WTS Hampton Roads Chapter Newsletter - Spring 2024
Spring is here in Hampton Roads! The season of warm weather and April showers is bringing new and old connections, as our chapter celebrates its 13th Anniversary and looks ahead with the help of this year's scholarship and recognition winners. The events over the past few months have brought forth opportunities to network internally and externally as we continue to focus on diversity and inclusion in our chapter, region, and the transportation industry. These opportunities will continue to blossom through the summer months!
- WTS HRC Communication Committee
Letter from Leadership
The Hampton Roads Chapter has started the year off strong! We are in year two of the current board and committee chair term and we truly have a great team. We have grown tremendously over the last year, and I am proud of our day-to-day operations! Holding a position within a professional organization takes true dedication and I am so thankful for all of our chapter’s board and committee members.
I would also like to give a shout out to all of our members for continuing to support the chapter and attend the events. Lastly, our chapter sincerely appreciates our corporate sponsors! So far this year we have made a big push and received many renewals from our sponsors. These corporate sponsorships enable us to host such wonderful events.
So far, we have been very active this year! In January, we held an exciting and informative luncheon at the HRTPO office in Chesapeake. This event featured command leadership, Captain Jennifer Stockwell, from Coast Guard Sector Virginia. She introduced attendees to the fascinating world of maritime operations and the crucial role the USCG plays in keeping our waters navigable.
In February, we held our annual chapter kickoff meeting over lunch and opened the meeting to anyone interested in our chapter! Our board and committee members were present, and all got to introduce themselves. At this meeting, we were able to gameplan our route for the upcoming year, as well as give some new members a look into our chapter. Also in February, we hosted a joint social event with the local COMTO chapter at Thin Brew Line Brewing Company in Virginia Beach. This was a great event where attendees enjoyed some networking, beer, and tacos from Jessy’s Taqueria. We are thankful for our new relationship with COMTO!
In March, we held two events! VDOT hosted us for a joint luncheon with ASHE and speaker Bob Crum, Executive Director of HRPDC/HRTPO. Mr. Crum shared an overview of regional projects as well as an update on current trail projects. Attendees gained valuable information and were able to network with industry professionals. This event was heavily attended thanks to joining forces with ASHE! At the end of March, we hosted our Hampton Roads Chapter 13th Anniversary celebration at Voodoo Brewing Co. This fun-filled evening consisted of spending time with like-minded professionals and learning more about the benefits of becoming a member of WTS. This event was a great opportunity to exchange ideas and build lasting relationships.
Our most recent event was the Farewell Reception for Jennifer DeBruhl, Director of DRPT, and Annual Wine Raffle hosted at the gorgeous Norfolk Yacht and Country Club. Attendees enjoyed networking, cocktail hour, and engaging discussion with Ms. DeBruhl. We celebrated Ms. Debruhl’s accomplishments as well as raised funds for our scholarships by raffling off four baskets of wine. This is personally one of my favorite events!
Closing out the Spring, please join us for our next event on May 7th for our Annual Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Panel Luncheon Event. Leadership from Hampton Roads will be discussing DEI topics and answering DEI related questions at the HRTPO Office.
All of these elements mentioned above help us strive towards our mission of advancing women in transportation. We are looking forward to a great summer of events. Hope to see you there! Recently we have noticed that many company firewalls have been sending our E-Blasts to spam. To ensure you continue to receive our WTS communications, please work with your company IT team to white-list the WTS E-blasts.
-Carly Goldsborough, PE
WTS HRC President
Scholarship and Recognition Award Nominations
We are elated to present the Hampton Roads Chapter 2024 Scholarship and Recognitions Award Winners! Continue reading to learn about what makes this years recipients so special. We look forward to celebrating their success at the Annual WTS HRC Transportation Reception this fall!
Congratulations to the 2024 Scholarship Award Winners!
S Helene M. Overly Memorial Scholarship
Bridgette Davis
Bridgette studied at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA from 2018-2022 where she graduated with a bachelors degree in Civil Engineering and minors in Engineering Management and Environmental Engineering. Bridgette started her engineering career with ECS Mid-Atlantic in Chesapeake, VA in early 2022 and has worked her way up to the position of a Geotechnical Project Manager. Bridgette has worked on many interesting projects such as the Hampton Roads Express Lanes on I-64, Combat Support Facilities for the Navy, Interstate Improvements on I-264 and I-464, and projects for NASA on Wallops Island. As she advances in the field, she has decided to expand her geotechnical knowledge by pursuing a Master Degree. Bridgette is currently a graduate student at Missouri Science & Technology studying Geological Engineering.
Sharon D. Banks Memorial Scholarship
Paige Laning
Paige is a senior at Old Dominion University, graduating in December 2024. Her focus is in Transportation related Civil Engineering. Her plan is to return to the Baltimore area upon graduation. She is a member of the ODU Student Chapter of ASCE and she has been a member of the Philadelphia Chapter of WTS since she was in middle school as a part of their TrYOU program and is now a student member of the Philadelphia and Hampton Roads WTS chapters.
Congratulations to the 2024 Recognition Award Winners!
Member of the Year
Jamie Kiser
Jamie has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Cincinnati and has been with RK&K for eight years. Jamie’s background is in traffic with a focus on signal, signing and marking, lighting, and maintenance of traffic design. She oversees VDOT and locality projects across the Commonwealth of Virginia as well as providing traffic support to Florida projects. Jamie attended her first WTS Hampton Roads Chapter event in 2014 shortly after moving to Virginia. In 2017 she started assisting the Programs Committee, planning chapter events and is currently the Co-Programs Chair.
Employer of the Year
ERC
At ERC there is a culture of equality. ERC is proud to have a workforce that is 54% female and passionate about maintaining a diverse workforce and a diverse base of contractors and suppliers. In 2022 ERC received the "Champion of Business Diversity" award from the Virginia Asian Chamber of Commerce for their commitment to supporting small, local and diverse businesses. ERC has been a proud corporate sponsor of WTS since 2023 and two employees serve as members of our chapter, one of which serves as the recognition chair. In 2022 CEO Anna Bonet served as the keynote speaker for our annual reception event and in 2023 she was named Woman of the Year by WTS HRC.
Honorable Ray LaHood Award
Ryan Banas
As the Project Director for the HRBT Expansion Project, Ryan oversees the largest transportation infrastructure project in state history ($3.9 billion) and directly manages a diverse team of 110 employees. Ryan works closely with female leadership in key positions including Michelle Martin (WSP - Design Lead), Martha Gross (VDOT – HRBT Technical Director), and Paula Miller (HNTB– HRBT Communications Director) among the many other women and minorities who represent the Joint Venture (JV), Hampton Roads Connector Partners (HRCP) team. Ryan is a WTS member who ensures HNTB sponsors at the platinum-level, encourages HNTB employees to attend WTS events, and provides donations to the annual silent auction.
Rosa Parks Diversity Leadership Award
My Lan Tran
My Lan Tran has spent her entire career promoting diversity, inclusion and multi-cultural awareness with various organizations. My Lan holds or has held leadership roles in prominent associations such as the Virginia International Business Alliance, National Association for Business Economics, Sister Cities Commission, Human Rights Commission, Hispanic project Colaborando Juntos, Institute of Supply Management, the White House’s Asian American Pacific Initiatives, and national think tanks (The Democracy Collaborative, Next Street, ASEAN) where she promotes diversity, inclusion, and multi-cultural awareness. She plays a central role in championing Virginia’s global leadership role in the wind energy industry as President of the Virginians for Offshore Wind, in support of clean energy. In 2022, My Lan participated as a panelist for the WTS HRC DEI panel event. My Lan shared her insight and thoughts on creating a diverse and exclusion work environment. Since appearing on the panel My Lan has joined WTS HRC and become an active member and WTS HRC partner.
2024 Annual Conference
The 2024 WTS Annual Conference will be held in New Orleans, La. May 8-10th. Join us as we experience The Crescent City: Connecting Cultures, Connecting Communities. The City of New Orleans is the perfect location for the WTS community to explore unique transportation challenges, celebrate vibrant history and establish long lasting connections. We can't wait to see you at the New Orleans Marriott.
Event Highlights
USCG Luncheon
Our chapter started 2024 strong with an exciting and informative luncheon at HRTPO in Chesapeake. This event featured a presentation from Jennifer Stockwell who has held command leadership in the Coast Guard Sector Virginia since 2022. Our chapter was able to dive into the fascinating world of maritime operations and learn about the crucial role played by the Coast Guard in keeping our waters safe.
Annual Chapter Kickoff Meeting
We were excited to continue our chapter's tradition of welcoming all members to the first WTS Hampton Road Chapter Board meeting of the year. This allows members to get a behinds the scenes glimpse of how the leadership team establishes chapter and committee goals and plans this years upcoming events. If you were unable to attend this event and want to learn more about opportunities to get involved in WTS leadership roles, please email us at [email protected]. We'd love to have you!
Membership Social Joint Event with COMTO
In early February, our chapter joined the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials, Hampton Roads Chapter at the Thin Brew Line Brewing Company in Virginia Beach! The event featured a taco bar from Jessy's Taqueria and had a great turnout! COMTO and WTS align with their respective mission to provide employment and career opportunities for minorities in the transportation industry, so this networking event was a welcome opportunity to connect and share information, experiences, expertise, and conversation!
Joint ASHE Luncheon Event w/ Bob Crum
The joint luncheon was a great opportunity to get to know the amazing things in store for our region. It highlighted projects across that region that will impact us not only as member of the industry but also residents and community members. Robert Crum, the Executive Director of HRPDC brought attention to necessary project funding efforts and plans in order to get these projects underway and completed. Although there was certainly not enough time to dive into every project over lunch, he presented a great understanding of what's to come in the near future.
WTS HRC 13th Anniversary Networking & Membership Social @ Voodoo Brewing
Our chapter celebrated its 13th Anniversary with an event at the recently opened Voodoo Brewing Company in Virginia Beach. The membership social was a great opportunity for leadership, longtime members, and new members to connect and celebrate our chapter's growth and success over the years.
Farewell Reception for Jennifer DeBruhl and Wine Raffle for Scholarships
This event is held dear in many members hearts since each year it helps to raise donations for the Hampton Roads Chapter Scholarship Program fund, allowing our chapter to directly support the future generations of transportation leaders. This year's event was extra special since we also were able to honor Jennifer DeBruhl in advance of her retirement as the director of DRPT. Jennifer spoke of the challenges she faced and the successes she experienced throughout her career and shared some valuable advice to young professionals and emerging leaders in the industry.
Save the Date - Upcoming Events
- DEI Event @ HRTPO - May 7th
- WTSI Conference, New Orleans, LA - May 8-10
- Offshore Wind Luncheon - June/July
Want to nominate someone for our next Member Showcase? Have something to recommend for our next Newsletter? Contact our Communications Committee Chair at [email protected]