“COMTO, we need you now more than ever,” said Acting Under Secretary of Transportation Chistopher Coes. That was our call to action during the transportation briefing at the White House.  

COMTO Headquarters had the honor of hosting nearly one hundred members, from across North America, for an engaging tour and exclusive briefing at the White House Wednesday for our annual A View from the Hill legislative event.

The rain did not dampen our spirits as we soaked in all the splendors and history of the White House during an exclusive tour. Members then walked the halls of power at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building to participate in a high-level briefing with our federal partners.  

Participants representing the Biden-Harris administration included: 

• Mariana Adame, Special Assistant to the President, PPO  

• Faith Rynda, Associate Director, PPO  

• Christopher Coes, Acting Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy, Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation  

• Minelly De Coo, Special Assistant to the President for Infrastructure Implementation 

• Andrea O’Neal, Special Assistant to the President for Racial and Economic Justice, White House Domestic Policy Council 

• Ron Pierce, Director, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, U.S. Department of Energy 

• Steve Lucas, Chief of Staff, Office of Public and Indian Housing, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 

• Veronica McBeth, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy, U.S. Department of Transportation 

• Irene Marion, Director, Departmental office of Civil Rights, Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation  

Administration representatives engaged with COMTO members on Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA) implementation, legal challenges impacting the DBE program, and strategies to strengthen the association’s outreach and influence. 

The briefing aligned with COMTO’s 2024 Legislative Agenda, highlighting the successes and continued work needed to ensure initiatives like the DBE program, Justice40 and IIJA fulfill their promises to historically underserved communities. 

“This is more money than the Roosevelt and Eisenhower administrations combined,” said Andrea O’Neal, Special Assistant to the President for Racial and Economic Justice, “Let’s keep up the fight because they don’t take any days off which means we can’t either.” 

The Presidential Personnel Office coordinated Wednesday’s White House briefing. COMTO is a close partner to PPO, helping advance the Administration’s mission of recruiting and retaining diverse talent and building an Administration that looks like America. COMTO has recommended dozens of candidates for positions across the Administration, many who are currently serving as Presidential appointees. 

We left the White House informed, inspired and ready for the road ahead.