Celebrating the Future of Transportation:

COMTO North Texas Scholarship Reception

On Tuesday, June 10, the North Texas Chapter of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) hosted our 2025 Scholarship Reception. As President of the COMTO North Texas Chapter, I was incredibly proud to witness the outpouring of support from our transportation community, civic partners, and corporate sponsors, all coming together to celebrate the next generation of transportation leaders.

The evening was a tremendous success, filled with inspiring stories, meaningful connections, and a shared commitment to equity, opportunity, and representation in our industry. It served as a powerful reminder of how access and mentorship can transform a student’s future.

We proudly recognized and awarded scholarships to five exceptional students who are pursuing careers in transportation, engineering, and related fields:

• Kamden Furlough

• Dilly Ogunrinde

• Adriel Resendiz

• Rodrigo Fragoso

• Roberto Olono

Congratulations to each of these scholars. We are honored to support your journey and excited to see how you will shape the future of our industry.

Our keynote speaker, Denita Lacking-Quinn of Balfour Beatty, delivered an inspiring message. As a former COMTO scholarship recipient herself, her words carried special meaning and served as a full circle moment for many of us in the room.

I want to personally thank all of our board members who worked collaboratively to ensure we had an amazing event. Special thanks to Fernando Marino for leading the creation of a seamless scholarship application and evaluation process, and to Minerva Rodriguez for coordinating every detail of the event and securing our generous sponsors.

We are sincerely grateful to our sponsors, whose support made this celebration possible:

We were also honored to welcome an impressive group of civic and business leaders, many of whom represent our valued organizational partners, further highlighting the visibility and impact provided to our sponsors. Special guests included:

• Randall Bryant, Vice Chair, DART Board of Directors & Immediate Past Chair, Black Chamber of Commerce

• Carmen Garcia, DART Board Member & COMTO NTX Board Member

• Mary Dominguez-Santini, President & CEO, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Grand Prairie

• Yolanda Tafoya, Vice President & COO, Regional Hispanic Contractors Association

• Rick Ortiz, President & CEO, Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

• Kamal Fulani, Executive Director, US India Chamber of Commerce

• Acela Gomez Garrett, Founder & Chair, Greater North Texas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

• Andrea Rivera, President, Greater North Texas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

• Ken Tse, President, Asian American Contractors & Professionals Association

• Representatives, Regional Black Contractors Association

• Representatives, Irving Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

As we close out this memorable event, I am filled with gratitude for the teamwork, dedication, and generosity that made it all possible. COMTO North Texas will continue to champion equity and opportunity in transportation, and we look forward to building an even stronger future—together.

To relive the highlights and special moments from the evening, view the photo gallery [here]

Gabriel Beltran

President

COMTO North Texas