Rice University alum Angela Berry Roberson ’90 was sworn in to serve as the Senior Advisor in the Departmental Office of Civil Rights for the U.S. Department of Transportation Oct. 23, 2023.
In this role, Berry Roberson will support the implementation and activities associated with USDOT civil rights programs and equity initiatives.
“I am honored for this opportunity to serve and advocate for civil rights and equity at the next level, especially on this national platform, so I can continue to make a difference,” she said.
Berry Roberson is a licensed attorney and has been a civil rights practitioner in the transportation industry for approximately 30 years. She started her civil rights career with Dallas Area Rapid Transit out of law school and has worked in the public and private sectors in every mode of transportation.
Previously, Berry Roberson worked at Webber Construction as the director of diversity contract compliance and recently for WSP USA as the senior vice president of civil rights advisory services and compliance. Throughout her career, she has provided diversity, equity and civil rights compliance advisory services related to the minority, woman-owned and small business initiatives, environmental justice and non-discrimination policy as well as other civil rights programs for several entities nationwide and locally, including Texas DOT and Austin-Bergstrom Airport.
She has been recognized as a national expert for diversity and equity matters and has received several awards recognizing her advocacy efforts, including: Dallas Business Journal Woman in Business Leader honoree, Dallas Business Journal Minority Business Leader honoree, the Western Area State Highway and Transportation Officials’ Civil Rights Civil Rights Contractor Champion Award and the Women in Transportation (WTS) Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter Rosa Parks Diversity Leadership Award.
At Rice, Berry Roberson has been and continues to be an active alumna of the class of 1990, including serving on the Association of Rice Alumni Board (2008–11) and as a class of 1990 reunion leader. She is very active with the Association of Rice University Black Alumni, serving as the past chair and currently a member of the ARUBA Advisory Board. Regionally, she is active in the Dallas-Fort Worth Regional Rice University Alumni and served as past chair. Berry Roberson holds a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Rice and a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center.