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Named for former USDOT Secretary Ray LaHood, the WTS Honorable Ray LaHood Award acknowledges one who has greatly contributed to the advancement of women and minorities in the transportation industry as well as the industry itself.

Kome Ajise is the Executive Director of the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), the nation’s largest metropolitan planning organization. SCAG represents one of the largest and most diverse regions in the world, which includes six counties, 191 cities and more than 18 million residents. 

In this role, he leads an organization responsible for regional planning to achieve Southern California’s unified environmental, transportation and housing goals. This includes Connect SoCal, a $639 billion long-range visioning plan with more than 3,500 projects that expand land use and transportation strategies to increase mobility and sustainability in the region.

Ajise has three decades of experience in regional planning and transportation, previously serving as the Chief Deputy Director at the California Department of Transportation. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Geography and Regional Planning from the University of Benin, Nigeria and a Master of City and Regional Planning degree from California State University, Fresno. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Mobility 21, an organization dedicated to addressing transportation issues facing Southern California.