Novemer 2023
Unpacking and Responding to USDOT Mission and Strategic Goals for Equity presented by: Dr. Kristina Henry Collins from University of Washington
The Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) mission is “to deliver the world’s leading transportation system, serving the American people and economy through the safe, efficient, sustainable, and equitable movement of people and goods”. Outlined in its strategic plan, USDOT has identified 6 major strategic goals: (1) Safety, (2) Economic strength and global competitiveness, (3) Equity, (4) Climate and sustainability, (5) Transformation, and (6) Organizational excellence. In its department- wide equity priority and goal, it aims to “reduce inequities across our transportation systems and the communities they affect. Support and engage people and communities to promote safe, affordable, accessible, and multimodal access to opportunities and services while reducing transportation-related disparities, adverse community impacts, and health effects”.
In this webinar, Dr. Collins will unpack its mission and strategic goals through an equity lens, and within the context of the University Transportation Centers (UTC) Programming. Upon active engagement and reflective follow-up from this webinar, participants will be able to effectively employ an equity lens to: · Effectively respond and develop/maintain a sustainability plan that significantly align with and contribute to USDOT mission and goals; · Identify and align the unique strengths of their organization for the benefit of blue economy career development and USDOT Priority Area D (Improving the durability and extending the life of transportation infrastructures); and · Evaluate, prevent and/or address organizational “Equity-Practice Gaps” – the disparity between the goals and beliefs that are stated and to what extent they are actually carried out in practice.
Dr. Kristina Henry Collins serves the Executive Director for the Robinson Center for Young Scholars at The University of Washington (UW), overseeing the early entrance program for University Academic Affairs. She holds affiliate associate professor positions within the College of Education at UW’s Seattle and Tacoma campuses as well as collaborating visiting professor role at Texas State University where she served as Associate Director for LBJ Institute STEM Education and Research and Associate Professor of Talent Development for 8 years. At Texas State, she coordinates and manages several STEM research development projects and teams, include serving as the DEIA Officer for CREATE. Dr. Collins earned a Ph.D. in educational psychology, Ed.S. degree in gifted and creative education, and holds STEM degrees, certifications and formal training in quantitative research methods (PhD minor); mathematics (M.S.Ed.); electrical engineering technology (BS); and cryptology and electronic warfare surveillance (military science diploma, US Navy). As a published author and recognized expert in the field, Dr. Collins boasts over 30 years of experience and several awards for her research, teaching, and service related to multicultural gifted education, identity and talent development for underserved students in STEM and accelerated programming; culturally responsive curriculum development, and professional development mentoring across the lifespan. She has and continues to serve at the local, state, and national levels for several in-field gifted and STEM organizations. Among these include, certified faculty mentor of the Gulf Coast Consortia for Quantitative Biomedical Sciences and National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN), member of Diversity and Equity Committee for CEC-TAG (Council for Exceptional Children – The Association for the Gifted), and Past President for SENG (Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted). She maintains close partnerships and collaborations across many fields of study to integrate an awareness and best-practices for inclusive mentoring of diverse populations in various K-20 settings. She has earned and significantly involved in several supporting grants from NASA, USDOT, NSF, to name a few for her work in STEM. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8983-0104
