AECOM’s Teuila Hanson, vice president, Diversity + Inclusion, led a workshop at the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials’ (COMTO) 40th National Meeting and Training Conference on July 17 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. COMTO creates new career opportunities for minority transportation professionals in the United States through education, training and development programs.
Hanson, who was recently named one of Black Enterprise magazine’s top diversity executives, facilitated a session titled “Developing Inclusive Leaders,” which included exercises to reveal individuals’ unconscious biases, behaviors and assumptions in order to improve their leadership abilities. She presented an overview of inclusion as it relates to diversity, then used research to dive into different aspects of diversity, including personality and external dimensions, such as geographic location.
“We all prioritize these dimensions and how they impact our lives differently,” Hanson said. “Viewing them as opportunities to learn, grow and manage is the first step to building cultural dexterity.”
AECOM was the premier sponsor and co-host of the COMTO conference, which drew approximately 500 attendees, including representatives from the Federal Transit Administration and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, both AECOM clients.
Hanson was joined at the event by several AECOM colleagues including Joe Pulicare, executive vice president, Transportation, North America, and Robert Prince, vice president, Transit, among others.
Contact: Teuila.Hanson@aecom.com