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August is winding down, and fall is just around the corner. It's time to start dreaming of cooler weather, sweatshirts, bonfires, and pumpkins!
It's also time at the WTS NC Triangle Chapter to begin the process for electing the 2016-2018 executive board! We invite you to join our team in promoting the professional development, education and career advancement of women in transportation, both locally and internationally. All 4 positions are open: President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The time commitment for each of these roles tends to be a few hours each week. In return, you gain prime opportunities to network and get more deeply involved in the transportation industry and community. Your company also will get value from your effort.
Newly elected officials can attend our annual chapter planning retreat this November, prior to their taking office in January 2016, in order to receive training and guidance from the previous position occupant.
Please follow this link if a position interests you, and let me or another board member know if you have specific questions on a position. Additionally, we have several committee chairs open, so please let us know if you are interested. Nominations are due by September 18th!
We look forward to building a great leadership team! And, a
s always, please check our website for our upcoming events, and we hope to see you at the next event!
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August 2015
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Patron Partners
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WTS International Partners
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This year, new
WTS members who fill out a membership form and pay the membership fee at a NC Triangle chapter event, such as a luncheon, breakfast or Transportation YOU event, will receive 15 percent off of their membership cost, as well as a WTS fleece. There are many benefits to being a member of WTS, so if you're thinking about joining, this is a great year to do it. Click here for more information on membership fees.
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The chapter will be electing a new executive board for 2016-2018. Nominations currently are being accepted for all four positions on the board: President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. If you want to nominate yourself or someone else for a position on the board or you need information on a position's duties, click the link below. Nominations are due by Sept. 18. Elections will be held from Sept. 25 to Oct. 9, and officers will be announced in the October newsletter. The year-end review will be held Nov. 19, and at that time, the new board will meet to go begin planning next year's events.
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The first Transportation YOU event for the 2015-16 school year will be held Sept. 18. It will feature a panel of young professionals in the transportation industry. They will discuss the path they took to get to where they are and offer advice for navigating high school, college, and starting a profession. Transportation YOU is WTS' mentoring program aimed at introducing middle-school girls to professions in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). Click the link below to register to attend or volunteer.
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Breakfast Series - Networking
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The September Breakfast Series will focus on how to network effectively and efficiently. Guest speaker Marcy Stahl, Mindset and Marketing Mentor. She will share information on a process on how to practice for a networking event and follow up afterwards. For more information or to register, click below.
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Fleming Chosen for Leadership Program
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Jenny Fleming, PE, Managing Partner of Ecological Engineering, LLP, and vice president of the NC Triangle Chapter, has been selected to participate in the inaugural class of WTS International's Executive Leadership Program. The program is designed specifically for senior-level women in transportation and only a small number of women were selected from the applications received.
It will be held over two sessions in October and December in Washington, D.C.
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The WTS Luncheon in August featured Katherine Eggleston, PE, and Dave Charters, PE, of Go Triangle, discussing the Durham-Orange County Light Rail project. They covered the project schedule, NEPA process and upcoming events. Click the links below to see photos of the event or to view Mr. Adams' presentation.
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WTS NC Triangle Chapter is starting a new program called Motivational Mondays. Each month, a motivational webinar will be made available to WTS members, featuring women leaders
from multi-million dollar companies, globally recognized think tanks, international movements, and independent lifestyle businesses. They will talk about how they achieved their success and how you can replicate their efforts. An e-mail will be sent to members each month with information about that month's webinar and a registration link, so keep watching this space.
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Governing magazine recently ran a feature on the need for more women in the engineering profession and focused on the partnership between NCDOT and WTS in North Carolina. NCDOT and the NC Triangle Chapter's Transportation YOU program hold a series of events each year called "Introduce a Girl to Engineering." High school girls around the state attend to learn about the engineering profession and meet women engineers. Read more by clicking the link below.
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The Federal Highway Administration is offering a free workshop, "Contemporary Tools and Approaches for Parking Pricing and Management," in Durham on Sept. 14. This workshop is designed primarily for parking program managers and transportation policy leaders from local governments to exchange ideas with national leaders and among themselves. It will feature national experts, who will join local leaders to share insights and lessons learned. For more information or to register, click the link below.
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For members looking for networking opportunities within the Chapter, consider joining the Professional Connections program. Each quarter, the members of the program are split into groups of four or five, and each group plans a lunch meeting. This is a good way to meet others in WTS. For more information, or to sign up, contact
Karen Reynolds
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Featured Business - Ecological Engineering
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Ecological Engineering, LLP, was formed in June 2008 with the mission to provide quality-based engineering and environmental services. Located in Cary, NC, Ecological Engineering specializes in clean water engineering, ecological consulting and environmental
 compliance services. The firm provides hydraulic, hydrologic and stormwater-based engineering, erosion and sediment control design, ecological analysis and assessment and environmental permitting.
Ecological Engineering is identified by NCDOT as a Woman Owned Business (WBE) and Small Professional Services Firm (SPSF). In addition, the firm is a certified Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) with the State of North Carolina through the Statewide Uniform Certification program. Most recently, it obtained certification as a Woman Owned Business (WBE) and Small Business in the state of South Carolina, including SCDOT.
The company is continuing to grow by adding key personnel which allows it to take on larger and more diverse projects throughout the Southeast and still maintain its Small Woman Owned Business status. Recent hires include: Heather Smith, LSS, Environmental Scientist with a focus on natural resources and wetland and stream mitigation; Mark Kamprath, PE, Senior Project Engineer with a focus on hydraulic engineering and erosion control; Courtney Carpenter, EI, Designer with a focus on drainage and hydraulic engineering; Laurie Prusik, Lead Administrator and Executive Assistant.
In addition, staff members have been recognized for their personal and professional accomplishments. Jenny Fleming, Managing Partner, was awarded the WTS Member of the Year award in 2014. She also has been selected to participate in WTS International's Executive Leadership Program. This program is the first of its kind and focuses on the development of senior level women in the transportation industry. Lane Sauls, Partner, has been selected to serve on the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission's Non-game Wildlife Advisory Committee for a 3-year term ending in 2018. Heather Smith successfully completed the requirements to become a Licensed Soil Scientist (LSS) this year. Heather is one of only 168 LSS's in the state of North Carolina.
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HNTB Corporation is an employee-owned infrastructure solutions firm with more than a century of service that serves public and private owners and construction contractors.
 Professionals nationwide deliver a full range of infrastructure-related services, including award-winning planning, design, program delivery and construction management. HNTB has been active in North Carolina since 1921, w
hen one of the firm's namesakes, Ruben Burgendoff, began his career with the North Carolina State Highway Commission. The North Carolina practice is organized as HNTB
North Carolina, P.C.
For more information, visit
www.hntb.com
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HNTB's partnership with WTS provides an invaluable opportunity to realize our full potential as an organization committed to developing the best talent and delivering the highest levels of innovation to our clients. Through the company's active membership, its employees are dedicated to the development of young professionals and encourage accomplished HNTB experts to give back to the transportation community.
Several recent additions to HNTB
North Carolina, P.C., have garnered years of local transportation experience.
The transportation planning and roadway design groups are growing. Jennifer Harris, PE; Kat Bukowy, AICP, and Adam J. Archual join Kiersten Bass to provide high quality planning services. The roadway design group, under David Bass, PE, has recently hired Craig Parker, PE, and Roy Tellier, EI. These individuals contribute to a broader understanding of the clients' needs, and provide fresh insights and innovative approaches.
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Newsletter Editors:
Leslie Tracey
, PE, City of Durham DOT;
Paddy Jordan
, Hatch Mott McDonald; Yuying Zhou, VHB; Kara Peach, VHB; Hanan Assfoura, Stewart
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