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“TRIBUTE TO RONALD L. FREELAND, NEWLY ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE CONFERENCE OF MINORITY TRANSPORTATION OFFICIALS” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Transportation was published in the Senate section on pages S5552 on June 21, 2000.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO RONALD L. FREELAND, NEWLY ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE
CONFERENCE OF MINORITY TRANSPORTATION OFFICIALS
Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a dedicated and respected leader in public transportation, Ronald L. Freeland, Administrator for the Mass Transit Administration of the Maryland Department of Transportation. Ron has recently been chosen to be President of the Board of the National Conference of Minority Transportation Officials, COMTO, and I would like to express my appreciation for the work he has done for Maryland, and my congratulations and best wishes as he assumes his new leadership responsibilities.
Throughout his career, Ron Freeland has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to ensuring quality transportation in Maryland. Since 1997, Ron has overseen the Mass Transit Administration, MTA, which operates the bus, light rail, Metro, and MARC systems throughout the Baltimore-
Washington area--systems that provide transportation services to 355,000 people every day. Prior to his service at MTA, Ron was Administrator of the Motor Vehicle Administration, where he made key reforms in that agency's operations, including improvements in the operation of the Vehicle Emissions Inspection Program. His public service also includes tenure as Director of Operations at MTA, membership on the Board of Directors for the Maryland Transportation Authority, and membership on the Board of the Canton Railroad. Well-
maintained highways and reliable transit systems provide safe travel daily for millions of Americans, and I want to commend Ron for his dedication to improving transportation services in Maryland. I have known Ron for many years and have had the opportunity to work closely with him on many issues affecting transportation in Maryland. I have found him to be a dedicated public servant and a steadfast ally to the friends of public transportation.
In addition to his work for the people of Maryland, Ron has fought tirelessly for equality within the transportation community. He is about to assume leadership of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials, a national organization founded in 1971, which now boasts over 2,000 members and over 25 local chapters throughout the United States. Ron has been working with COMTO for almost twenty years, and has demonstrated unyielding devotion to COMTO's dual mission of achieving inclusion and upward mobility for minorities and women within the industry, and advocating for citizens and groups who are underserved by existing transportation services. His leadership and integrity in this pursuit inspired the members of COMTO to choose Ron as National President--and they could not have made a better choice. I am confident that, as President, Ron will inspire his colleagues across the country to dedicate themselves to ensuring minorities and women equal access to transportation jobs and services. It is the courage and hard work of people like Ron Freeland that will make certain no one is left behind as the transportation industry evolves to meet America's growing needs in the 21st century.
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