APTA Hosts Nuria Fernandez for Black History Month

Former FTA Administrator and former APTA Chair Nuria Fernandez was APTA’s guest speaker at an event commemorating Black History Month (February), Feb. 18, at the APTA offices in Washington, DC.

Fernandez recounted lessons learned about race and discrimination when her family emigrated from Panama to the Midwest, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Bradley University (Peoria, IL) and a master’s degree in business administration from Roosevelt University (Chicago).

She encouraged attendees to make time for the things that are most important, including family, while making a difference in one’s career and community. In response to audience questions, she said Rosa Parks was her greatest influence and role model.

Fernandez also noted that, in the early years of her career, there were few women of color to emulate because the fields of engineering and transportation were generally dominated by men. Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright was an inspiration and a role model, she said, both as an effective leader and an approachable person.

Fernandez is currently president/CEO of AMDC Consulting, LLC, in Alexandria, VA.