At an event held last week in Washington, D.C., Diana Mendes, AICP, HNTB Corp.'s Mid-Atlantic Division president, received the 2018 Shirley A. DeLibero Award, which was presented during the 7th Annual Celebrating Women Who Move the Nation Awards Breakfast. The event was hosted by the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials.

“COMTO is an extraordinary organization and I’m so honored and humbled to be recognized with this national award,” Mendes said. “HNTB is proud to be a COMTO Industry Partner and we look forward to continuing the commitment to furthering COMTO’s mission in workforce development and advancing the success of Historically Underutilized Businesses.”

According to COMTO, the organization inaugurated its Celebrating Women Who Move the Nation awards in 2012, starting a new tradition of recognizing the accomplishments and influence of outstanding women in transportation. This year, 15 women, including Mendes, were recognized at the breakfast. Since the award’s establishment, COMTO has honored more than 60 women as Women Who Move the Nation.

“Congratulations to Diana on this impressive and well-deserved honor,” said Michael Sweeney, PE, HNTB Eastern U.S. Region president. “Diana’s passion for advancing diversity and inclusion, the commitment she has made to COMTO and other industry organizations, along with her outstanding work on behalf of our clients and support of our employees embody HNTB’s values.”

COMTO has more than 30 chapters across the country and members encompassing individuals, organizations, transportation agencies, non-profits and Historically Underutilized Businesses. Members of COMTO serve in every sector of the transportation industry.

As president of HNTB’s Mid-Atlantic Division, Mendes oversees six states and the District of Columbia. She is based in the firm’s Arlington, Va., office and works with clients across the country.

In addition to COMTO, Mendes is active in a number of professional associations, including the National Transit Institute and the American Planning Assoc. She is chair of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Legislative Committee and a member of APTA’s Executive Committee. Mendes regularly speaks at a wide variety of conferences, including Women’s Transportation Seminar, Transportation Research Board and Rail~Volution. She has delivered more than 40 presentations to share results of her project work and research. Mendes was awarded the 2017 Training Professional of the Year Award from the National Transit Institute and previously was Woman of the Year for WTS-Washington, D.C. chapter.

As an Industry Partner, HNTB supports COMTO’s ongoing activity in advocacy, information sharing, training, education and professional development, according to the company. The firm’s commitment to diversity includes supporting growth and success of the small and disadvantaged consulting community. As a leader in addressing transportation industry challenges, HNTB created a firmwide 12-month Partners Program that mentors DBEs. Dozens of companies have participated in the program since its inception in 2009.