Women Leaders Share Transportation Vision
With women continuing to advance into leadership roles in transportation, five female state DOT CEOs shared their insights on the industry’s future during the “AASHTO Panel: Voices of Vision” session at the 2026 WTS International Conference in Los Angeles, CA.
The session delved into the real-world experiences of those women leaders and how those experiences are helping them navigate the future opportunities and challenges faced by the state DOT community.
“We are so fortunate to have amazing women leaders up and down the state DOT community,” explained Jim Tymon, Executive Director of AASHTO, during introductory remarks ahead of the panel discussion. “During the 2025 AASHTO Annual Meeting, we renewed our MOU [memorandum of understanding] with WTS and are looking to expand opportunities for women in the industry and to support women leadership at the national, state and local levels.”
Bridgette Beato, chair of the WTS International board of directors, moderated the all-women panel discussion that featured Shanté Hastings (Delaware DOT), Priya Jain (New Jersey DOT), Gia Biagi (Illinois DOT), Marie Therese Dominguez (New York DOT), and Dina El-Tawansy (California DOT).
Panelists covered a broad range of topics, including how they're leveraging technological innovation to bolster their operations while preparing state DOT employees for change. Their message to women in the field was clear: take risks, say yes to opportunities even when you don’t feel fully ready, invest in your teams, and lead with purpose!
About AASHTO
AASHTO is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association representing highway and transportation departments with the goal to foster the development, operation, and maintenance of an integrated national transportation system.
AASHTO works to educate the public and key decision-makers about the critical role that transportation plays in securing a good quality of life and sound economy for our nation.
