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“HONORING PRESIDENT AND CEO OF CONFERENCE OF MINORITY TRANSPORTATION OFFICIALS, JULIE CUNNINGHAM” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Transportation was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1094 on June 30, 2014.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
HONORING PRESIDENT AND CEO OF CONFERENCE OF MINORITY TRANSPORTATION
OFFICIALS, JULIE CUNNINGHAM
_____
HON. CORRINE BROWN
of florida
in the house of representatives
Monday, June 30, 2014
Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mourn the passing of the President and CEO of Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO), Julie Cunningham.
Ms. Cunningham served on President-Elect Barack Obama's Transition Team at the U.S. Department of Transportation and provided expert testimony before the U.S. Congress, including the House Transportation
& Infrastructure Committee, the Congressional Black Caucus and the Senate Democratic Caucus.
I have been working with COMTO and Julie Cunningham for many years, and was so pleased to host the COMTO conference in my home town of Jacksonville last year. She was a powerful force in the transportation industry and brought together all the minority voices in transportation to speak as one to ensure that people of color were working in and receiving contracts in the field of transportation.
Ms. Cunningham was nationally known for her talent in building healthy, effective partnerships across diverse government and corporate cultures as well as for her strong advocacy for a level playing field and maximum employment and contract participation for minorities, women, and economically disadvantaged persons. Under her direction, COMTO became a recognized resource as a result of the organization's advocacy relative to workforce diversity and inclusion, and participation by Historically Underutilized Businesses (minority, women and veteran owned businesses) in the transportation industry. COMTO was awarded the 2005 Disadvantaged Business Advocate of the Year by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Prior to joining COMTO, she held positions in the energy and construction industries. She was previously employed as a Senior Consultant at a Nuclear Power Plant and was credited for developing critical strategic and internal communication plans for a struggling power plant. She led the plant's senior management team in implementing programs to improve employee morale and to win the stakeholder community as ambassadors of nuclear power. She is also known for her ability to implement grassroots programs, and facilitate work process improvements for nuclear power plants.
A veteran of the U.S. Army, Ms. Cunningham was a member of many boards of directors, including the Mineta Transportation Institute, the Eno Foundation and the National Transit Institute Advisory Council. She was also a member of the American Society of Association Executives, and the Association for Conflict Resolution.
A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Ms. Cunningham graduated from Hiram College with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Management. She leaves to cherish her memory her daughter, Karissa Cunningham of Clarksville, TN; parents, James and Louise Smith of Painesville, OH; siblings, Cathy (Safdar) Hussain of Jacksonville, FL, Elisa (Paul) Sanchez of Painesville, OH, and Jeffery Smith of Painesville, OH; grandmother, Minnie Banks of Painesville, OH; niece Tiffany Smith of Cleveland, OH; nephew, Blake Smith of Coshocton, OH; great nephew, James Gadomski of Painesville, OH, as well as many aunts, uncles, cousins, and lifelong friends throughout the nation.
My prayers go to Julie's daughter and her family, and to the many members of COMTO. I am thankful for her life and many accomplishments.
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