WTS-I Chapter Leadership Training
In November 2020, WTS-I held their annual leadership training virtually due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the change from the norm, the training was still valuable and productive for many WTS members. From WTS-DC, Shelley Wynne, Sophie Guiny, and Amber Garnett attended. All three women reflect on what they learned from attending the training:
Shelley Wynne, Scholarship and Fundraising Committee Chair
I found the Chapter Leadership Training to be an insightful and inspirational event. WTS-I has created a roadmap to further develop the WTS mission to “attract, sustain, connect, and advance women’s careers to strengthen the transportation industry” and unify all of the organization’s chapters. The pillar of 'attract' seeks to foster the development of the future through programs and support for young women in the transportation industry. Sustaining the advancement of women in the transportation industry is important through professional development and training as well as mentorship for women as they navigate their careers. The element of connecting women to the skills and support they need to advance their careers and pursue opportunities is pivotal in creating a diverse industry. Lastly, through the pillars of attract, sustain and connect, WTS strives to build networks and connect members to form meaningful and lasting professional relationships to continue to advance women in the transportation industry.
Sophie Guiny, Program Logistics Committee Deputy Chair
The best part of the WTS Chapter Leadership Training was networking with fellow chapter board members. Program chairs had lots to talk about with the abrupt switch to virtual events in March. We discussed the challenges of finding the best time of day to schedule events—while in the past evenings were popular, the prospect of another hour in front of a computer screen has become less appealing. So many chapters successfully, like WTS-DC, switched to more lunchtime events. And with no traffic to contend with, we all noticed how much easier it was to book speakers! Signature events such as annual galas, golf tournaments, or holiday parties proved more challenging, but it was great to hear from fellow WTS members who had successfully planned interactive Zoom experiences, and even DJ-ed parties online. I left the training full of ideas about using breakrooms on Zoom and planning new events for 2021.
Amber Garnett, Communications Committee Deputy Chair
The Chapter Leadership Training was an incredibly informative and engaging experience. As co-chair of the Communications Committee, it was helpful to have WTS-I outline the organization’s communications goals: Foster trust with stakeholders, gather comprehensive feedback from all core audiences, and build buy-in to the One-WTS vision of unifying WTS-I, WTS Foundation, and WTS chapters. In addition to providing interesting insight to overall communications strategy, WTS-I also provided everyone with marketing best practices, my favorite of which was celebrating and acknowledging member achievements. Also, the networking offered for the communications committees in WTS was a great way to meet people from all over the country and hear how they solve problems similar to ours at their own chapters. Finally, my favorite part of the training was hearing from WTS Woman of the Year Nuria Fernandez, who left us all with an encouraging piece of advice, “We have to support, encourage, mentor, and push forward others so that they can grow and prosper and make an impact in our world.”