Championing Equitable Infrastructure with Victoria Johnson

The concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) have been championed in many public sectors, as evidenced in the growth of Chief Equity Officer roles, expanding definitions of public safety, and integrating data-driven equity into city departments. Yet there is another industry where DEI has been gaining traction: infrastructure. Victoria Johnson, a vice president at HDR Engineering, Inc., has spent most of her career shaping equitable infrastructure as an innovator and thought leader, sparked by her passion for “people-centered approaches to our most essential needs.” 

This article is part one of a two-part series, illustrating equity approaches in infrastructure. Johnson spoke with the Data-Smart team about leading an equity advisory services practice, collaborating with interdisciplinary subject matter experts in architecture, design and engineering, and providing strategic management consulting to C-suite leaders in infrastructure. 

Johnson’s experience spans across sectors including water, energy, transportation, transit and aviation through her work on marquee projects including Infrastructure New Zealand, the California High-Speed Rail Project, the Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport, and the JFK, LaGuardia and EWR Airport Redevelopments in New York City. With a historic investment of $1.2 trillion in infrastructure via Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), coupled with other federal legislation including the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Workforce Innovation Reauthorization Act, now is the time to deploy innovative approaches to build more equitable, resilient and sustainable infrastructure for all.

When collaborating with a range of organizations like the Stockholm International Water Institute in Sweden, the Biden-Harris administration, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), Johnson witnessed firsthand the disproportionate burdens placed on underserved communities, prompting her work in this space.

Focusing on Community 

A cornerstone of Johnson’s work is producing tangible outcomes and community benefits that drive multi-generational wealth building. She has helped multiple organizations develop people-first initiatives throughout the US and abroad, in places like Australia, Sweden, Columbia and Kenya. The focus of her practice is working with federal, state and municipal leaders to institutionalize inclusive, people-centered and comprehensive approaches to address critical infrastructure needs through legislative policy, capital planning, procurement and workforce development — while meeting the essential needs of local communities, work she illustrates in “Victoria Johnson Talks Equity in Infrastructure” with Government Market News in Washington DC.

According to Johnson, Atlanta continues to serve as a people-centered national leader in urban development, innovation and equity, as Mayor Andre Dickens serves as an active municipal champion through his hands-on approach to local infrastructure, including restoring water services following recent water main breaks throughout the city. Due to aging infrastructure, increasing storm events and population growth, water main breaks are common asset management challenges faced by municipalities nationwide. Mayor Dickens and his team at the city of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management were front and center to restore water services quickly and provide relief to residents, senior citizens, and local businesses.

Johnson works with Mayor Dickens via a Public Private Partnership Taskforce where he serves as Chair, and she serves on the Board of Directors for the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance, which represents African American neighborhoods in Northwest and Southwest Atlanta that are impacted by environmental stressors. These communities have a rich history of activism and resident leaders contributing to environmental justice and civil rights. “Victoria has been a dependable and exceptional co-laborer in the push for Just Communities in the American South and beyond,” said Nathaniel Smith, Founder and Chief Equity Officer of Partnership for Southern Equity (PSE) based in Atlanta. “Her unique combination of heavy intellect coupled with a deep passion for equitable growth has benefitted PSE and the communities we serve greatly." Johnson served on PSE’s Steering Committee for The Just Communities Protocol, an inclusive implementation framework fostering equitable neighborhoods, and an evolution of the EcoDistricts Protocol first launched in 2016.

Expanding Workforce Opportunities 

Johnson is also passionate about elevating equitable economic opportunities in infrastructure. She has served as an expert advisor to the Biden-Harris Administration and Congress on the $1.2 trillion BIL and IIJA since 2021 through the National Skills Coalition’s (NSC) Infrastructure Recovery Panel and Business Leaders United, where she also serves on the Executive Committee. “The intersection of planning, design, engineering, construction and operations allows opportunities to engage local residents and minority and women-owned businesses in contracting and workforce development to fill critical needs in infrastructure,” said Johnson, who co-authored Investing in People to Power our Infrastructure, featured in The Hill. 

To support advancements in clean energy, Johnson served as a speaker and thought leader at a congressional briefing with federal policymakers on Capitol Hill to discuss meaningful policy change to support successful clean energy projects and provide economic opportunities for workers in a growing industry. “Combined investments of BIL, IRA, and the CHIPS and Science act will create millions of new jobs – but does so without investing enough in education and training to equip workers with these skills,” according to an analysis by NSC, the BlueGreen Alliance and the University of Massachusetts Amherst Political Economy Research Institute. In a recap of the clean energy convening, NSC shared that as clean energy projects begin across the country, “states can prioritize skills training investments to support business growth and economic opportunity for workers.”

Her work with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, stewarding the development and implementation of a comprehensive workforce development program on the agency’s $25B+ redevelopment program at LaGuardia, JFK and EWR airports, illustrates how to operationalize equity through capital projects. “New York City is committed to investing in our residents and creating opportunities for underserved communities to benefit from capital projects impacting their lives and neighborhoods,” said New York City Council Member of District 27 Dr. Nantasha Williams. “Collaborating with Victoria to stand up a workforce development program at the Port Authority for the JFK, LGA and EWR airport redevelopment program created a framework we are proud of that provides tangible job and contracting opportunities for residents and minority and women owned businesses (MWBEs) in the heart of Queens.”

The JFK Redevelopment Community Advisory Council, co-chaired by Congressman Gregory W. Meeks and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, is an example of how state and municipal leaders are working with communities on building people-centered infrastructure to support community wealth building. The LaGuardia Redevelopment Program has employed more than 1,000 local black and brown residents, and awarded more than $850M to MWBEs based in Queens. To date, JFK has awarded $2.3B in contracts to MWBE firms, including more than $950M in contracts to Queens-based businesses, a demonstration of the economic, social and cultural impact large infrastructure programs can have on local communities. Johnson continues to serve as a recognized leader in aviation, serving on the leadership team for the Airport Minority Advisory Council (AMAC), as a Vice Chair on AMAC’s national membership committee. She has provided remarks on DEI, social sustainability and airport engagement in collaboration with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Assistant Administrator of the Office of Civil Rights John P. Benison at FAA’s National Civil Rights Training Conference and the Airport Planning, Design and Construction Symposium hosted by the American Association of Airport Executives and the Airport Consultants Council.  

Johnson also shared the importance of adopting data-driven approaches to inform solutions, especially around workforce diversification. The lack of diversity and representation in infrastructure, illustrated in the Brookings Institution’s report Renewing the Water Workforce, underscores the urgent need for outreach, workforce development, and training to attract younger and more diverse talent to the industry. This report, which Johnson served as a contributor to, described how the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Louisville and Jefferson County Metropolitan Sewer District, and Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority used data-driven approaches to diversify the water workforce. The report’s author, Brookings Fellow Joe Kane, expressed the need for utilities and a range of public and private leaders — including educational institutions, workforce boards, community-based organizations, and labor groups, among others — to take an all-hands-on-deck approach to support a talent pipeline for the water sector. “Supporting the country's 1.7 million water workers requires more collaborative planning and action around hiring, training, and retention, especially given the need for more accessible and flexible work-based learning opportunities,” said Kane. 

Developing Innovative Approaches

Johnson, a native of Orange County, California, has done a significant amount of work in her home state; recognized for her leadership, she serves on the Board of Trustees and Executive Committee for the Association of California Water Agencies Foundation. California suffers from both droughts and extreme floods, making it a flashpoint for water equity and environmental justice. One way to address these issues is through creative approaches, including adopting community benefits policies and programs, establishing multi-sector partnerships, and operationalizing equity action plans. “We are committed to ensuring safe and reliable water for all with no one left behind,” said Adel Hagekhalil, a nationally recognized Los Angeles-based executive industry leader and equity champion who has served in a variety of leadership roles, including the former General Manager and Executive Director for the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Street Services and the Southern California Water Coalition Board of Directors. “We accomplish this through adapting to climate change through investments in infrastructure and people. Through innovation, integration and inclusion, we use DEI, workforce development, and project labor agreement to create resiliency and uplift communities.” 

In collaboration with Gregory Reed, senior assistant general manager of LADWP’s Office of DEI, Johnson spoke at the city of Los Angeles Juneteenth Celebration in 2022 to engage directly with community residents about water equity priorities at three California-based utilities: LADWP, West Basin Municipal Water District, and the Water Replenishment District. “LADWP Board of Water and Power Commissioners has taken an equity-centered approach towards policies and programs, including the creation of the Office of DEI,” said Reed. “My office is focused on workforce development programs using targeted local hiring and recruitment strategies that advance gender and racial equity as we build a utility workforce for the next generation.” Following Executive Directive 27 by former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, LADWP launched a Racial Equity Action Plan in 2021. Now under Mayor Karen Bass’ leadership, LADWP continues to operationalize equity-centered priorities to improve the lives of Angelenos. 

LADWP, the largest municipal utility in the US serving more than four million residents in a water-critical area, took the Equity in Infrastructure Project (EIP) pledge, operationalizing its commitment to DEI among the agency’s executive leadership. The EIP is a national initiative led by public agencies across water, transportation, transit, aviation and energy to advance building generational wealth and reducing the racial wealth gap by creating more prime, joint venture and equity contracting opportunities for historically underutilized businesses (HUBs). The initiative was launched by Denver International Airport CEO Phillip A. Washington in partnership with former US Deputy Secretary of Transportation John D. Porcari and other partners including Hagekhalil to operationalize IIJA and President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative and his executive order 13985 on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities. Upon EIP’s inception, Johnson served on the EIP Advisory Council for one year, along with serving on the Metrics and Measuring Success subcommittee, where she provided perspectives on inclusive procurement best practices to create more opportunities for HUBs. "Victoria is a key ally in our work to improve private and public sector procurement to expand prime, joint-venture and equity contracting opportunities for historically underutilized businesses,” said Washington. 

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MET) is also a first mover in EIP, demonstrating its commitment to increase expenditures with local small businesses. The agency has a MetWorks business outreach program to support growing small businesses in Southern California. Over a 20-year span, the MetWorks Program has invested more than $1.5 billion in small, local and disabled veteran-owned businesses. The agency hosts “METWORKS,” an industry day event sharing “contracting information straight from the source.” This event allows primes and local MWBEs to network and explore opportunities to collaborate on opportunities. As MET serves 26 utilities, including LADWP, and 19 million ratepayers across six counties in Southern California, it has also launched its first Office of DEI and adopted an agency-wide DEI strategic plan. Johnson was invited to speak at the agency’s inaugural DEI Forum “Playing to Win, Advancing Inclusive Excellence,” in collaboration with the agency’s 38-member board of directors and executive leadership team. 

An Equitable Future

Through ongoing collaboration with municipal, state and federal leaders, Johnson will continue serving as an innovator, thought leader and advisor shaping the future of equitable infrastructure. As her work continues, she underscored the importance of adopting four key guiding principles to drive the next phase of this transformational work: innovation, inclusivity, equitable capital planning, and data-informed solutions. By embracing these principles, cities all over the world can relieve environmental burdens, spur economic development and foster multi-generational wealth building to create thriving, resilient, sustainable communities now and for generations to come.

Stay tuned: to learn more about Johnson’s work and advancements in equitable infrastructure, check back soon for part two of this series.