WTS-DC Celebrates New WTS Brand
By Neela Babu, WTS-DC
On May 29, WTS International hosted a virtual “splash party” for the northeast region to celebrate the new WTS brand identity and to build excitement. WTS International Executive Director Sara Stickler emceed the event with chapter presidents invited to give brief remarks about their chapter’s uniqueness and about a memorable chapter event. I had the honor of speaking on behalf of WTS-DC.
One of the things that makes our chapter unique is that WTS-DC was the very first chapter of WTS. In 1977, 40 women in Washington, D.C.—all engaged in transportation—recognized the need for a means to enhance professional and personal advancement in their field, and to develop greater industry and government recognition of the increasing involvement of women in the field of transportation. Thus, the Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) was born. Today, that original initiative has grown into an international organization of over 8,500 women and men. WTS International and its chapters across the nation and world are dedicated to the professional advancement of women in transportation—offering professional activities, networking opportunities, and access to industry and government leaders.
In 2017, WTS-DC had the opportunity to celebrate the 40th anniversary of our chapter and of WTS as an organization. Our 40th anniversary celebration was held on December 5, 2017 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. We invited all the WTS-DC past presidents to attend, and we had about 10 of them join us for the party. Christine (Chris) Vineis was the first president of WTS, and she was one of our emcees for the event. It was a wonderful occasion for celebrating and honoring the women who came before us and built WTS from scratch.
As we look forward, WTS is staying true to the mission of advancing women and advancing transportation. The new brand may give us a new look, but our identity is the same. The splash party was a wonderful way to engage with women across the northeast WTS network and share stories about the impact that WTS has had on so many lives.
We at WTS-DC are celebrating this new brand and will continue to serve our community to the best of our ability. We hope you will join us at our events or on our board and be part of our future!