President's Message: April/May 2022
Dear WTS-DC Chapter Members and Friends,
April and May have been busy months for WTS-DC!
In April, WTS International launched the 2022 National Volunteer Month campaign to highlight the outstanding volunteer-driven work of the WTS organization. The campaign encouraged all of us at WTS to recognize and celebrate all the volunteers who advance the WTS mission every day.
I am grateful for the many dedicated volunteers at WTS-DC. Their time, talent, and dedication enables our chapter to advance the WTS mission by offering professional development programming, by recognizing women leaders in our industry, by working with youth through our Transportation YOU program, by giving out scholarships to deserving young women in our area, and by hosting a mentoring program.
WTS-DC kicked off our signature mentoring program thanks to the hard work of WTS-DC’s Mentoring Committee. This year more than a dozen mentor-mentee pairs were matched based on skills, interests, and location, among other factors. We are excited to see so much interest in and demand for this program that speaks directly to our mission of helping advance careers in the transportation industry!
WTS-DC also collaborated with area high schools to offer learning opportunities on automated vehicle technology and electric vehicles thanks to the efforts of WTS-DC’s Transportation YOU Committee. Our Transportation YOU program reaches out to students “where they are” and introduces women of all backgrounds to the many opportunities available in the transportation industry.
Our chapter featured WTS-DC’s 2021 Recognition Award winners at a virtual panel event thanks to the dedication of WTS-DC’s Recognitions Committee. This event brought together five of WTS-DC’s 2021 awardees to talk about the challenges and triumphs of the past few years and their hopes for the future. The discussion offered WTS-DC the opportunity to celebrate these individuals as leaders in their organizations, as well as in the transportation industry. Attendees came away with practical advice for use in their own careers and professional relationships.
We also offered professional development opportunities to WTS-DC members, friends, and executive-level women thanks to the efforts of WTS-DC’s Legislative Committee, WTS-DC’s Professional Development Committee, the WTS-DC Executive Board, and chapter members. Whether they are organizing a conversation about gender bias and equity in transportation, hitting the streets to experience DC’s bicycle-friendly evolution, or bringing together top-ranking women in the transportation industry in a facilitated forum to discuss common issues, our volunteers dedicate countless hours putting together unique and insightful events to benefit transportation professionals at all levels.
There are many ways to get involved with WTS-DC. Please reach out to me if you want to volunteer with our organization.
In May, WTS-DC members attended the 2022 WTS International Annual Conference, “Expedition Northwest: Mapping Transportation for All,” hosted in Seattle, Washington. The Annual Conference is the WTS International networking event of the year and typically attracts more than 500 industry leaders from all WTS chapters and beyond. Every year, this conference provides attendees with a wonderful opportunity to engage with other chapters as representatives of WTS-DC, expand our personal networks, and represent our respective companies/organizations. For the first time in nearly three years, the conference was held in person, and all attendees were ecstatic to learn and network in the same room with fellow professionals. Attendees participated in sessions on a variety of topics including:
- Leading by Presence: Women Deliver Sound Transit’s Roosevelt Station
- Public Transit and Mobility Justice in Rural Places
- Digital Disruption to Transformation: Women Leading the Way
- Leading with Community Values: ODOT’s I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project
If you’re interested in learning more about WTS-DC’s experience at the conference, be on the lookout for an article from WTS-DC board members Shelley Wynne, Brittney Gick, Audra Bandy, and Barbara Moreno, who attended the conference with sponsorship from our chapter.
As we celebrate those volunteers who demonstrate excellence for WTS, it is also the time where we look to recognize the examples of excellence around us in the transportation industry. The WTS-DC Recognitions Awards acknowledge those who support our local WTS-DC Chapter and heighten awareness of the WTS mission and goals:
- WTS-DC Member of the Year
- WTS-DC Woman of the Year Award
- WTS-DC Honorable Ray LaHood Award
- WTS-DC Employer of the Year Award
- WTS-DC Rosa Parks Diversity Leadership Award
- WTS-DC Innovative Transportation Solutions Award
Our awardees will be recognized at our Annual Holiday Party on December 6. I encourage you to nominate someone you know for one of our awards and recognize them for their contributions to advancing our industry. Please be on the lookout for more information on our Recognition Awards nominations process!
As we look toward the second half of 2022, our chapter is excited to gather with WTS-DC members and friends in person. Our first fully in-person event features lunch and a discussion with U.S. Department of Transportation Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg. It will be held June 9, 2022 at the Hotel Monaco in Washington, DC. Join us to hear from Deputy Secretary Trottenberg about what’s next for USDOT in implementing the transformational Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, how the Administration is advancing the priorities of safety, economic strength, equity, climate, and sustainability, and what Deputy Secretary Trottenberg is most looking forward to in the infrastructure decade. Tickets are available through June 4, 2022. We hope to see you there!
Best,
Katie Kraft
President, WTS-DC Chapter
Contact Us!
If you or your organization are interested in contributing to WTS-DC and would like to know how you could do so, please contact us. You can reach us through any of our social media channels listed below, or you can email me at president.wts.dc@gmail.com.