SACRAMENTO — The Latino Leadership Conference has presented its national Latino Leadership Award to Alva Carrasco, Transit and Rail West Region market lead at WSP USA, a leading engineering and professional services consultancy.
Carrasco received her award on Wednesday, Sept. 15 during the 6th annual Latino Leadership Conference’s virtual event. Latino Leadership Conference, an initiative of the National Diversity Council, is a leadership development event for entrepreneurs, executives, innovators, educators, policy makers and students that is designed to foster change and opportunity within the Latino community.
She currently serves as the president of Latinos In Transit (LIT), a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement and development of Latinos and other minorities in transportation. She is a charter member of the organization and has been a LIT board member since its inception in 2016. Under her leadership, LIT’s membership has exponentially grown and has forged partnerships with multiple public and private industry partners. WSP is a Diamond sponsor of LIT.
“I am honored to receive an award that recognizes the work I have done to advocate for Latinos and other minorities to have a seat at the table, making decisions for our community members,” Carrasco said. “I really believe equity in the workplace leads to a better, more innovative product. A diverse group of people making decisions and providing problem-solving services that will benefit disadvantaged communities is needed. That is why it is a personal mission of mine to advocate and mentor Latinos to follow their career goals all the way to the C-suite.”
Based in WSP’s Sacramento office, Carrasco was recently promoted to her vice president role with the firm, leading the expansion and growth of the Transit and Rail practice in the Western U.S. She previously served as assistant vice president of Transit and Rail, and has been the zero-emissions bus (ZEB) lead for the West, responsible for business development and ZEB projects. WSP has been at the forefront of several initiatives in the West to convert transit systems to all-electric buses, including preparation of a master plan for Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority to convert to a zero-emissions bus fleet by 2030, and technical assistance to King County Metro Transit in Seattle to develop plans to transition to a zero-emission fleet.
“Alva’s passion for her work in transportation is matched by her efforts to foster equity and diversity within the Latino community,” said Jannet Walker-Ford, national Transit and Rail leader for WSP. “Her leadership inspires our team and the perspective she brings results in more thoughtful projects that benefit our transportation clients and the communities they serve. I congratulate her on earning such a prestigious, well-deserved honor from the Latino Leadership Conference and look forward to watching her continue to inspire and influence future generations of business and industry leaders in the Latino community.”
Carrasco has more than 28 years of experience working in the public transit sector, including vice president of maintenance for the Sacramento Regional Transit District, where she was responsible for the daily operation and maintenance of its fleet of bus and light rail vehicles, wayside maintenance and materials management. She has dedicated her time in public transportation to providing communities clean alternative modes of transportation, reducing congestion, improving operational efficiencies, customer relations, and promoting workforce development in what she considers a “green collar” industry.
Carrasco graduated with a master’s degree in transportation management from San Jose State University (SJSU). She was recognized by SJSU as alumna of the year in 2017. She is an American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Leadership class of 2002 alumna. In addition to her work with LIT, she is the chair of the ZEB subcommittee and a member of the ZEB Task Force for the California Transit Association (CTA), a member of the Transit Oversight and Project Selection Committee for the Transit Cooperative Research Program, and a national mentor for the APTA Emerging Leaders Program.
She is a member of several industry committees focused on diversity and inclusion, including the APTA Diversity & Inclusion Counsel and serves as vice chair of the CTA Inclusion Diversity Equity Association Committee.
About WSP USA
WSP USA is the U.S. operating company of WSP, one of the world's leading engineering and professional services firms. Dedicated to serving local communities, we are engineers, planners, technical experts, strategic advisors and construction management professionals. WSP USA designs lasting solutions in the buildings, transportation, energy, water and environment markets. With more than 12,000 employees in 200 offices across the U.S., we partner with our clients to help communities prosper. wsp.com
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