President's Message: July/August 2021
Dear WTS-DC Chapter Members and Friends,
Summer has arrived! Hopefully, you will find some time to relax and recharge.
As summer approached, WTS-DC had a busy May. Our Recognitions Committee hosted an event with our 2020 Recognition Awardees; these industry leaders offered our audience insights into achieving success in their careers. Our Diversity Committee hosted an event with COMTO-DC and ITE to discuss how HBCU alumni could help bring more HBCU graduates into the transportation industry. We also had an event with WTS-I, ITS America, and The Ray where our attendees learned about the MobilityXX initiative to empower women in transportation. I hope you were able to join us for these exciting events!
With the school year ending, WTS-DC had a chance to look back on our Transportation YOU Committee's active year engaged (virtually, of course) with local DC high schools. The Transportation YOU program encourages high school girls to consider and embrace the opportunities to work in STEM fields. Our Transportation YOU Committee puts on monthly programs for young women during the school year, including virtual field trips! Transportation YOU is one of the ways that we at WTS-DC actively engage with our community and pursue the part of our mission that involves attracting women to the transportation industry.
In June, WTS-I released its strategic plan for 2021-2026, which reemphasizes our WTS mission and vision while also laying out the next step in the organization’s transformation “One WTS: Advancement Through Collaboration.” Thank you to the WTS members who took the time to provide their input for the strategic plan earlier this year. WTS-DC will be considering this strategic plan as we move forward into 2022.
Also, this summer, WTS-DC is thinking about our Recognition Awards. As I mentioned in my previous message, the WTS-DC Recognitions Awards acknowledge those who support our local WTS-DC chapter and heighten awareness of the WTS mission and goals. Our nomination period is open until July 31 at 5 p.m. The links below will take you to the short nomination forms:
- WTS-DC Member of the Year Award: https://tinyurl.com/2021MOTY
- WTS-DC Woman of the Year Award: https://tinyurl.com/2021WOTY
- WTS-DC Honorable Ray LaHood Award: https://tinyurl.com/2021RayLaHood
- WTS-DC Employer of the Year Award: https://tinyurl.com/2021EOTY
- WTS-DC Rosa Parks Diversity Leadership Award: https://tinyurl.com/2021RosaParks
- WTS-DC Innovative Transportation Solutions Award: https://tinyurl.com/2021ITS
This is your chance to nominate someone and have the opportunity to celebrate their contributions to the transportation industry!
It is also the time of year when we are preparing to kick off our corporate membership drive. We are always grateful to our corporate members for their support of our chapter and its activities! If you are interested in learning more about how your organization can support WTS-DC and the benefits of being a corporate member, please reach out to me.
We look forward to seeing you (virtually) soon! In the meantime, I hope you have a happy and healthy summer!
Best,
Neela Babu, Ph.D.
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.