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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2007. Racial and Gender Diversity in State DOTs and Transit Agencies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22010.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2007. Racial and Gender Diversity in State DOTs and Transit Agencies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22010.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2007. Racial and Gender Diversity in State DOTs and Transit Agencies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22010.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2007. Racial and Gender Diversity in State DOTs and Transit Agencies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22010.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2007. Racial and Gender Diversity in State DOTs and Transit Agencies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22010.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2007. Racial and Gender Diversity in State DOTs and Transit Agencies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22010.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2007. Racial and Gender Diversity in State DOTs and Transit Agencies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22010.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2007. Racial and Gender Diversity in State DOTs and Transit Agencies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22010.
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TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD WASHINGTON, D.C. 2007 www.TRB.org T R A N S I T C O O P E R A T I V E R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M N A T I O N A L C O O P E R A T I V E H I G H W A Y R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M TCRP REPORT 120/NCHRP REPORT 585 Research sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration in Cooperation with the Transit Development Corporation and by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials in Cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration Subject Areas Planning and Administration • Transportation Law • Public Transit Racial and Gender Diversity in State DOTs and Transit Agencies: A Benchmark Scoping Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA Minneapolis, MN

TCRP REPORT 120 Project J-6 (Task 59) ISSN 1073-4872 ISBN: 978-0-309-09890-8 Library of Congress Control Number 2007930165 © 2007 Transportation Research Board COPYRIGHT PERMISSION Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein. Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, FAA, FHWA, FMCSA, FTA, or Transit Development Corporation endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from CRP. NOTICE The project that is the subject of this report was a part of the Transit Cooperative Research Program conducted by the Transportation Research Board with the approval of the Governing Board of the National Research Council. Such approval reflects the Governing Board’s judgment that the project concerned is appropriate with respect to both the purposes and resources of the National Research Council. The members of the technical advisory panel selected to monitor this project and to review this report were chosen for recognized scholarly competence and with due consideration for the balance of disciplines appropriate to the project. The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied are those of the research agency that performed the research, and while they have been accepted as appropriate by the technical panel, they are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board, the National Research Council, the Transit Development Corporation, or the Federal Transit Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation. Each report is reviewed and accepted for publication by the technical panel according to procedures established and monitored by the Transportation Research Board Executive Committee and the Governing Board of the National Research Council. The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, the National Research Council, the Transit Development Corporation, and the Federal Transit Administration (sponsor of the Transit Cooperative Research Program) do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’ names appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the clarity and completeness of the project reporting. TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM The nation’s growth and the need to meet mobility, environmental, and energy objectives place demands on public transit systems. Current systems, some of which are old and in need of upgrading, must expand service area, increase service frequency, and improve efficiency to serve these demands. Research is necessary to solve operating problems, to adapt appropriate new technologies from other industries, and to intro- duce innovations into the transit industry. The Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) serves as one of the principal means by which the transit industry can develop innovative near-term solutions to meet demands placed on it. The need for TCRP was originally identified in TRB Special Report 213—Research for Public Transit: New Directions, published in 1987 and based on a study sponsored by the Urban Mass Transportation Administration—now the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). A report by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), Transportation 2000, also recognized the need for local, problem- solving research. TCRP, modeled after the longstanding and success- ful National Cooperative Highway Research Program, undertakes research and other technical activities in response to the needs of tran- sit service providers. The scope of TCRP includes a variety of transit research fields including planning, service configuration, equipment, facilities, operations, human resources, maintenance, policy, and administrative practices. TCRP was established under FTA sponsorship in July 1992. Pro- posed by the U.S. Department of Transportation, TCRP was autho- rized as part of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA). On May 13, 1992, a memorandum agreement out- lining TCRP operating procedures was executed by the three cooper- ating organizations: FTA, the National Academies, acting through the Transportation Research Board (TRB); and the Transit Development Corporation, Inc. (TDC), a nonprofit educational and research orga- nization established by APTA. TDC is responsible for forming the independent governing board, designated as the TCRP Oversight and Project Selection (TOPS) Committee. Research problem statements for TCRP are solicited periodically but may be submitted to TRB by anyone at any time. It is the responsibility of the TOPS Committee to formulate the research program by identi- fying the highest priority projects. As part of the evaluation, the TOPS Committee defines funding levels and expected products. Once selected, each project is assigned to an expert panel, appointed by the Transportation Research Board. The panels prepare project state- ments (requests for proposals), select contractors, and provide techni- cal guidance and counsel throughout the life of the project. The process for developing research problem statements and selecting research agencies has been used by TRB in managing cooperative research pro- grams since 1962. As in other TRB activities, TCRP project panels serve voluntarily without compensation. Because research cannot have the desired impact if products fail to reach the intended audience, special emphasis is placed on dissemi- nating TCRP results to the intended end users of the research: tran- sit agencies, service providers, and suppliers. TRB provides a series of research reports, syntheses of transit practice, and other support- ing material developed by TCRP research. APTA will arrange for workshops, training aids, field visits, and other activities to ensure that results are implemented by urban and rural transit industry practitioners. The TCRP provides a forum where transit agencies can cooperatively address common operational problems. The TCRP results support and complement other ongoing transit research and training programs. Published reports of the TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM are available from: Transportation Research Board Business Office 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 and can be ordered through the Internet at http://www.national-academies.org/trb/bookstore Printed in the United States of America

NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM Systematic, well-designed research provides the most effective approach to the solution of many problems facing highway administrators and engineers. Often, highway problems are of local interest and can best be studied by highway departments individually or in cooperation with their state universities and others. However, the accelerating growth of highway transportation develops increasingly complex problems of wide interest to highway authorities. These problems are best studied through a coordinated program of cooperative research. In recognition of these needs, the highway administrators of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials initiated in 1962 an objective national highway research program employing modern scientific techniques. This program is supported on a continuing basis by funds from participating member states of the Association and it receives the full cooperation and support of the Federal Highway Administration, United States Department of Transportation. The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies was requested by the Association to administer the research program because of the Board’s recognized objectivity and understanding of modern research practices. The Board is uniquely suited for this purpose as it maintains an extensive committee structure from which authorities on any highway transportation subject may be drawn; it possesses avenues of communications and cooperation with federal, state and local governmental agencies, universities, and industry; its relationship to the National Research Council is an insurance of objectivity; it maintains a full-time research correlation staff of specialists in highway transportation matters to bring the findings of research directly to those who are in a position to use them. The program is developed on the basis of research needs identified by chief administrators of the highway and transportation departments and by committees of AASHTO. Each year, specific areas of research needs to be included in the program are proposed to the National Research Council and the Board by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Research projects to fulfill these needs are defined by the Board, and qualified research agencies are selected from those that have submitted proposals. Administration and surveillance of research contracts are the responsibilities of the National Research Council and the Transportation Research Board. The needs for highway research are many, and the National Cooperative Highway Research Program can make significant contributions to the solution of highway transportation problems of mutual concern to many responsible groups. The program, however, is intended to complement rather than to substitute for or duplicate other highway research programs. Published reports of the NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM are available from: Transportation Research Board Business Office 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 and can be ordered through the Internet at: http://www.national-academies.org/trb/bookstore Printed in the United States of America NCHRP REPORT 585 Project 20-24 (47) ISSN 0077-5614 ISBN: 978-0-309-09890-8 Library of Congress Control Number 2007930165 © 2007 Transportation Research Board COPYRIGHT PERMISSION Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein. Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, FAA, FHWA, FMCSA, FTA, or Transit Development Corporation endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from CRP. NOTICE The project that is the subject of this report was a part of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program conducted by the Transportation Research Board with the approval of the Governing Board of the National Research Council. Such approval reflects the Governing Board’s judgment that the program concerned is of national importance and appropriate with respect to both the purposes and resources of the National Research Council. The members of the technical committee selected to monitor this project and to review this report were chosen for recognized scholarly competence and with due consideration for the balance of disciplines appropriate to the project. The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied are those of the research agency that performed the research, and, while they have been accepted as appropriate by the technical committee, they are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board, the National Research Council, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, or the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. Each report is reviewed and accepted for publication by the technical committee according to procedures established and monitored by the Transportation Research Board Executive Committee and the Governing Board of the National Research Council. The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, the National Research Council, the Federal Highway Administration, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, and the individual states participating in the National Cooperative Highway Research Program do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’ names appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the object of this report.

CRP STAFF FOR TCRP REPORT 120/NCHRP REPORT 585 Christopher W. Jenks, Director, Cooperative Research Programs Crawford F. Jencks, Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs Gwen Chisholm-Smith, Senior Program Officer Eileen P. Delaney, Director of Publications TCRP PROJECT J-06, TASK 59/NCHRP PROJECT 20-24(47) PANEL Field of Special Projects Anne P. Canby, Surface Transportation Policy Project, Washington, DC (Chair) Carlos Arce, NuStats Partners, LP, Austin TX Jeff Boothe, Holland & Knight LLP, Washington, DC Julie Cunningham, COMTO, Washington, DC Mary J. Davis, McGlothin Davis Inc., Denver, CO Thomas M. Downs, ENO Transportation Foundation, Inc., Washington, DC Gloria J. Jeff, Los Angeles DOT Z. Wayne Johnson, Sacramento Regional Transit District Maria Krysan, University of Illinois–Chicago Stephanie L. Pinson, Gilbert Tweed Associates, Inc., New York, NY Janette Sadik-Khan, New York City Department of Transportation, NY Tate Jackson, AASHTO Liaison Pamela Boswell, APTA Liaison Suzanne Schneider, TRB Liaison AUTHOR ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Principal Investigator: Samuel L. Myers, Jr., Roy Wilkins Center for Human Relations and Social Justice Co-Authors: Lawrencina Mason Oramalu, Irma Arteaga, Lan Pham Research Team: Stephannie Lewis, Abigail Read, Todd Stump Wilkins Center Staff: Mary Lou Middleton Project Consultant: Kevin Krizek Project Manager: James Gee, CompuCon, Alexandria, VA Editor: Julia Blount C O O P E R A T I V E R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M S

TCRP Report 120/NCHRP Report 585: Racial and Gender Diversity in State DOTs and Transit Agencies documents and analyzes racial and gender diversity in state departments of transportation (state DOTs) and transit agencies for purposes of establishing a baseline that reflects the current status of racial and gender diversity in state DOTs and transit agen- cies based on existing data. This report will be useful to Chief Administrative Officers of state DOTs, Chief Executive Officers of transit agencies, state DOT officials, transit offi- cials, and other transportation professionals interested in workforce development. The United States of America is a diverse nation. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, minorities constitute about 30% of the population. Between 2002 and 2012, the number of minorities in the U.S. labor force is projected to increase faster than the number of whites (Occupational Outlook Quarterly, p. 28, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Summer 2004). More- over, women’s share of the labor force will also continue to increase, reaching 47.5% by 2012 (Minority Labor Review February 2004). The impact of these trends on the employment composition of some U.S. industries remains largely unknown. Despite the availability of many reports on workforce challenges facing the U.S. transportation industry, the representational data available on its employees by gender and race are limited. Such data are needed by state DOTs and transit agencies to assess the current diversity of their workforce; to establish a benchmark against which to measure and track efforts to recruit, promote, and retain a diverse workforce; and to iden- tify successful practices being applied throughout the industry. The objectives of this project were to: (1) identify sources of existing data on the race and gender of employees of state DOTs, transit agencies, and contract employees of public tran- sit agencies; (2) assess the quality of the data in terms of their comprehensiveness, validity, and reliability; (3) identify gaps discovered in the existing data and determine what addi- tional data need to be collected in order to establish a credible benchmark; and (4) estab- lish a baseline reflecting the current status of racial and gender diversity in state DOTs and transit agencies based on existing data. This report was prepared by Dr. Samuel Myers, Jr. and Lawrencina Mason Oramalu, of University of Minnesota, Roy Wilkins Center for Human Relations and Social Justice. The research for this report consisted of a review of pertinent literature related to promoting, recruiting, and retaining a diverse workforce. Also, the research team collected information from the equal employment opportunity (EEO) files provided by the Federal Transit Administration and the Federal Highway Administration, and the research team developed and administered a web survey of state DOTs. F O R E W O R D By Gwen Chisholm-Smith Staff Officer Transportation Research Board

The research revealed that the EEO data submitted on existing employees by transit agen- cies and state DOTs was incomplete and not comprehensive, making it challenging to estab- lish a credible benchmark. This report provides a conceptual framework that addresses the type of data that is needed to establish a credible benchmark.

C O N T E N T S 1 Summary 3 Chapter 1 Background 3 Problem Statement and Research Objective 3 Organization 3 Legislative History and Intent 7 Chapter 2 Research Approach 7 Review of the Available Literature 7 Review of Existing Transportation Data 7 Review of Available Datasets 7 Administration and Analysis of Web Survey 8 Conceptual Framework 10 Chapter 3 Findings and Applications 10 State Departments of Transportation 20 Transit Agencies 26 Chapter 4 Conclusions and Recommendations 26 Conclusions 26 Recommendations 28 Suggestions for Further Research 29 References 30 Appendix A Affirmative Action Timeline 33 Appendix B Literature Review 37 Appendix C Bibliography 39 Appendix D Survey Findings 44 Appendix E Best Practices 51 Appendix F Acronyms and Abbreviations

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TRB’s Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) and National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) have jointly produced and published Racial and Gender Diversity in State DOTs and Transit Agencies. The product, which can be referred to as TCRP Report 120 or NCHRP Report 585, examines racial and gender diversity in state departments of transportation (DOTs) and transit agencies for purposes of establishing a baseline that reflects the current status of racial and gender diversity in state DOTs and transit agencies based on existing data.

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