Cassaundra Rouse – Illinois Tollway Executive Director
I’m a big believer in addressing policy issues as people issues. This is a leadership philosophy guided by data and my personal experiences. As we tackle complex infrastructure projects it’s critical that we understand the profound impact our decisions will have on the lives of our children and grandkids. How we connect our diverse communities with highways and public
transportation is a fundamental part of access to jobs, schools, healthcare, and fresh food. We cannot take these decisions lightly.
My parents helped me understand the relationship between access and opportunity. I grew up on Chicago’s South Side and witnessed first-hand some of the barriers tied to transportation that can make it difficult to maintain a job or make it to a doctor’s appointment. The Tollway’s new I-294/ I-57 interchange is a recent example of addressing access on the Far South Side with a people-first philosophy. The project’s new ramps serve as long overdue pathways to economic growth. But access is only part of the equation. To close the equity gap, we must also create opportunities.
Recently, I joined industry colleagues across multiple transportation agencies to sign the Equity in Infrastructure Project Pledge. EIP is a national movement “committing to an increase in the number, size and proportion of contracts going to historically underutilized businesses in the infrastructure space.”
The Illinois Tollway has always been in a unique position to support economic opportunity. 20 years ago, the agency made a similar commitment to levelling the playing field so firms could compete fairly for Tollway contracts. Since that time, the Tollway’s Board of Directors has repeatedly affirmed its commitment to enhancing opportunities for small, minority and woman-
owned businesses and removing barriers, in the award and administration of Tollway contracts and subcontracts.
The EIP pledge resonates with me because it goes one step further. It holds agencies like the Tollway accountable to go “above and beyond existing practices.” This translates directly to our work to obtain feedback and data to ensure our efforts are meeting the needs of firms where they are. Some of those initiatives include:
Mentorship for engineering and construction firms
Technology training and educational programs that help small businesses compete
for contracts
Assistance to make insurance affordable
Signing the EIP pledge underscores a commitment and optimism that we can successfully address generations of inequity and close gaps of access and opportunities in ways that are meaningful for the people we serve.
As Executive Director, Rouse oversees the Illinois Tollway’s 294 miles of roadways across 12 counties in Northern Illinois for nearly 1.6 million daily drivers.
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