FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Christina Villarreal, Executive Director, LIT 

A Decade of Impact: LIT Celebrates 10 Years at 2026 Leadership Summit in Columbus

Four-day Summit hosted by COTA marks LIT's 10th anniversary, celebrates Leadership Academy graduates, honors a decade of partners, and passes the baton to the San Francisco Bay Area for 2027.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (September 16, 2026) – LIT closed its four-day 2026 Leadership Summit, capping a milestone year that marks 10 years of impact for the organization. Hosted by the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) from September 10-13, the Summit carried the theme Celebrating 10 Years of Excellence, Leadership, and Impact. Every part of the program honored the people, agencies, and partners who built LIT over its first decade.

What began as a call for a space where transit professionals could grow and lead has become a national nonprofit and one of the fastest-growing organizations in the transit industry. The 2026 Summit reflected that growth, with a record number of sponsors, 55 LIT Leadership Academy graduates, and a Legacy Awards program recognizing the partners who have stood with LIT since the beginning.

"Ten years ago, LIT started as an idea that our industry needed a place where transit professionals could grow, lead, and lift each other up. This week in Columbus showed how far that idea has come," said Christina Villarreal, Executive Director of LIT. "We opened with COTA's technical tours, putting our attendees on the ground at COTA's facilities and on the LinkUS West Broad BRT corridor through an augmented reality experience. Our training tracks took on the issues agencies face every day: operator retention, succession planning, employee engagement, federal compliance, rider experience, and using AI to turn data into answers. Café Con LIT brought national voices together live from the Summit on how voter-approved initiatives are moving America's transit projects forward. Our small business leaders had their own space at the CEO Luncheon, and our members recognized the agencies, individuals, and firms driving our mission at the Annual Membership Meeting. 

“Saturday was the heart of it all. We celebrated 55 LIT Leadership Academy graduates, heard their ideas firsthand, and honored the corporate and association partners who have been part of our story for a decade. Then COTA passed the baton to MTC for the 2027 Leadership Summit in the San Francisco Bay Area. Ten years of impact is measured in the careers we have helped launch, the leaders we have helped build, and the small businesses we have helped grow. None of this happens without COTA, our sponsors, our board, and the volunteers who gave their time all week. To everyone who helped build these first ten years: thank you. The next 10 start now," said Villarreal.

Highlights by day

Thursday, September 10: Networking and Connection The day opened with a COTA technical tour and a golf networking event.Daniel E. Street, founder of The Red Knight Group, headlined the Small Business CEO Luncheon. Afternoon sessions featured speakers from the Transit Workforce Center, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), COTA, WSP, the Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority, the Maryland Transit Administration, and CareerMP, along with an unfiltered conversation with Elizabeth Solis-Campana of The Solis Group. Columbus City Councilmember Lourdes Barroso de Padilla joined COTA leadership at the opening reception, which closed with a LIT Family Feud game sponsored by The Solis Group. Team LIT Alliance, led by Alva Carrasco, took the win over The Solis Group team, led by Urisa Carillo.

Friday, September 11: Knowledge and Growth. Attendees explored the LinkUS West Broad BRT corridor on an augmented reality tour before Café Con LIT, Live from the Summit! The panel featured Monica Téllez-Fowler, President and CEO of COTA; Veronica Vanterpool, SVP and Americas Transit Lead at AECOM and former Acting FTA Administrator; and Michael Pimentel, Executive Director of the California Transit Association. Afternoon training sessions included Mitch Savoie Hill on networking, the Transit Workforce Center on frontline workforce development, Greg Bradley on building a leadership toolkit, and John Maglio of ETA on using AI to get instant answers from agency data. The evening closed with the speakeasy, a 1920s-themed mystery event.

At the Annual Membership Meeting, LIT presented its 2026 member awards:

• Transit Agency of the Year: Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority (CCRTA)

• Member of the Year: Aida Berry, WSP

• Ambassador of the Year: Stephanie Daniels, Valley Metro

• Small Business Member of the Year: ABRAC, LLC

Saturday, September 12: Leadership and Legacy The Opening Plenary featured welcomes from COTA's Monica Téllez-Fowler and Columbus City Councilmember Nicholas J. Bankston, remarks from Small Business Title Sponsor Olivier Inc., and a keynote on emotional intelligence from Mitch Savoie Hill. Leadership Academy teams then presented their work in panel sessions.

At the HNTB-sponsored Leadership Luncheon, Diana C. Mendes, HNTB's Corporate President for Infrastructure and Mobility Equity, delivered the keynote. LIT board member and Academy alumnus Juan Higuera reflected on his leadership journey, and fellow LITLA participants Seline Magtoto (HNTB), Rafael Regan (San Francisco Bay Ferry), and Alexander Houck (Maryland Transit Administration) spoke for each Academy track. The luncheon closed with COTA passing the baton to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) for the 2027 Leadership Summit in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The evening's LIT Legacy Gala and Awards Night, sponsored by WeDriveU, was the centerpiece of the anniversary celebration. LIT celebrated its 55 Leadership Academy graduates and recognized 10 years of partnership with its Legacy and Partner Awards.

2026 Legacy Award Winners: MV Transportation (LIT's first corporate member), ABRAC, LLC, Hitachi, Gillig, HDR Engineering, HNTB, Bradley Consulting and Training, Keolis America, New Flyer of America, Olivier Inc., Terravanta, The Solis Group, Transdev North America, TransitGUARD Inc., TSI (Transportation Solutions and Innovations), and WeDriveU.

2026 Partner Award Winners: California Transit Association, Texas Transit Association, BuildIT, COMTO National, WTS International, and APTA.

The night closed with a 10th birthday celebration with mariachi, followed by the Gala After Bash, sponsored by MV Transportation and New Flyer.

Thank You to Our Sponsors

LIT thanks host agency and Opening Reception Sponsor COTA and transit agency sponsor DART, along with Small Business Title Sponsor Olivier Inc., Leadership Luncheon Sponsor HNTB, Registration Sponsor Gillig, After Bash Sponsors MV Transportation and New Flyer, Family Feud and CEO RAW Sponsor The Solis Group, Café Con LIT Sponsor Sound Transit, Secret Speakeasy Sponsor TSI, Exhibit Sponsors New Flyer, BuildIT, and TY Lin, session sponsors WSP and South Central Regional Transit District, and golf sponsors New Flyer, 

BuildIT, HDR, Lamar Advertising, VST Engineering, Stacy Witbeck, ETA, The Montez Group, PMG, ABRAC, MRR & Associates, and Avail Technologies.

LIT also thanks Transdev, WeDriveU, AECOM, Hitachi, Burns, El Dorado, Elford, Mid Ohio, MeVa Transit, GRTC, North County Transit District, Texas Transit Association, Veo Ride, CMP, and Busstuf for supporting this year's programming.

About LIT

For 10 years, LIT has empowered professionals in the transit industry to achieve leadership roles by advancing opportunities for workforce development, mentorship, networking, and education. A national nonprofit, LIT's programs include the Leadership Summit, LIT Leadership Academy, Mentorship Program, Scholarship Program, Small Business Program, Ambassador Program, and Workforce Development. Learn more at latinosintransit.org.