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On January 31st, 2023, the COMTO Jacksonville chapter hosted a lively evening social at Bistro Aix restaurant in Historic San Marco. This was a fun evening and a pre-cursor to the 2023 International Association of Public Transport (UITP) conference hosted by the Jacksonville Transportation Authority.
The City of Jacksonville welcomed over 200 transportation professionals, worldwide, to discuss hot topics in the public transit space including but not limited to electrification, micro-mobility and autonomous vehicles.
Not only did this event draw many new and familiar faces; we enjoyed delicious appetizers, had the opportunity to hear from political candidates as they present their vision for the future and engaged in thought-provoking discussions and a lot of laughs! COMTO Jacksonville plans to host a quarterly social for the remainder of 2023 and look forward to seeing you at the next one.
We are thrilled to announce a slew of events for COMTO Week. The emphasis this year is on equity and being equity champions. Each of our events is in line with the strategic goals of education, engagement, and empowerment for the period 2022-2024.
Fireside Chat w/ Mr. Ford & Mr. Wallace
On Monday, COMTO welcomed two of Florida’s Top 500 Influential Business Leaders to kick off COMTO Week with an intimate fireside chat about equity, economic growth, and the role of transportation in tying it all together in Northeast Florida. Mr. Aundra Wallace (President of JAXUSA Partnership) was our guest, and Mr. Nathaniel Ford moderated the discussion (CEO of Jacksonville Transportation). We are honored to have them join us as our members discussed how COMTO can be more active on all fronts, including equity, economic growth, and transportation.
#COMTOVotes
COMTO members ensuring their voice is heard on this mid-term election.
JTA Cares Alliance with ATU Local 1197 for Sulzbacher Thanksgiving Baskets Initiative
On Wednesday, COMTO Jacksonville was honored to partner with JTA Cares and ATU Local 1197 for our annual Sulzbacher Thanksgiving Basket Drive. Every year, our organizations form an alliance for this cause in order to provide families a warm embrace during challenging times. Our chapter is grateful for the opportunity and eagerly anticipates our visit. Our sponsors and COMTO membership are to be commended for their ongoing support of this initiative.
Membership Mixer
Postponed due to Tropical Storm Nicole. Event will be rescheduled for a later date.
COMTO was invited to partner with WTS – Jacksonville Chapter led by President April Bacchus for the visit of FDOT Secretary Jared Perdue. Secretary Perdue discussed the importance of community as a priority for all transportation and infrastructure projects. Our chapter and executive board was honored to have met Secretary Perdue and discussed how could COMTO / WTS further provide discussion about having a seat at the table. An amazing event at the River Club in Downtown Jacksonville. Additionally, we were greeted by the amazing Chairwoman of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority – Chair Ari Jolly! We are grateful for WTS, FDOT and the many organizations in NE Florida that are moving the region ahead!
The Transportation and Logistics Network (TALON) in Jacksonville is comprised of seven transportation and logistic clubs focusing on different aspects of the industry. These societies and organization joined forces under TALON to help connect transportation professionals in NE FL and create improved lines of communications/collaboration amongst the different clubs. This career matching event was one joint initiative that TALON members were excited to champion. In collaboration with USO, this career fair focused on matching high quality careers with returning military and their families. COMTO Jax is proud to have been a supporter for our military service men and women as they transition into the next chapter of their life.
The August Breakfast Meeting was hosted at the Jacksonville Transportation Authority Myrtle Avenue Operation Campus. Many members were in attendance, as well as, some new faces learning about COMTO Jacksonville and the initiatives that we are focusing on. The meeting included: delicious breakfast from minority-owned caterer – “Fatmanwithskillz, LLC”, discussion was had about the strategic goals, we recognized and had a pinning ceremony for our immediate Past-President “Christopher Macklin” and last but not least unveiled the new website. In summary, we celebrated the transportation industry in Jacksonville and left rejuvenated from the networking and information sharing.
Creating the vision for a career takes more than hard-work and dedication to bring it to fruition. It also includes making substantial connections with potential colleagues to fulfill the search for the ultimate “Dream Job”. The COMTO Jacksonville Chapter successfully hosted an interactive seminar on Thursday, July 28th to over 30 interns at the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA). During their internship tenure, each student is gaining expertise in various departments of the JTA ranging from I.T., Marketing, Operations, Procurement, Automation and more.
The purpose of the seminar hosted by COMTO Jacksonville not only showcased the local organization’s accomplishments and perks to join, but also the benefits of building long lasting relationships with contemporaries involved in the transportation & logistics realm. The students learned about “Crafting the Perfect Elevator Speech to Land Your Dream Job!” and the information was well received. Each group were tasked to create an elevator speech to impress an executive in 60 seconds or less.
As an added bonus, the local chapter invited News4Jax Anchor & I-Team Reporter, Tarik Minor to be the special guest & speaker for the day. Mr. Minor shared valuable nuggets of wisdom for students to find their niche of which career will benefit them financially, but also a career that will elevate their passion on a daily basis. The JTA interns were inquisitive, interactive and creative on how they plan to establish their own recipe of success by using the information they gained from the session.
Thank You to the COMTO Jacksonville Executive Board, Tarik Minor, Sherman Rothwell and the JTA interns for their participation, interaction and enthusiasm. We hope their road to fulfillment leads to ultimate success in their future careers.
Our annual Chapter-driven membership recruitment drive, is a full week of creative activities to help bolster local Chapter membership and participation, and bring transportation industry professionals from all modes under the COMTO banner!
During COMTO Week, On Thursday, November 18th, the COMTO Jacksonville handed out 70 #thanksgiving meals to residents at Sulzbacher Village with Local ATU & IAM employees and the with JTA.
In addition, later that day COMTO Jacksonville and JTA hosted a National Webinar about the JTA’s Autonomous Vehicle Program. COMTO outstanding feature speaker was Bernard Schmidt, JTA Vice President of Automation. Schmidt spoke about the innovative and groundbreaking technology, how the AV Program is creating opportunities in the workforce development space and fostering community relationships.
COMTO Jacksonville would like to thank COMTO National, Jacksonville Transportation Authority and the Jacksonville Chapter for pulling this event together. Special Thanks to JTA CEO Mr. Ford, COMTO National Chair Woman Tanya Adams, JTA David Cawton, COMTO National Staff Gatwiri Muthara and COMTO Jacksonville Chapter President Chris Macklin
The COMTO Jacksonville chapter is proud to announce we have two recipients that received 3 awards at the 2021 COMTO Industry Awards on September 30, 2021. The 2021 COMTO Industry Awards were presented to individuals, chapters and organizations for outstanding work completed in 2020 – the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The awards ceremony was part of COMTO’s 50th Anniversary Virtual National Meeting and Training Conference.
The three awards taken home by COMTO Jacksonville members were (Please list names below):
Our guest speaker, the Honorable Judge Rhonda Peoples-Waters, joined us for a very dynamic discussion about her career journey, perseverance and current legal issues affecting Jacksonville. Her story is one of inspiration and courage to always strive for your goals. We appreciate Judge Rhonda Peoples-Waters for joining us on this amazing dialogue and wish her much success in her endeavors on the bench.
In this panel discussion, COMTO Jacksonville received an amazing opportunity to speak with women leaders in transportation. Our speakers were: Debra Johnson (CEO of Regional Transportation District in Denver), Adelee Le Grand (CEO of Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority in Tampa) and Ari Jolly (Chairwoman of the JTA in Jacksonville). Each discussed their personal journey and their navigation into leadership roles. Additionally, they provided information and inspiration about what it takes to be a leader now. Dr. Tammy Hodo, CEO of All Things Diverse, topped off the event by providing insight and context to the conversation as an expert in diversity and culture. Thank you all for joining us and creating a memorable moment in COMTO Jacksonville history
The Premier Organization for Education, Empowerment and Engagement of Minority Transportation Professionals in Northeast Florida
