2026 Spring Recap

In May, eight Central Virginia Chapter members traveled to Los Angeles, California for the WTS International (WTSI) Annual Conference. A heartfelt thanks to those that supported our 2026 Bridgette Beato Leadership Legacy Scholarship winner, Yas Mashayekhy, and the fees associated with her attendance at the WTSI Annual Conference. The Central Virginia Chapter retained its Circle of Excellence Gold status for another year, and we could not have done it without the support of our members and all our volunteers! As we roll into summer, we understand that schedules can get busy, so we hope you mark your calendars for our exciting upcoming events.

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Spring Events Recap:

February - Transportation Trivia Night:

With another successful Transportation Night in the books, we’d like to give one last thank you to all those who participated in the fun! Thank you to our sponsor, Terracon, for making this event possible, and congratulations to the Michael Baker International team on the 1st place win.

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March - 20th Anniversary Celebration:

As many of you know, our chapter turns 20 years old this year! We are celebrating all of 2026 but hosted our formal event at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture on March 24th, 2026. Thank you to our sponsors, Wallace Montgomery, Michael Baker International, Jacobs, and HNTB for your support! And a special thank you to our esteemed speakers, Shannon Valentine, Former Virginia Secretary of Transportation, Marcie Parker, VDOT Special Projects Engineer, Joi Dean, CEO of RMTA, and our keynote speaker, Jennifer Mitchell, Executive Vice President of Strategy & Planning at Amtrak.

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April - Henrico Transportation Development Division Panel:

Our Henrico Department of Public Works panel was a SOLD-OUT event. Guests who attended heard from Director, Sharon Smidler and Assistant Director, Sarah Briggs on developments throughout Henrico County. Panelists discussed the Fall Line Trail, the Pulse West Expansion, the upcoming 2027 On-Call Contract Request for Proposals, and transportation impacts to the Greater Richmond area.

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April - WTS Central VA & ACEC VA Joint Women in Engineering Forum:

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We partnered with ACEC Virginia on a Joint Virtual Women in Engineering Forum featuring presentations from Shannon Turner, PE, and Iris Leoncio, PE, SE, FBRSE, Structural Engineers with Moffat & Nichol, and Annette Adams, PE, VDOT Fredericksburg District Engineer.  The conversation was focused on the inspection, design, and project management aspects of bridge engineering, and lessons learned over a career in the industry. Thank you to ACEC, our speakers, and attendees!

 

May - 10th Annual State of Transportation Panel:

In addition to celebrating our 20th anniversary as a Chapter, we also celebrated the 7th anniversary of our signature event – the Annual State of Transportation Panel. Opening remarks were provided by Secretary of Transportation, Nick Donahue, where he reflected on how far the Commonwealth has transformed over the past 20 years with its dedication to transportation. The panel consisted of Laura Schewel, Deputy Secretary of Transportation, Mariia Zimmer, Director of DRPT, and Angel Deem, VDOT Chief of Policy. The panel was moderated by Director at Large, Lorna Parkins, as the panelists discussed career paths, administration priorities, opportunities that excite and concern AI technology, and what changes to anticipate within the transportation industry.

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Member Spotlight:

Congratulations to our own Central VA Chapter Director at Large, Brennan Collier who will be serving as a Director at Large for the 2026-2028 WTS International Board of Directors. Brennan is a Senior Vice President of Strategic Sales for ATCS, a founding member of the WTS Central Virginia Chapter, and a 2016 WTS International Executive Leader Program graduate. In Brennan’s new role with WTSI, she will work closely with the Chair and President/CEO of WTSI to support the execution of the organization’s vision and mission.

 

 

 

Upcoming Events:

Joint Social (ASCE, ASHE, VASITE, APWA & SWE)

Wednesday, June 9, 2026, 5:30-7:30 PM
Bingo Beer Co. (2900 W. Broad St., Richmond, VA 23230)

Join members of WTS, ASCE, ASHE, VASITE, APWA & SWE for our annual summer networking event. This event is free to attend for members of any of the forementioned associations. For those that have interns, we highly recommend bringing them along to meet a variety of transportation professionals from various professional organizations. Appetizers will be provided and a cash bar will be available.

Virginia MUTCD & WAPM Workshop

Thursday, July 23, 2026, 11 AM – 1PM
VDOT Central Office – Lockwood Building

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) published the adopted Virginia Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (Virginia MUTCD) and Virginia Work Area Protection Manual (VWAPM) in January 2026. Since January 18, 2026, all maintenance activities, projects advertised, and permits issued must comply with the new Virginia MUTCD and VWAPM. Virginia practitioners were directed to transition to the new guidance, which replaced the previous 2011 Virginia Supplement and Virginia Work Zone Safety Manuals. VDOT Traffic Operations Division staff conducted an extensive review on an accelerated timeline to provide updated standards, guidance, options and support for the design, application, and placement of traffic control devices along VDOT owned and/or maintained facilities. This technical presentation will provide an overview of updates to the Virginia MUTCD and VWAPM, led by VDOT Central Office Traffic Operations Division presenters Rashmi Patel, PE, PTOE – Deputy Program Manager – Traffic Control Devices/Intelligent Transportation Systems and Marc Lipschulz, PE, PTOE – Work Zone Safety Program Manager. Attendees of this workshop will receive 1.5 PDH credits. No on-site registration will be available. All participants must register in advance. A certificate of completion will be provided following the completion of the workshop.

 

Thank you to our Sponsors

Each year, our Platinum and Benefactor sponsors go above and beyond to support not only our chapter, but also our local community and women across the transportation industry. We invite to learn more about our sponsors by clicking here.

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Looking to Get More Involved?

Join a Committee

Make the most of your membership by joining one of our committees. Committees include communications, sponsorship, membership, programs, scholarship, and Transportation YOU. If you're interested in taking a more active role within the chapter, please contact our 2026 Chapter President, Alexa Overeem, at [email protected].

 

Transportation YOU Volunteers Needed

The Central VA Chapter has partnered with NextUp RVA and City of Richmond Public Schools to offer our Transportation YOU weekly after-school sessions in 2025-2026. In 2024, we worked with both Lucille M. Brown and Thomas Henderson Middle Schools to bring STEM to 15 young women. We plan to partner again this upcoming 2026-2027 school year. If selected, we will be volunteering again starting in September 2026 for the fall session. Transportation YOU have also participated in CEI Day 2026. All year long, Transportation YOU will be focusing on our webinars, attending career fairs, and in-school presentations.  Current members, in good standing, interested in volunteering their time should complete the volunteer form found here. Unable to volunteer your time, but still want to help out? Contact Zarriea Latimore at [email protected] if your company is interested in sponsoring one of our weekly sessions.