated by COMTO President April Rai and highlighted why community engagement is essential to building transportation systems that are effective, trusted, and responsive to changing needs. Kenneth A. McDonald (President & CEO, Long Beach Transit) and Rashidi Barnes (CEO, Tri Delta Transit) shared practical examples of how meaningful engagement can build public trust and strengthen relationships with riders and the broader community. They emphasized that centering transit-dependent riders’ needs and intentionally listening to often-overlooked communities leads to smarter, more equitable policy decisions. McDonald and Barnes explained that by incorporating both economic and social considerations into conversations with the public, agencies can improve services that better reflect community needs; they also highlighted that engagement is most effective when it begins early and continues throughout the planning and implementation process, ultimately strengthening project outcomes and increasing community support for transit initiatives.
“The diverse community we serve…sharpens our focus on how we think about service and how we implement that service in the cities we serve,” said McDonald of Long Beach during the webinar. “Our responsibility is connecting communities that have distinct neighborhoods, different cultures and different needs.”
In March, in honor of Women's History Month, the Association, WTS’s Sacramento Chapter, and the Mineta Transportation Institute hosted the webinar Championing Women in Transportation: A Panel Discussion on Leadership and Mentorship in Transportation. Karen Philbrick (Executive Director, Mineta Transportation Institute) moderated a lively panel discussion with Association Executive Committee Chair Erin Rogers (CEO / General Manager, Omnitrans), Alicia Trost (Chief Communications Officer, BART), Toni Tinoco (Assistant Deputy Secretary for Communications, CalSTA), and Amanda Kahn (Senior Engineering Geologist, Caltrans). Panelists shared their career journeys, discussed the power of mentorship, and offered insights on advancing women into leadership roles across transportation. This hour-long discussion broke attendance records for the Association, with more than 219 individuals attending.
“If we’re truly going to solve the workforce shortage [in transit], we need to look beyond the boundaries of planning and engineering, and we need to ensure that everybody sees a place for themselves,” said Karen Philbrick during the webinar.
Future events highlight the importance of diverse visibility at all career levels
Coming up on May 12 at 12 PM, the Association is partnering with the Asian American Leadership in Mobility (AALM) Group for its May webinar recognizing AAPI month. The event titled: Moving the Industry Forward: Asian American Leadership in Transportation will showcase a candid conversation on what it takes to build an industry that reflects the communities it serves. AALM focuses on leadership development, workforce readiness, and collaboration across the transportation and mobility sector. Attendees will hear from AALM co-founder and President Gene Kim (Senior Vice President, STV Inc.), Tim Chan (Group Manager - Station Area Planning, BART), and Jane Duong Davaransky (Advisory Planning, WSP) and Juliet Nogales-DeGuzman (Human Resources Director, San Mateo County Transit District) as they share what it took to build one of transit’s fastest-growing partner organizations, why Asian American representation in mid- and senior-level roles matters, and what authentic inclusion looks like in practice. The webinar session will blend consideration of organizational mission with professional development insights. Register here!
In June for LGBTQ+ Pride Month, the Association will offer a partnering webinar with BuildIT, the world’s largest LGBTQ industry association dedicated to the sustainable growth of LGBTQ/Allied owned and certified businesses involved in a variety of construction and large scale development sectors. BuildIT has launched initiatives to fund, build, and repair legacy construction projects throughout the West Coast and around the world to support a network of over 8,000 LGBTQ/Allied businesses, professionals, tradespeople, public agency representatives, industry thought leaders and stakeholders. More information on this webinar is coming soon.
All webinars are ideal for Transportation and Transit professionals at all career levels, public agency staff, private sector employees, policymakers, and emerging leaders in transit. For all past and upcoming webinar content and registration, please visit the Association's webinar landing page for the latest information and links.
How to get the most out of the Association’s educational offerings
There are plenty of ways to learn what the Association is offering up next, both in-person and virtually. Be sure to read the weekly Executive Director’s Report, out by email every Monday afternoon, for a running list of all upcoming events and how to participate. The Association also makes regular announcements on LinkedIn, Instagram, Bluesky, and X, and many past webinar sessions are available for viewing on YouTube.
As for the Association’s next upcoming in-person educational event, we hope to see you at the 2026 Spring Legislative Conference at the Kimpton Sawyer Hotel in Sacramento on Thursday, May 21, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Read about everything this annual advocacy event has to offer here, check out the agenda-at-a-glance, and register today!
Are you or a member of your organization interested in providing educational content to Association members? If so, be on the lookout for an open call by email for 2026 Annual Conference and Expo Concurrent Session topics and speaker proposals. As in past years, we will continue to showcase topics that help educate, inform, and inspire attendees about transit diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. This year’s conference will take place earlier than in previous years, from October 28-30 at the Monterey Conference Center & Portola Hotel & Spa. Registration isn’t yet open, but for general questions please contact Maria Barajas (info@caltransit.org or 916-446-4656).
We’re adding to our webinar and in-person educational and professional content throughout the year, and we look forward to your participation!