COMTO Cleveland

Engineers Week: Honoring a Legacy That Continues to Move Us Forward

During Engineers Week, COMTO Cleveland celebrates innovation, leadership, and the professionals shaping infrastructure across our nation.

We also pause to honor those who laid the foundation.

Today, we posthumously spotlight and remember:
Ivy Lynne White
Stanley Kirtley
Rechard Wagner
Goldwyn Parker
David Sesgobin
Sharmyn Elliott

Each of these individuals contributed to the advancement of engineering, infrastructure, and opportunity in ways that continue to ripple through our industry.

Their work was “T-squared”- technical and transformational. (pun intended).
They designed systems that improved safety. They led with integrity and excellence. They mentored, opened doors, and widened pathways.

Because of leaders like them, communities are safer. Access is broader. Futures are brighter. Engineering is not only about projects completed. It is about impact sustained long after the work is done. It is about responsibility to the public and commitment to the next generation.

As we recognize Engineers Week during Black History Month, we honor these pioneers with gratitude — acknowledging that the roads we travel today were paved by their expertise, courage, and perseverance.
Their legacy continues to move communities forward.

COMTO Cleveland remains committed to carrying that work ahead — elevating diverse voices, strengthening mentorship, and ensuring excellence and equity shape the future of transportation and infrastructure.
We remember.
We honor.
We build forward.

This week, we’re honoring one leader. One city. One legacy in motion.

Say her name: India Birdsong Terry
General Manager & CEO, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority

This is leadership with receipts.

India Birdsong Terry stepped into Cleveland in 2019 and got straight to work. No fluff. No hesitation. Just ex*****on. Nearly 20 years deep in public transit, sharpened in Chicago and Nashville, and now holding it down in Cleveland—leading one of the largest transit systems in Ohio.

She runs scale.
2,200+ employees.
24+ million rides a year.
Buses. Rail. Paratransit. Trolleys. BRT.
457 square miles. One system. One vision.
A $521 million operation doesn’t move on vibes—it moves on discipline. Transparency. Accountability. Sound financial stewardship. And India brings all of that with purpose.

Right now, she’s leading in a real moment.
Aging rail fleet.
Funding pressures.
Customer growth.
Service frequency.
Coverage expansion.
Economic development.
This isn’t theoretical leadership.
This is pressure-tested leadership.

And Cleveland?
This city knows grit.
Knows reinvention.
Knows how to keep moving when the work gets heavy.

India’s leadership matches that energy—keeping transit a lifeline, not a luxury. Getting people to jobs. To school. To healthcare. To opportunity. Every single day.

Chicago roots. Midwest resolve. Cleveland heart.

As the city says—and as a Chicago legend once put it: “Sky is the limit.”

Beyond RTA, India shows up for the industry and the community—active with APTA, TCRP, United Way of Greater Cleveland, DCIC, NOACA, APTF, Urban League of Greater Cleveland, Cleveland Leadership Center, the Transportation Learning Center, and proudly connected to COMTO.

And let’s pause right there
Shoutout to the COMTO Cleveland Board—for the long hours, the behind-the-scenes work, and the commitment to lifting Black excellence in transportation. The work is seen. The impact is real.

India is also proficient in Spanish, holds a Master’s in Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and earned her Bachelor’s degree from Temple University. Brains. Strategy. Culture. All in one.

This Black History Month, we’re honoring a different trailblazer each week—and this week belongs to India Birdsong Terry.

Not just for the system she leads.
But for the legacy she’s building.
For Cleveland.
For transit.
For the next generation watching closely.

Salute to a leader who keeps the city moving.
Purpose. Presence. Power.

🍷Not every experience needs a crowd.

Wine Soirée on the Shores is designed to be intimate…