As we race toward the conclusion of 2023, I can’t help but look back at the past 12 months with a sense of awe. ITE members helped stage a number of fantastic meetings, cranked out a record number of publications, our membership is at its highest level ever, young professional and student engagements are on fire, we’ve had almost 40 highly attended webinars, our transportation planners are getting involved—the list goes on and on. It’s been an amazing year!
Just 1 month into my new role as Executive Director, I have already been asked several times what excites me about the new role. And my answer has been easy—interacting with members! We have a great diversity of practitioners at all levels among our membership—and it has also been so much fun engaging with students and younger members.
Traffic engineers, transportation planners, policy experts, data scientists, educators, traffic operations professionals—this is what our ITE community looks like today. It is so rich with down-to-earth people that want to do a good job for the betterment of society, and I truly enjoy meeting and interacting. The lack of egos and individual agendas among our ranks of members is refreshing—and motivates me to find new and better ways that we can help them succeed both individually and collectively.
On a recent trip to a college campus, I got to sit down with a group of students and talk about their experiences with ITE—and, more importantly, discuss the mountain of decisions ahead of them in choosing the next steps of their education or careers. It’s been 40 years since I had to face that scenario, and the environment now is so very different than it was for me back then. But I was impressed with their individual yet similar approaches to gathering knowledge and not letting anxiety cloud their decision-making. The fact that ITE can contribute to that knowledge gathering AND provide avenues for networking and mentoring makes me super proud to be in the position that I’m now in.
Speaking of education, I’d like to also formally welcome the newest member of the ITE team and my replacement as Deputy Executive Director/Chief Technical Officer—Matthew Hardy, Ph.D. (M). Matt has a great history of working with many of you in the transportation industry and brings passion for excellence to the table. He is also an educator at his core, and will do a fantastic job in helping advance the technical programs across our Councils, Committees, Districts, Sections, and Chapters.
Looking ahead, I’m more than a little stoked about what 2024 will have to offer. Year one of our new Strategic Plan lays out a thoughtful yet bold set of initiatives that will help us be more vocal about safety, broaden our international engagement of ITE members, and continue to offer unique opportunities for professionals to grow their skills. In the next 12 months our Districts and Sections are offering so many great prospects for ITE members to get involved, share knowledge, or simply network with other stakeholders in our community. Our LeadershipITE program—now beginning its 11th class—continues to blossom. And with our dual emphasis on both the fundamental engineering aspects while broadening engagement with planners, data scientists, and other professionals, it’s easy to see how the industry will benefit from our community-based focus.
Be safe this holidays—enjoy time with family and friends—and join me in 2024 as we reach new levels of excitement!