Britney D. Berry, Esq.
Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program Coordinator, Office of Civil Rights
Federal Transit Administration (FTA)/U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
- Alma Mater: Jackson State University and Wayne State University
- Fun Fact: Berry wants to be a professional soccer player
- Favorite Movie: "Gladiator" and "Rocky" I – IV
Britney Berry grew up in Mississippi, went to school in Detroit and then moved to Washington, D.C., where she first saw how important public transportation is for a huge segment of the country. She went to law school at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, and worked at a really small law firm. She moved to Washington, D.C., finished her last year of law school at Georgetown University and saw an opening for her current position.
As an equal opportunity specialist, Berry started in the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Office of Civil Rights after law school and in a short few years became the staff-level headquarters point person on the DBE program and a mentor to new employees, many of whom are women and racial minorities, entering the complicated DBE arena. Her commitment has helped prepare these employees to take on future advancement opportunities and benefited the DBE program as a whole.
The DBE program is an integral part of the Ladders of Opportunity Initiative and designed to increase opportunities for the nation’s small minority- and women-owned business community through job creation, diversity inclusion, and business development. Britney’s work has helped ensure that diverse groups have an equal opportunity to benefit from federal contracting dollars.
Berry’s impact in the transit vehicle manufacturer (TVM) segment of the DBE program — historically unique to FTA — is clear. In FY 2012, approximately 19,000 new transit vehicles were added to the nation’s transit fleet at a capital cost of $3.7 billion. Because vehicle manufacturing is a multi-billion dollar private industry, supported largely by federally funded vehicle purchases, TVMs must seek DBE participation on all FTA rolling stock procurements. The department’s DBE regulations require TVMs to submit a DBE program and an annual DBE goal to FTA for its approval prior to bidding on any FTA-assisted vehicle contract. This regulatory requirement helps ensure that TVMs expend a portion of federal funds to small DBE-owned suppliers, traditionally in the millions of dollars.
Berry has led FTA’s team effort to certify TVMs as eligible for bidding on FTA-assisted contracts, having developed a streamlined process for program and annual goal reviews. Far from a rubber-stamping approach, the process has held TVMs accountable for demonstrating their incorporation of the DBE program requirements before FTA sign-off. She has also created and conducted several webinars and training geared specifically toward TVMs interested in becoming or remaining eligible to bid on FTA-assisted contracts.
The streamlined goal review process has allowed FTA to quickly, accurately and consistently identify DBE deficiencies in the TVM submissions; return those submissions for corrections; and ultimately ensure that DBEs have a fair, prompt opportunity to participate on federal contracts. Berry’s webinars and training on DBE regulatory requirements, attended by hundreds of TVM and grantee staff over the years, have helped avoid deficiencies in the first place. During the last goal review cycle, FTA saw significantly fewer deficiencies in the goal submissions it received.
At the departmental level, Berry has effectively worked to elevate the TVM component of the DBE program. Through her participation on the department’s DBE Task Force, for example, she helped spearhead the inclusion of TVM requirements in the new DBE Final Rule. The rule now clarifies the goal setting, reporting and other requirements that apply to TVMs and emphasizes that a TVM that is noncompliant will be removed from FTA’s certified TVM list, and will be deemed ineligible to bid. This rulemaking highlights FTA’s stringent enforcement approach and will have an impact for years to come.
“One thing that surprised me, coming from Mississippi where public transportation isn’t that big of a thing and even then, moving to Detroit where we know that public transportation was sort of edged out … when I came to D.C. and I saw how important public transportation is for a huge segment of the country, I felt like I was living in a bubble. Once I came to D.C. and I saw all of the people here using public transportation and then working in federal transit, I can see nationwide all of the folks who use and benefit from public transportation, it was really an eye-opening experience and I’m really glad I had the opportunity to be exposed to.
“Not only do we have that real-time interaction [with the general public and stakeholders] … but we can help them in real time as well … People come to you with real problems and you’re able to give real solutions.
“We’re in a position where we are here to help but there’s only so much we can do with the resources that we have … We’re not necessarily an advocate, we’re that neutral party that makes sure that all of our recipients and general stakeholders are holding up the intent of the federal regulations. It’s not as if we can bend them in one way or another just because you may have experienced something that was fairly detrimental … Although we may empathize or sympathize, we can’t resolve every issue for everyone. That sometimes can be a bit hard.
“For the future of public transportation I would like to see a stronger emphasis on reinvigorating the manufacturing arm of transportation. At one point, before the new-age vehicles were released and highways were wide spread across the country, we had sort of a stronger presence, even globally, in regard to public transit and the types of vehicles that are produced by transit vehicle manufacturers.
“… I would [like to see] is a stronger focus on the job that public transportation could provide and can provide. Not only do you have operators, you have these vehicle manufacturers who are looking for component suppliers and there is a tremendous amount of job opportunities that can be provided by public transportation alone and I don’t think we’ve noticed that in the past.
“I absolutely love soccer. I’ve been playing since I was 8 and can’t stop. I broke my finger two years ago and I still can’t stop; it’s like an addiction. I play for recreation now but … I still want to be a professional soccer player. I would love to be a professional soccer player, still at my age, that’s one of my dreams.”
