J.L. Patterson & Associates receives Rosa Parks Diversity Leadership Award

ORANGE, CALIF. — J.L. Patterson & Associates Inc. (JLP), a transportation engineering firm providing engineering design, construction management, and staff augmentation to both public- and private-sector clients, has been recognized for advancing diversity in the workplace by the Orange County Chapter of the Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS—OC). The “Rosa Parks Diversity Leadership Award” will be presented to JLP at the annual WTS—OC “Awards and Scholarship Gala” scheduled for Dec. 1, 2010, at the Disney Grand Californian Hotel.

“Receiving this award from my peers is especially satisfying,” said JLP President Jacqueline L. Patterson, who founded the firm in 1990. “As a woman who entered an industry where gender and ethnic diversity was not valued as it is now, it has been one of my most important goals to build a firm that reflects the rich demographic variety our region offers. Over one-quarter of JLP’s nearly 100 staff members are female and over one-half are either of Hispanic, African—American, Asian/Pacific Islander, or of Middle Eastern origin.”

The 2010 WTS—OC “Awards and Scholarship Gala” is an annual event for the chapter since its inception in 1989. Along with the Rosa Parks Diversity Leadership Award, the chapter also will present the “Woman of the Year,” “Member of the Year,” and “Employer of the Year” awards. In addition, $30,000 in scholarships will be awarded to deserving graduate and undergraduate students pursuing careers in transportation planning and engineering, including one of JLP’s own, Megan Otters, an engineering student at UC Irvine.