The Seat of Power: Caldwell Honors Parks through Her Career

At its core, the WTS-LA Rosa Parks Diversity Leadership Award recognizes courage, strength in the face of great difficulty, and resistance. Eponymously named to honor one woman’s defining act of incalculable courage, WTS-LA annually bestows this award on a deserving transportation professional because of their demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and unique ability to act on that commitment despite obstacles and odds. This year, WTS-LA honors Foothill Transit Director of Finance Michelle Lopes Caldwell, a woman who not only extols those virtues, but lives them, and has throughout her extensive career.

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There is a clear pattern here. For nearly 40 years, Caldwell has led a storied transportation career. And whether at Foothill Transit, Metro, the University of Southern California, or on the WTS International Board, Caldwell always seeks out ways to help young professionals gain equal opportunity and advance. For example, at Metro she pioneered the first Entry Level Training Program (ELTP), establishing a pipeline for college graduates to gain invaluable work experience through real assignments and skills development. Caldwell’s ELTP still thrives today. She also created a program at Metro that gave less experienced professionals an opportunity to “intern-for-pay” in different Metro departments to help them gain priceless experience, preparing them to apply for openings and advancement in their careers. Of course when Caldwell moved to Foothill Transit, she continued innovating for the sake of young professionals.

She championed Foothill Transit’s intern/extern program—where students can gain a first-hand look at the transportation industry—and helped the program achieve a 100% program success rate with all participants joining the transportation industry, three of whom currently work fulltime at Foothill Transit. But Caldwell doesn’t limit her focus to helping only young professionals. At Metro she also negotiated union agreements to ensure hiring percentages for minorities and women, making them requirements for Metro contracts. Then, she worked with Federal Transit Administration lawyers to expand this practice across the transportation industry. She also expanded disadvantaged business enterprise opportunities considerably while at Metro with many of her efforts still in effect today. But her efforts don’t stop there.

Under her leadership today, fully 75% of Foothill Transit staff take advantage of its Tuition Reimbursement Program, another program she champions. She’s also been instrumental in sending many Foothill Transit employees to outside programs including the American Public Transportation (APTA) Emerging Leaders Program, Leadership APTA, WTS Mid-Level Managers Program, and many more. She also personally gives of her time as well.

In addition to serving on the WTS Board, Caldwell also has lent her expertise to many other organizations including the Transportation Finance Learning Exchange, the Transportation Advisory Council, Metro’s Transportation Authority Board and Bus Operator’s Subcommittee. Of course, this doesn’t include the vast number of informal mentor relationships she’s cultivated over the years or her priceless service as a role model. And throughout nearly 40 years in transportation as a champion, administrator, role model, and advocate, Caldwell stays true to the creed she formed at the outset of her career.

“Volunteer! Be the person who says I will do that even though you don’t know anything about it. Take a risk! Get involved!” Clearly, these are words she continues to live by today.

The WTS-LA Rosa Parks Diversity Leadership Award recognizes extraordinary courage in the face of great obstacles and difficulty. Caldwell possesses such moxie. For all of the reasons above and many, many more, WTS-LA proudly names Michelle Lopes Caldwell as the 2022 WTS-LA Rosa Parks Diversity Leadership Award winner.