It’s here, and I can’t believe it. Nearly 30 years ago at an International ITE conference, I attended an event for potential International President candidates. I look back now and envy the audacity I had as a 20-something: that I could have thought that this was an event for someone like me!
I wasn’t wrong, of course, and now I’ve had decades to think of what I could accomplish in my position as International President. What could I say in my position of influence that could make our profession, our world a little bit better place?
The answer to that question turned out to be easy. At every opportunity, I will make a plea to our members to tell others, especially kids, what a great career choice we have made in being part of the transportation community. Tell them how you can go to any party, tell someone what you do, and you'll instantly have a topic of conversation (typically it will start with something like, "So there's this intersection I go through every day...")! That you can plan/design/build things that you get to use and enjoy! That, because of you, a safety measure was implemented that make save someone's life one day.
This need to broadcast what we do stems (pun fully intended) from my memories of childhood. I loved train sets, Hot Wheels cars, my tiny town play mat, and my Little People school bus. How did I not know that I should do this for a living some day?
The reason is that the list of careers I was provided didn’t include transportation professional. While “engineer” was on that list, I was never quite sure what it was, except that my dad was an electrical engineer, and whatever he was doing with his circuit boards and oscilloscopes was of no interest to me. My goal is to get “transportation professional” up on the list that includes doctor, lawyer, veterinarian, and architect (and for some reason I have a memory that “ballerina” was also on that list of official career choices).
In addition to my personal crusade, I will have the opportunity to lead some exciting initiatives from our 2024-2026 Strategic Plan, including a Brand Evolution and the unveiling of the ITE Safety Roadmap and Action Plan. Yeah, let’s talk about that Brand Evolution. I will admit that I was initially one of the doubters that anything needed to be changed with ITE’s brand. But I was easily persuaded after seeing all the different ways our Districts, Sections, and Chapters are represented. I now realize that the Brand Evolution is just one of the final steps in achieving the shared vision that is ONE ITE.
For the ITE Safety Roadmap and Action Plan, ITE staff has done a tremendous job in taking a wide range or efforts under the umbrella of safety and organizing them into a cohesive plan. I’m excited for both of these initiatives to be rolled out to the membership this year.
The year 2025 is here. We are, as someone noted to me recently, now a quarter of the way through the century! I’m guessing most of you readers shared that love of all “things-that-go” as kids. My hope for this year is that we can all have that same joy and enthusiasm for transportation now that we had back then.