Keynote Speakers Announced For Fall Breakfast
LICA is pleased to announce the keynote speaker lineup for our Annual Fall Legislative Breakfast, which will be held September 22 at the Huntington Hilton from 8am to 10am. LICA will feature Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado and the Chair of the American Road and Transportation Builders Association Paula Hammond to discuss infrastructure investments from the state and federal levels. LICA will honor Supervisor of the Town of Islip Angie Carpenter with our leadership award and HIA-LI President and CEO Terri Alessi-Miceli with LICA’s partnership award.
Born and raised in Schenectady, Antonio is a native New Yorker. His parents worked hard for General Electric, benefited from a thriving economy, and were able to pursue the American Dream of building a better future for Antonio and his younger brother. Antonio attended Colgate University, in Hamilton, New York, where he graduated with high honors and earned a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford. From there, he went to law school at Harvard, which is where he met his wife Lacey, a native of Ulster County.
In 2018, Antonio decided to run for Congress because for too long, leaders in Washington failed to give voice to working people struggling to achieve the American Dream. For too long they failed to provide a vision forward in an ever-changing global economy that left thousands of New Yorkers behind. The past few decades have seen good-paying jobs like those Antonio’s parents had disappear, with fewer opportunities for families seeking their share of the American Dream.
“Growing up the rules were simple: work hard, do your homework and go to church. The values my parents instilled in me growing up here are the same values that inspired me to run for Congress.”
In Congress, Antonio was recognized as one of the most active new members of Congress for his efforts to pass legislation through the House and Senate, and keep constituents informed of his work. Since taking office in 2019, Antonio has maintained his commitment to effective and bipartisan lawmaking that delivers real results and has had 18 bills signed into law. In 2021, he was named the fourth most bipartisan member in all of Congress and first among Democrats by the Common Ground Committee, and was honored twice with the Jefferson-Hamilton Award for Bipartisanship from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Alongside the Lt. Governor will be ARTBA Chairperson Paula Hammond. Hammond has been WSP USA’s senior vice president and national market leader since 2013 after almost 35 years at Washington State’s Department of Transportation (WSDOT), serving as its first female transportation secretary from 2007 to 2013.
While leading WSDOT, Hammond implemented innovative programs promoting transparent performance management and communications, lean process improvements, efficient freight movement and long-term safety. She also led one of the first state DOT climate risk assessment and adaptation plans in the nation. Under her leadership, WSDOT undertook delivery of a $16 billion infrastructure investment plan, including two long-awaited mega-projects: the longest floating bridge in the country and the largest diameter (at the time) deep-bore tunnel for transportation in the world.
As multimodal national market leader at WSP USA, Hammond provides clients with strategic advice on issues ranging from infrastructure resiliency to communications to emerging technology. Hammond has served as advisory committee member for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Intelligent Transportation Systems program. She also led numerous committees of the American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials (AASHTO), including chair of the Standing Committee on Highways.
