2026 Virginia Black Business Leaders Awards: MONICA BACKMON

Backmon was named CEO of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority in 2021, after having served as its executive director since 2014.

Managing over $500 million in annual revenue, Backmon is guided by a mission of reducing congestion and enhancing connectivity. NVTA is advancing 135 regional multimodal transportation projects totaling nearly $3.8 billion throughout the region. Additionally, Backmon oversees the annual distribution of more than

$140 million to the authority’s nine member jurisdictions for transportation purposes of their choice.
Backmon was one of 10 honorees in 2024 for the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials’ Women Who Move the Nation recognition.

Before joining NVTA, Backmon worked for nearly a decade as a regional transportation planner for Prince William County. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s in urban and regional planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

FIRST JOB: Church’s Chicken. I started as a cashier and later became a fry cook. I’ll be honest: I didn’t love the work, but it was a valuable introduction to the world of customer service. It taught me the importance of patience, work ethic and treating every customer with respect — lessons that have stayed with me throughout my career.

WHY I CHOSE MY PROFESSION: I’ve always known I wanted a career centered on helping people. Growing up, I thought that path would lead me to medicine. I even entered college as a pre-med major. However, after a memorable day dissecting rats, I realized I needed a different way to serve. I switched to psychology and while looking for an elective course, I enrolled in “Housing, Transportation and the Elderly.” I was immediately hooked. That course opened my eyes to how profoundly transportation influences mobility, opportunity and overall quality of life.