President's Message: June/July 2022
Dear WTS-DC Chapter Members and Friends,
After a whirlwind April and May, our chapter kicked off the summer months with our first fully in-person event featuring U.S. Department of Transportation Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg. The Deputy Secretary joined WTS-DC members and friends for a sit-down lunch at the Hotel Monaco in downtown DC to discuss 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. All attendees thoroughly enjoyed the conversation! Check out our event article for a detailed recap of the event.
In July, we hosted a conversation with Amtrak’s leadership in coordination with Women in Government Relations (WGR). The event, which was held in-person and virtually, offered the opportunity to hear directly from Stephen Gardner, Amtrak’s CEO, and Amtrak’s top female leaders on the exciting times ahead for Amtrak as the organization prepares to receive historic levels of funding under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).
In the coming months, we are looking forward to collaborations on events with our sister WTS chapters and other area professional transportation organizations:
- On August 10, WTS-DC will combine forces with Transportation Research Forum (TRF-DC) and Young Professionals in Transportation (YPT-DC) to host the 13th annual joint summer event featuring a discussion on supply chain turmoil, logistics congestion, and public policy. Given interest in revisiting the transportation deregulation trend over the past 40 years, the panelists will discuss the impacts of deregulation on supply chain challenges and additional reforms that will advance the public interest and social welfare, as well as some policies that they believe would be counterproductive. The event will be held in-person in downtown DC. Tickets are available through August 10th.
- On October 25, we will host a virtual session focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion with our sister WTS chapters in Central VA, Charlotte, Hampton Roads, NC Triangle, and South Carolina. Our speaker, Dr. Katrina Hutchins, will explore the research-backed reality that humans have a fundamental need to belong, are incredibly sensitive to their social context, and are strongly motivated to remain in good standing with their social group and avoid social exclusion. Tickets are available through October 24. We hope you join us for this great event.
Also, in August, we will wrap up the search for nominees for our chapter’s 2022 Recognition Awards. The WTS-DC Recognition Awards are a wonderful way to acknowledge those who support our local WTS-DC Chapter, heighten awareness of the WTS mission and goals, and celebrate the examples of excellence around us in the transportation industry. Our chapter annually recognizes individuals, entities, and projects in the following award categories:
- 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
As in past years, our 2022 awardees will be honored 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. We are accepting nominations through August 14.
We at WTS-DC are continuously striving to serve our community by providing opportunities for women to advance their careers within the transportation industry. If you have ideas about how else can do that that, please reach out to us!
We look forward to seeing you soon!
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.