High-Speed Real: How California Is Doing Rail Right

The title WTS-LA Employer of the Year carries great significance, as well as responsibility. Obviously, it must be a successful organization. But the inclusion of women in pivotal roles must be integral to that success. Those women must hold senior positions, act decisively, and participate in a culture that helps them develop and advance, while they execute their tasks diligently, expertly, and to the highest standard. The California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) does exactly that.

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High-speed rail will change California profoundly. According to the Authority’s website, the Authority handles the “planning, designing, building and operation of the nation’s first high-speed rail system. California high-speed rail will connect the mega-regions of the state, contribute to economic development and a cleaner environment, create jobs and preserve agricultural and protected lands.” But like most things Californian, its reach will most likely extend well beyond the Golden State. So, the responsibility that the Authority bears looms even larger than the significant task before them. Fortunately for California and beyond, the Authority stands more than ready to surmount any high-speed rail challenge. Arguably, the composition of the project team and its leadership are one of the primary reasons for that capability.

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At present, women comprise nearly 52% of Authority’s overall workforce. Already, that’s extraordinary in transportation. But when you examine the composition of the executive team, the leadership of this signature project, things become more astonishing. Fully 83% of the Authority executive team is female. That includes Southern California Regional Director LaDonna DiCamillo, the Authority’s first female Chief Council Alicia Fowler, Strategic Delivery Chief Engineer Christine Inouye, Senior Transportation Engineer Noopur Jain, Chief Deputy Director Pamela Mizukami, Strategic Communications Chief Melissa Figueroa, Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs Jane Brown, Chief Administrative Officer Jeannie Jones, Chief Information Officer Patty Nisonger, Director of Planning and Sustainability Margaret Cederoth, Human Resources Chief Jennifer Gabler—the list goes on and on. In addition, women hold four of the ten positions on the Authority’s Board of Directors, including Vice Chair Nancy Miller, former State Senator Marta Escutia, Lynn Schenk, and the Honorable Senator Lena Gonzalez. By any measure, that is exceptional. And again, that’s only the short list. Also, many of the women on that list belong to WTS, often in leadership capacities there, too.

Going well beyond any preferred diversity percentages, the Authority also doesn’t rest on its laurels. Wanting only to enhance productivity and value, the Authority also allocates funds for all employees to advance their skills and professional development through professional organization memberships, leadership training, media training, professional development, and learning conferences. Many staff members take advantage of this, claiming membership in professional organizations in rail, transportation, leadership, communications, and other important disciplines. Authority members are also heavily engaged with the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure, where many have received sustainability planning certifications. And in addition to fulsome participation in WTS, many Authority employees also belong to Latinos in Transit, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Public Transit Association, the International Union of Railways, and the Worldwide Railway Organization, to name a few. Authority staff also actively participate in university alumni programs in myriad ways, all supported by the Authority. But their diversity efforts don’t end there.

The Authority works closely with students, reaching out through programs like the Capital Fellows Program, Berkeley’s Cal in Sac program, CivicSpark AmeriCorps, and numerous others. The Authority also runs a statewide student outreach of its own called I Will Ride, a program that gives students free access to webinars, construction tours, and networking events with Authority staff. And a woman, Student Outreach Coordinator Yaqueline Castro, leads the I Will Ride program.

The title WTS-LA Employer of the Year carries great significance and responsibility. In addition to success, an organization must include women in pivotal roles while maintaining a culture of equity, inclusion, and diversity. The California High-Speed Rail Authority redefines what that means in the best ways. For these reasons and many more, WTS-LA proudly names the Authority as the 2022 WTS-LA Employer of the Year.