I have no hesitation in stating that ITE has had a banner year! Our Districts and Sections have held more than 300 meetings and events over the past 12 months, our Councils and Committees have produced more than 50 webinars and two dozen technical publications, and leaders at all levels of the organization
have worked hard to ensure a successful handoff so that the organization is on solid footing as we flip the calendar into 2025.
We achieved our goal of maintaining excellence across so many key areas—professional development programs, networking opportunities, technical prowess, leadership development—it’s hard to believe that we could be successful across such a broad range of initiatives. We not only achieved that, but we ALSO found the energy to launch some new activities, and they were major ones at that! Our Brand Evolution initiative has made great strides in helping to refine how we talk about ourselves with more consistency—and our Safety Roadmap and Action Plan (to be released in January 2025) started from nothing more than a rough concept. In 12 short months, it has concluded with more than two dozen new activities that we’ll be proudly launching next year.
It has been an amazing year for ITE, and I trust that each and every member can point to at least one thing they also found valuable (the more the merrier!).
I would like to publicly thank John Davis, P.E., PTOE, RSP1 (F), for his unwavering support throughout the year as our International President. John made it a goal to visit every single District Annual Meeting, and managed to hit a few Student Leadership Summits in between! His advocacy for our projects and programs has been critical
in helping raise awareness among our more than 18,000 members this year—and his dedication to contributing at both the technical and policy levels on multiple occasions have indeed made our profession richer as a result. I personally have also benefitted from John’s experience and wisdom on many occasions this year, and will be forever grateful that my first complete year as Executive Director and CEO coincided with his Presidency.
I would also like to thank the staff at ITE Headquarters. These two dozen individuals are some of the hardest working and terrific people I’ve had the pleasure of working with. I count my blessings every day, and I can’t wait to continue it for years to come!
If you attended my State of ITE speech at the ITE Annual Meeting Opening Plenary Session, you heard me say that “People Matter. You Matter.” You matter to the profession, you matter to your family and friends, you matter to your employer—and you matter to ITE.
People are what make this organization great, and the countless volunteer hours that have been racked up by so many members keep ITE in great shape for the future. As a former volunteer member myself for so many years, I recognize that there are often many different reasons why you give your time—perhaps for personal enrichment, or professional opportunities, or for business development, or because you just feel like it. No matter the reason, I would like to end this year with a simple message: Thank you for your membership in ITE, and thank you in advance for what you’ll continue to do in 2025 to help advance and grow our community of transportation professionals!