WTS Philadelphia is proud to celebrate Pride Month by highlighting the achievements of two of our chapter members. Pride Month is a month dedicated to celebrating LGBTQ2IA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer/questioning, two-spirited, asexual/ally, and more) voices, culture, and achievements. Read more about Eileen and Chelsea’s story and contributions to our industry below.

Eileen DellaVolle, Vice President Business Development, KS Engineers, P.C.

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I am honored to be selected as a spotlight member for the June newsletter. The recognition highlights my journey as an openly lesbian individual. I strive to present my authentic self in all aspects of my life—professionally, politically, and personally. Embracing my true identity has been a crucial part of my journey.

Early in my career, I sometimes felt singled out and targeted, particularly during my tenure in state government, where I experienced direct hostility. For instance, I once found a derogatory note left on my desk phone. However, as I transitioned to the transportation sector, I was fortunate to work for an employer who proactively amended her personnel manual to ensure my family was covered by health insurance, even before it was mandated by New Jersey state law. I have been employed at KS Engineers for the past 20 years and my boss’s response to my coming out when I first started working there was and still is supportive, reflecting the diverse and welcoming culture of our team, which includes many LGBTQ2IA+ members.

Over time, I've become a resource for colleagues, both in government and private sectors, seeking guidance on supporting their LGBTQ2IA+ family members. I find it fulfilling to be able to offer advice and foster inclusivity.

WTS Philadelphia has always embraced me fully, allowing me to contribute my unique perspective. I've witnessed how my openness has encouraged others to be themselves within the transportation community, a fact that fills me with pride.

Beyond my identity, I am a wife, mother, sister, friend, and community leader. Authenticity is essential to fulfilling these roles. My wife, Paulette, and our daughter, Jessica, have been incredible supporters on this journey, for which I am deeply grateful.

I also actively participate in the NJ and NY ACEC policy committees; the diverse perspective I bring enriches policy discussions. In WTS Philadelphia, I have mentored many women, offering guidance and support to advance their careers. I have been a vocal advocate for policies that support women in transportation, fostering equitable opportunities. In addition, I have been involved in committees that organize events to bring together professionals from diverse backgrounds for knowledge sharing and networking.

Due to my dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion, I have received numerous accolades. My work with WTS and the LGBTQ2IA+ community is widely recognized. I have been listed among the top 100 most powerful/influential LGBTQ2IA+ people by Insider Magazine for several years and received the Odyssey International Award for leadership in advocating diversity. Additionally, I am a member of the 2024 DNC delegation.

Chelsea Beytas, Community Planner, Federal Transit Administration- Region III

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During my undergraduate studies, my parents advised me not to be open about my sexual orientation, in fears of related discrimination in the workplace. As someone aspiring to enter the workforce in the next couple of years, without a history of full-time employment, I felt it was safer to leave that part of my (recently accepted) identity only to my family and close friends. I was a high school student during the late 2000s recession. I kept that employment scarcity mindset throughout college. I grew up in a second-ring eastside suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. A pivotal event that started my (and I could imagine MANY millennials’) outward comfort of sharing this part of my identity was that Supreme Court ruling which (Federally) legalized same-sex marriages. I recognize the many courageous LGBTQ2IA+ individuals and allies in past decades that paved the way for the legal and cultural progress that led to that ruling.

I have been with the Federal Transit Administration for a little over 3.5 years. FTA Region III serves agencies providing public transportation in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, DC. We coordinate this process (that leads to the obligation of Federal funds that were apportioned to the agencies) through the Federal annual budget (formula funds), sub apportioned through the StateDOTs, or awarded through competitive grant applications (discretionary funds) with the transit agencies themselves, the StateDOTs, as well as the regional planning agencies (MPOs) that are responsible for carrying out the transportation planning process in urbanized areas.

I love the work I do at FTA.  I work directly with transit agencies, StateDOTs, MPOs, and agencies aspiring to carry out public transit improvements in West Virginia, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. I work collaboratively with them, my coworkers, and the respective FHWA-State Division Offices to ensure Federal Requirements are met on behalf of the law and ultimately, the public, so they can access any apportioned, allocated, or awarded funds. This includes the review of the short- and long-range transportation planning and public participation documents, work programs of the MPOs and State DOTs, and quadrennial planning audits in metropolitan planning areas over 200,000 in population. On the grant side, I assist our regional environmental protection specialists in the NEPA environmental process for the transit projects that require additional documentation to make an environmental determination, ensure the project is on the MPO and StateDOT approved projects for funds, as well as review some of the FTA grants our recipients draft.  

I feel a deep connection and fulfillment in improving America’s communities through public transportation. Public transit serves people from all walks of life, of all backgrounds. Public transit systems are microcosms where people share space with others that they would not have otherwise done so on their day-to-day paths.  It connects all to the places they want to go, the people they want to see and things they want to do- whether the transit system is one’s only means to travel cross-city, or one of several. Public transit hasn't always been this way.

FTA is celebrating its 60th year as an agency this summer. Private and public agencies have been operating public transit service long before the establishment of FTA. The All-Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP) program of the Infrastructure, Investment, and Jobs Act (IIJA) is working to eradicate inaccessibility on fixed guideway for inaccessible stations that were grandfathered prior to the passing of Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. I’m hopeful this will mean forward progress to rectify the areas of our rail and bus systems where those with disabilities have historically been left out, where Racial segregation within passenger facilities and transit vehicles has historically excluded those in low income and minority areas, and where translation services were previously not provided for individuals with limited English proficiency.  

Being gay is a part of my identity, but I am not defined solely by it. First and foremost, I am Jewish. As LGBTQ2IA+ acceptance has grown dramatically, so has antisemitism. As the LGBTQ2IA+ community struggles with its own forms of biases to overcome, I hope to be part of the work to welcome all members of society, to grow to open its doors to all, just like the buses or trains of our current public transit systems.