SEPTA announced that Emmanuella Myrthil has been appointed as the Authority’s Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer. Myrthil will report to SEPTA General Manager and CEO Leslie S. Richards.

The Chief Equity & Inclusion Officer is a newly-created role and demonstrates SEPTA’s commitment to ensure a healthy, vibrant, and rewarding environment for everyone who works at or does business with the Authority.

Myrthil is tasked with continuing to build and cultivate a culture within SEPTA that promotes inclusion, diversity, equity, and access for employees, customers, vendors, contractors, and diverse communities. She will provide the vision, leadership, and direction for SEPTA’s diversity and equity programs, including the Diversity, Equity, and Belonging (DEB) strategy and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) programs. Myrthil will provide counsel and guidance to the SEPTA Board and management team, and report on SEPTA’s equal opportunity compliance and equity-related statistics both to them and to outside regulatory agencies.

“I am extremely proud of SEPTA’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts,” said SEPTA General Manager and CEO Leslie S. Richards. “I am excited that Emmanuella Myrthil will continue to build on that foundation to further strengthen SEPTA as an organization that is diverse, inclusive, and enables all people to get equal opportunities.”

Myrthil comes to SEPTA from HNTB, a national infrastructure engineering and design firm, where she served as Division Diversity Director for the company’s Southeast Division. At HNTB, Myrthil worked to change business as usual practices to remove barriers and expand access for minority businesses, as well as diversify small business participation in transportation projects throughout the Southeast. To create greater cultural effectiveness, shared learning, and increased engagement, she piloted an Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Allyship program at the company, and implemented a social responsibility employee resource group and adoption program to support Atlanta’s Thomasville Heights Elementary School community.

Myrthil brings more than 18 years of experience in the transportation industry. Prior to joining HNTB, she was the DBE manager for the Georgia Department of Transportation. She has also been active in the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO), Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS), the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), and was named Engineering Georgia’s 100 Top Influential Women in 2021 and 2022. Myrthil earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism from the State University of New York at New Paltz.

“Her experience and values make her the ideal person to take on this new role and advance our commitment to creating a more trusting and culturally competent environment for our employees, our customers, and the communities we serve,” said Richards.

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