CTA hires first chief equity and engagement officer

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) yesterday announced the appointment of Denise Barreto as the agency’s first chief equity and engagement officer.

Barreto will spearhead the CTA's ongoing efforts to deliver efficient and equitable transit services throughout its service area, according to a CTA news release.

"Denise Barreto has a long track record of championing equity and inclusion in Illinois, and we are thrilled to leverage her expertise to ensure the CTA's efforts leading equity and diversity initiatives continue to advance and are institutionalized across the agency," said CTA President Dorval Carter Jr.

Barreto will work to expand the CTA’s partnerships within the industry and the communities it serves to continue to advance equity initiatives and opportunities.

She previously served as the inaugural director of equity and inclusion for Cook County for the past three years and spent more than a decade as a private sector consultant to local government, corporate and philanthropic entities.