Fair’s Fare: How Samantha Bricker Institutionalizes Equity

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Each year WTS-LA recognizes an exceptional woman, one who transcends the normal accolades because of her profound and meaningful contribution to advancing women in transportation and to the industry itself. In fact, their impact on the transportation industry must be profound for them to even be considered for the honor. Los Angeles World Airports’ Chief Sustainability and Revenue Management Officer Samantha Bricker brings the WTS-LA Woman of the Year standard to a whole new level.

“I’m so fortunate to work at LAWA,” shared Bricker, when asked about her responsibilities in helping LAWA to implement its groundbreaking $5.5 billion Landside Access Modernization Program, a key element in LAWA’s $14.5 billion capital improvement program. This scope of work is nothing new to Bricker. Previously, she served as the Chief Operating Officer for the Exposition (Expo) Metro Line Construction Authority, where she helmed the $2.5-billion, 15.2-mile light rail transit system construction authority. In the eyes of WTS-LA, her executive prowess at commanding multi-billion megaprojects is matched only by her compassion and commitment to leveling that same playing field.

Throughout her career, even when serving as a senior legislative deputy for a Los Angeles County supervisor, Bricker has always worked to identify, train, and support women and minorities. Using her smarts, grit, expertise, and indefatigable determination she creates opportunity, access, and equity – even where little or none existed before. Creating formal programs, she has helped many small and disadvantaged businesses secure opportunities they previously would not have been able to access. At LAWA, Bricker’s staff works with the Business, Jobs and Social Responsibility team to ensure local, small, and women or minority-owned firms are aware of procurement opportunities. But she didn’t stop there. When firms are not successful bidders, she encourages staff to meet with those firms to provide information to help them learn so they can win the next time they propose. So, aside from the moral obligation, why does she fight so tirelessly for justice and equity?

“We don’t want to just meet diversity requirements at LAWA – we want to lead on this issue. Having a diverse workforce and set of partners is core in all that we do. It’s not about minimums; it’s about creating opportunity and equality for everyone. That can mean helping educate businesses on how to compete for these opportunities, or making sure we are sharing opportunities with all of our communities.”

Spoken like a true WTS-LA Woman of the Year.

Fortunately, for the transportation industry, Bricker donates considerable time, energy, and effort to the WTS-LA chapter. She regularly makes herself available for programs, panels, and board service, and she also stays actively involved with WTS International, C100 (Northwestern University’s networking group for women), and numerous other associations and organizations.

Finally, and again this is something that she has done throughout her career; Bricker serves as a mentor, both formally and informally. In addition to participating in LAWA’s formal mentoring program, Bricker also privately advises and champions smart, capable, and driven women and minorities. A notable example is former WTS-LA board member and small WBE business owner Pattie Antich, PE. Bricker dubbed her a “brilliant engineer” and brought her into LAWA, where she has shined overseeing Third Party Coordination on LAMP and other capital projects. Through work like this, Bricker looks to institutionalize equity one small business, one minority, and one woman at a time.

Each year WTS-LA recognizes an exceptional woman for her profound and meaningful contribution to advancing women in transportation and to the industry itself. This year, that woman is Samantha Bricker. Congratulations to the 2021 WTS-LA Woman of the Year Samantha Bricker!