The Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) has named WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff Assistant Vice President Community Relations and Diversity-Manager, Central U.S. Region Tanya Adams as 2016 Corporate Executive of the Year.
Adams was also elected to COMTO’s national board of directors.
COMTO is an advocacy organization for minority professionals and businesses in the transportation industry. The Corporate Executive of the Year award “recognizes an executive whose corporation, through his or her leadership, has consistently provided exemplary support to COMTO and contributed to its mission and goals both nationally and through the local COMTO chapter.”
Adams is responsible for a variety of marketing, networking and business development initiatives, including implementation of regional diversity programs, client relations, public relations and community engagement. She serves as co-chair, with Martha Alongi, on WSP | Parson Brinckerhoff’s diversity committee. She also served as recruiting manager for the Central U.S. region, where she oversaw regional recruiting and advised management and staff on issues pertaining to recruiting issues.
Prior to joining the firm in 2006, Adams spent more than 18 years with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) as an employment specialist.
At COMTO, Adams serves on the corporate advisory council, program and planning committee, Women Who Move the Nation nomination committee, and joint leadership committee. In addition to her work with COMTO, she serves as a member of the board of directors for the Illinois chapter of the American Council of Engineering Companies. She is also a member of the equal employment opportunity committee for the Illinois Road and Transportation Builders Association; serves as a committee member on the DBE focus committee for the Innovation Conference on Asphalt and Transportation (ICAT) committee; and was recently appointed as secretary of the board of directors for the Illinois Black Chamber of Commerce. As a member of the COMTO board, Adams will work with industry professionals to develop and enforce strategic plans for the organization. Her two-year term runs through July 2018.
“My selection is validation of the work that we do at WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff to value diversity and I will continue to look for opportunities to position our firm as an industry leader,” Adams said. “I wanted to serve on the COMTO board of directors of because I am passionate about diversity and making sure that the diverse faces of America are represented in strategic ways. COMTO’s mission aligns with my personal mission, which makes me a good fit for this leadership role. My time at IDOT helped open my eyes to the challenges faced by minority firms aspiring to participate in the transportation industry and the need to create a level playing field.”