APTA Chair Addresses COMTO Conference

MJ Maynard-Carey, APTA chair and CEO, Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, spoke at the Opening Plenary session of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) 54^th National Meeting & Training Conference in New York City July 13.

Maynard-Carey recognized and thanked COMTO Board Chair Tanya Adams and President and CEO April Rai for inviting her to speak and reiterated a mutual commitment to workforce development training.

In the session “Transportation for Connected, Thriving, Sustainable Communities,” Maynard-Carey offered an update on the current state of public transportation in the U.S. She noted that today, thanks largely to four years of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the public transportation industry has received more resources than ever before to connect people to opportunities and to break down barriers.

Maynard-Carey also participated on a panel that discussed public transportation’s role in large-scale events such as the 2026 World Cup. She described how, next year, the U.S. will welcome the world to 11 cities for the event, and two years later, will host the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. These events will put a global spotlight on America’s public transportation infrastructure and our ability to effectively serve millions of Americans and overseas visitors from nearly 200 countries, she said.

Shelley Taggart Kee, APTA vice president – human resources and administration; Cherise Myers, senior director – workforce development; and TaNeesha Johnson, legislative analyst, represented APTA at the conference.