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Ensuring Transportation Serves All
COMTO’s mission is to provide full access to employment, career and contract opportunities for all within the transportation industry. Over the past fifty years, our mandate has evolved to include not only public transportation industry executives, but also professionals at every level of industry encompassing a variety of fields and disciplines. Now, as was then, members are encouraged to share information, opportunities and personal expertise. With 40 chapters in North America, our mission is as relevant today as we strive to provide full access to employment, career and contract opportunities for people of all lived experience within the transportation industry.
Leadership
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Antonio Santana
President
Tony Santana is the Deputy Chief of Design & Construction at Valley Metro in Phoenix, Arizona. He leads a team of 38 professionals responsible for delivering major capital projects across one of the fastest-growing regions in the country.
Tony began his career as a consultant engineer supporting design and construction coordination on Valley Metro’s early light rail extensions, including Central Mesa, Northwest Phase I, and Gilbert Road. He joined the agency full-time as Resident Engineer on the 50th Street Station project and was later promoted to Project Manager for the 1.6-mile Northwest Extension Phase II. Under his leadership, the $401 million project was completed a full year ahead of schedule and over $30 million under budget, featuring the agency’s first elevated station and earning 12 national industry awards.
In his current role, Tony oversees a multibillion-dollar capital program that includes the recent completion of the 5.5-mile South Central Extension/Downtown Hub project, which opened in June 2025 and expanded Valley Metro’s system to two lines. He works closely with the FTA, PMOC, and local jurisdictions to advance future projects such as the Capitol Extension and to strengthen regional mobility through equity-focused, sustainable infrastructure.
Tony is a graduate of APTA’s Emerging Leaders Program (Class of 2019), currently enrolled in Leadership APTA class of 2026 and is passionate about building a diverse pipeline of engineering talent. He leads Valley Metro’s workforce development outreach initiatives and currently serves as President of COMTO Arizona. He holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Arizona State University and an MBA from the University of Phoenix.
Tony was inspired to pursue a career in public transit after watching the Valley’s original light rail line rise from concept to reality during his college years; a project that visibly transformed the region and connected communities to new opportunities. Today, he brings that same sense of purpose to delivering multibillion-dollar investments that continue to shape the future of mobility for the people and places that first ignited his passion.
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Pete Hemingway
First Vice President
Leveraging over 30 years of experience in transportation consulting, Mr. Hemingway has served in senior leadership positions at various firms, including Ritoch-Powell and Associates/Ardurra, Wood Patel, AZTEC Engineering, and Alpha Engineering Group. Currently, Mr. Hemingway serves as the National Multimodal Client Service Manager for Ardurra. His steadfast commitment to infrastructure development, sustainability, and renewable energy solutions has guided his work throughout his career.
Mr. Hemingway's dedication to advancing the transportation industry extends to his leadership role within the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO). As a founding member of the Arizona chapter and an active board member for over five years, he is deeply committed to COMTO's mission. As second vice president, Mr. Hemingway intends to expand this mission by increasing membership, establishing mentorship programs for young professionals, and securing scholarships to foster diverse and inclusive leadership within the industry.
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Myesha Harris
2nd Vice President
Myesha Harris is a respected transportation professional with more than 20 years of public service dedicated to advancing transportation infrastructure, regional collaboration, and community development throughout the City of Phoenix.
She currently serves as the Development and Utility Coordination Special Projects Administrator for the City of Phoenix Street Transportation Department, where she provides strategic leadership on development review, utility coordination, and complex transportation infrastructure projects while serving as a key liaison between City departments, developers, consultants, and regional partners.
Prior to her current role, Myesha served as the City's Freeway Program Manager, leading the coordination of major freeway improvement projects in partnership with the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG), Maricopa County Department of Transportation (MCDOT), utility providers, and local jurisdictions. Throughout her career, she has successfully managed high-profile transportation initiatives involving right-of-way coordination, intergovernmental agreements, maintenance of traffic, public art integration, and multidisciplinary stakeholder collaboration that enhance mobility, safety, and quality of life for Phoenix residents.
As a dedicated advocate for leadership and professional development, Myesha serves as President of WTS Metro Phoenix and actively supports initiatives that strengthen Arizona's transportation industry and develop the next generation of transportation professionals. Through her leadership in public service, workforce development, and community engagement, she is committed to building innovative partnerships that improve transportation systems, expand economic opportunity, and create lasting benefits for the communities they serve.
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Ken Pratt
Secretary
Mr. Pratt serves as the President/CEO of Sun Engineering, a Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing (MEP) design engineering firm. Sun Engineering serves transportation (airports, light rail, hi-way, streets, etc.), residential, commercial and government sector.
Mr. Pratt has been actively involved with COMTO-AZ for the last three (3) years serving as the COMTO-AZ Membership Chair. -
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Johnson Sharletha
Director at Large
Ms. Johnson is a registered professional engineer in the States of Illinois and Arizona. Ms. Johnson has a broad range of experiences from transportation design, planning and construction to program management and oversight of capital improvement projects. Ms. Johnson served as a task order manager with the Federal Transit Administration and as the Phase I project manager for the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority I-94 expansion project. In 2023, she was appointed at the first African American woman Town Engineer for the Town of Paradise Valley, Arizona. Ms. Johnson has spent the last nine years of her 28-year career in the Valley of Sun. As a Town Engineer, she currently oversees and manages the Engineering Division that administers various engineering tasks to maintain a safe and secure right of way.
Ms. Johnson is proponent of professional development and community outreach, lending her skills and expertise as a volunteer for various professional associations and technical groups throughout her professional career. She served as Director of the National Society of Black Engineer’s Transportation Special Interest Group. She was an active member of COMTO Chicago for five years and served on a leadership team. In 2015, she joined COMTO Arizona. She currently represents the Town of Paradise Valley on the Maricopa Association of Governments – Transportation Review Committee. She believes that engineering and transportation is an ever growing and expanding field.
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Yvette Ledesma
Director at Large
Yvette LeDesma is a Business Development Manager for Kiewit, supporting both the engineering and construction groups. She leads business development efforts for transportation infrastructure, including highway, aviation, and transit markets. Her responsibilities include market strategy, opportunity development, client engagement, and pursuit planning, with a focus on projects delivered through alternative procurement methods such as Design-Build, Progressive Design-Build, and Construction Manager at Risk.
With more than 20 years at Kiewit, Yvette has supported some of the company's most complex infrastructure opportunities. She works collaboratively with engineering, construction, and executive leadership teams to develop winning pursuit strategies, coordinate proposal development, and position Kiewit for success in competitive alternative delivery procurements.
Yvette serves on the American Society of Highway Engineers (ASHE) Board of Directors, the Friends of Transit (FOT) Board, and Arizona Associated General Contractors (AZ AGC) Alternative Project Delivery Method (APDM) Committee Co-Chair. She is a graduate of Arizona State University.
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