AASHTO Journal - Women’s History Month Blog Features AASHTO's Adem

A series of “Women’s History Month” blog posts touting the professional achievements of women in the transportation industry recently profiled Jenet Adem (above), director of finance and administration for the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

[Above image by AASHTO]

Adem originally joined AASHTO in 2005 as accounting manager before being promoted to director of finance and administration for the association in 2008. In this position, Adem oversees all aspects of AASHTO’s financial operations, including federal grant reporting and administrative functions.

Adem’s professional journey began in the East African nation of Ethiopia. After graduating from Addis Ababa University with a Bachelor of Laws, she found herself as legal counsel at the Ethiopian Ministry of Domestic Trade – focused on trademark and name registration. That led to specialized training at the World Intellectual Property Organization, setting the stage for a move to the United States in the early 1990s.

After immigrating, Adem decided to leave the legal profession and shift into the insurance industry; all the while pursuing a Master of Business Administration from Strayer University. Before joining AASHTO, she served as director of finance and operations at AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth & Families; a national nonprofit advocating for individuals and families affected by HIV/AIDS.

Adem overcame many challenges during her professional journey, especially the start of her transportation career. Not only was she raising her 15-month-old son when she joined AASHTO, she became accounting manager after the position had been vacant for over seven months; leaving her with much uncertainty about the tasks and duties associated with that position.

Also, as an immigrant and Black woman working in transportation, she often felt out of place. But by the time she became director of finance and administration, diversity had started blooming in the transportation sector.

Adem noted she also relied on support from other AASHTO co-workers, such as Monica Russell, AASHTO’s director of meetings & member services, and also credits AASHTO’s leadership in enabling her to balance her career while raising her son.

Over the course of her transportation career, Adem said she has learned several invaluable lessons. First, as an immigrant without a safety net, she had to be her own mentor at times. That’s why she encourages other women in the industry face career challenges head on, as they can often turn into opportunities.

And second, she stresses that engineering is not the only path women can follow into transportation as there are many meaningful ways to contribute to this industry – especially through business and operational functions.