By Jamie Rosen and Anne Patrone

Once again, WTS-DC was fortunate to have many deserving individuals, employers, and projects nominated for Recognition Awards in 2023. This year, the chapter was also honored to present a special President’s Award.

Each year, the WTS-DC Chapter honors achievements in the transportation industry with several highly regarded awards. These awards recognize individuals and organizations who have worked to further the WTS mission, impact transportation in our nation's capital, and support the development, growth, and advancement of women in transportation. A panel of WTS-DC Board Members selects the recipients from amongst the extraordinary nominees submitted by WTS-DC members and the community at large. The winners this year were drawn from an inspiring group of individuals and organizations leading transportation in our region. The selection panel and the WTS-DC Executive Board also elected to present Anja Graves with a special President’s Award.

Cathy McGee, P.E., Chief Deputy Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), presented the awards at the 2023 WTS-DC Holiday Party on December 5th.

The President’s Award is presented at the discretion of the WTS-DC President. This year, it was presented to Anja Graves, Co-Founder and Principal at Cardinal Infrastructure, in recognition of her outsized contributions as a leader, role model, champion for women and minorities in the transportation industry, and as a member of WTS-DC. She was a lifelong advocate for better transportation, and dedicated herself to serving the legislative and regulatory needs of clients as well as working with public and private sector clients on a variety of transportation, infrastructure, and community economic development issues. Sherry Little, Co-Founder & Principal at Cardinal Infrastructure, accepted the President’s Award on Anja’s behalf.

The WTS-DC Woman of the Year award honors a woman who is an outstanding role model and has contributed to the advancement of women and minorities in transportation. The Chapter was honored to present this year’s award to Renée N. Hamilton, the Chief Executive Officer of Toll Road Investors Partnership (TRIP II), which operates the Dulles Greenway. Renee is a strong advocate of WTS, encouraging others to become involved and serving as a mentor in the Mentoring program. Renee is passionate about being a resource for the next generation and advocating for women who then can achieve their full potential in transportation.

The Honorable Ray LaHood Award honors a leader and role model in the transportation industry who has advanced the reputation and credibility of women in transportation. The WTS-DC chapter was pleased to present this award to Amit Bose, Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). Administrator Bose has played a critical role in advancing landmark projects while also creating opportunities for the advancement of women and minorities in the transportation industry.

The Employer of the Year Award recognizes an organization that has excelled at recruiting, retaining, and advancing women. This year, WTS-DC recognized woman-founded and woman-led Foursquare Integrated Transportation Planning for its contribution, as an employer, to the professional development and advancement of women in the industry. The award was accepted by founder Lora Byala, and several members of her senior leadership team also joined her at the Holiday Party.

The Rosa Parks Diversity Leadership Award honors an individual who has made significant contributions in promoting diversity and cultural awareness within their organization, the transportation industry, or in a project or activity that supports the goals and mission of WTS. Jeff Parker, Vice President of Traffic Engineering at WSP, received this year’s award for the various ways he supports and advances women and minority professionals in his field and promotes diversity and multicultural awareness.

The Innovative Transportation Solution Award is presented to an innovative transportation project led by women.  The 2023 WTS-DC Recognition Award was presented to the I-95 Variable Speed Limit project, a collaboration between Kimley-Horn and Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to proactively steady traffic flow and decrease severe crashes along a segment of I-95. The award was accepted by Rachel Hensler of Kimley-Horn and Simona Babiceanu of VDOT.

The Member of the Year Award recognizes a WTS-DC member who has made extraordinary contributions to the success of the organization. The 2023 WTS-DC Recognition Award went to Shelley Wynne. Shelley has been a committed member of WTS throughout her career, first with the WTS Hampton Roads Chapter and with WTS-DC since 2019. She has held a variety of roles, most recently serving as co-chair of the Program Logistics Committee where her efforts have optimized members’ experiences at events.

The six winners of the annual WTS-DC Recognition Awards will also be nominated for the WTS International awards, and we wish them all the best! The WTS-DC Recognitions Committee looks forward to a busy 2024 and the opportunity to recognize a new slate of exceptional transportation professionals in the DC region.