SPRINGFIELD— The member agencies of the Mid-America Association of State Transportation Agencies, the Illinois Department of Transportation included, voted today to establish a standing diversity committee. The committee will facilitate information and strategy sharing among member states on issues of diversity and inclusion.
“One of my core principles is making our workforce representative of the communities IDOT serves,” said Acting Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. “Transportation truly has the ability to help Illinois realize the full potential of our communities and residents. I look forward to working with other Midwest states to establish goals and develop best practices and policies going forward.”
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The committee will facilitate member agencies learning from one another on diversity issues, as they do about other shared transportation challenges.
“Transportation agencies are major employers, so establishing fairness and inclusion in our workplaces is an important impact we can have,” said Craig Thompson, MAASTO president and secretary designee of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. “We are also committed to creating more contracting opportunities for women- and minority-owned businesses and to avoid transportation projects having a negative impact on minority communities. Most of all, we strive to provide mobility options for everyone in our communities to make sure that transportation is not a barrier to the wellbeing of vulnerable people.”
MAASTO’s mission is to foster the development, operation, and maintenance of an integrated and balanced transportation system that adequately serves the transportation needs of its member states: Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri and Ohio. It is affiliated with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
To learn more about MAASTO, visit www.maasto.net.
