So many great things happened at this year’s ITE Joint International and Florida Puerto Rico District Annual Meeting (held in beautiful Orlando, Florida). One of my personal highlights each year is the opportunity and pleasure of delivering the annual “State of ITE” speech during the Opening Plenary.
One of my themes this year was to celebrate the many accomplishments ITE members helped achieve. I started with talking about our membership, and the remarkable fact that despite a constantly changing environment where jobs are increasingly under pressure, ITE’s membership has remained strong—proof that even in a fragmented world, ITE is still a place people choose to belong!
Not only do we remain strong in numbers, but we remain strong in representing what today’s transportation industry truly looks like. ITE has always been a home for
transportation professionals. Now it’s becoming a hub for multidisciplinary innovation. And because of that strong and diverse representation, the work we’re producing is more insightful, timely, and impactful than ever before.
I was so proud to formally introduce the audience to the just-published 12th edition of the Trip Generation Manual. And in true transportation-nerd form, the crowd had a
huge round of applause! I hope you all get your copy of this important tool and continue to help our community by sharing your data with us. It’s a self-fulfilling success story!
During my presentation I also mentioned the all-important ITE Safety Roadmap and Action Plan, which we debuted at the beginning of this calendar year. Nearly half of the
new initiatives are already underway, just seven months into the 5-year plan. That is an impressive statistic. I am always honest in the fact that no single solution will get us to zero deaths—but this plan is a bold coordinated leap in the right direction.
The second key theme of my “State of ITE” speech was to celebrate the people that make ITE an amazing community. During the Opening Plenary we got to hear from
ITE’s newest trio of Honorary Members—the highest achievement possible within ITE membership and a representation of the great people that come out of our industry. This led me to talk about leadership within the organization and the many important people that have helped lead Districts, Sections, councils, and committees over the years. We wouldn’t be who we are today without the dedication of capable individuals willing to invest some of their time and energy toward a better ITE.
But not everyone has to aim for a leadership position—and in fact, engagement looks different for everyone. Whatever path you choose, you’ll find that involvement is where relationships are formed, and I encouraged everyone to click on that new button now at the top of our website that simply says, “Get Involved.” I also used this annual speech to thank our students and younger members, who have been absolutely crushing it with submissions to competitions, forming new teams for the Traffic Bowl, and submitting papers and posters for meetings and events. The future of our industry is bright!
Last year, I concluded my speech by saying people make the difference. You make the difference. And I did the same this year, because that simple statement really sums
up how I feel about ITE’s performance over the past year, and how I feel about ITE’s prospects looking forward. You make the difference.