|
New Members
WTS Minnesota welcomes the following new and returning members:
Charles Carlson
Metro Transit
Heidi Hamilton
Stantec
Alison Harwood
WSB & Associates, Inc.
Hyon Kim
MN Best, Inc.
Stefanie Massignan
American Engineering Testing, Inc.
Andi Moffatt
WSB & Associates, Inc.
Chelsea Moore-Ritchie
The Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
Samantha Porter
MN Valley Transit Authority
Heidi Schallberg
Metropolitan Council
Mary Schmidt
MnDOT
|
|
Save the Dates for Upcoming Programs!
Paddle Share Program *SOLD OUT*
June 27th
Contact Kristina or Lisa if interested in the attending the presentation only.
Winter in July: Secrets of Snow Ops at MAC and More with Honorary Member Bridget Rief
July 19th
7:30 AM - 9:30 AM
Metropolitan Airports Commission
AICP CM credit available!
WTS MN and MSES Social
August 8th, 4:30 PM
LynLake Brewery rooftop
Habitat for Humanity Women Build Day
All Day September 22nd
West St. Paul
|
|
Job Postings
Help us spread the word about available positions by sending new posting information to Laura Eash.
|
|
Corporate Partners
Thank you to our 2017 corporate partners:
AECOM
HDR, Inc.
Kimley-Horn & Associates, Inc.
SEH, Inc.
SRF Consulting Group
Stantec
WSB & Associates, Inc.
Alliant Engineering
American Engineering Testing, Inc.
Bolton & Menk, Inc.
Braun Intertec
Collins Engineers Inc.
HNTB
HR Green
KLJ
TKDA
WSP
HTPO
Isthmus Engineering
Michael Baker International
Pierce Pini & Associates, Inc.
Precision Testing Inc.
Professional Engineering Services, Ltd.
Rani Engineering
Sambatek
Stonebrooke
Toole Design Group
The MN Transportation Alliance
Zan Associates
See your name here, and support the advancement of women in transportation! For more information about becoming a corporate partner, visit our
website.
|
Has your email address changed?
Please email
with your new address and don't forget to update your email address with WTS International as well.
|
 |
2017 WTS Minnesota
Board of Directors
President
Vice President
Secretary
Past President
Scholarships & Recognitions Director
Programs Co-Director
Lisa Elliott
Programs Co-Director
Co-Chair
Special Events Co-Chair
Special Events Co-Chair
Mentoring Co-Chair
Mentoring Co-Chair
Diversity and Equity Chair
Hospitality Chair
Membership Chair
Central Region Council Member
|
|
2017 WTS Minnesota
Advisory Board
Donna Allan
WTS Past President
Laura Amundson
Parsons Brinckerhoff
Kristin Asher
City of Richfield
Gina Baas
Center for Transportation Studies
Debra Brisk
Biz Colburn
WTS Past President
Sandy Cullen
University of Minnesota
Margaret Donahoe
Minnesota Transportation Alliance
Ann Johnson
University of MN
Wanda Kirkpatrick
Metropolitan Council
Connie Kozlak
Metropolitan Council
Jessica Laabs
Kimley-Horn & Associates
Scott McBride
MnDOT
Dan Meyers
AECOM
Amber Nord
Isthmus Engineering
Lisa Raduenz
University of MN Parking and Transportation Services
Katie Roth
Metro Transit
Dawn Spanhake
Center for Transportation Studies
Kristin Thompson
Metro Transit
Amy Vennewitz
Metropolitan Council
Charleen Zimmer
Zan Associates
|
|
|
President's Column
Happy Minnesota summer!
WTS Minnesota has been busy these past two months.
I, along with 10 other WTS Minnesota members, had the pleasure to attend the WTS annual conference, held in New York City, May 17-19th. My conference experience started with the opportunity to participate in the WTS President breakfast with other chapter leaders from around the nation to hear an update from the WTS International Chair
Diane Woodend Jones about the updated strategic plan and upcoming leadership training. In addition to the great breakout sessions, I attended two fabulous technical tours. First,
Kristin Petersen and I attended the City Hall Tour, where we toured the City Hall subway stop, which was open to the public in 1904 and closed in 1945, due to the short platform length, geometric design not being able to accommodate pedestrians safely, and its close proximity to the next stop. The tour ended in the New York City Transit Museum. The second technical tour I attended was the Lower Manhattan sustainability tour that showcased the City's improvements to the underground transportation system to reduce future impacts from superstorms and hurricanes. We also got a behind the scenes tour of the newly constructed $2 billion Fulton Station. Check out the recap of the conference to learn more. If you are interested in attending next year's conference in San Diego watch for WTS Minnesota's grant application later in the year.
Artwork displayed in the Fulton Station that was salvaged from 9/11
I am excited to announce that our Transportation YOU program co-chairs, Anna Potter and Morgan Hoxsie, have been busy working on reshaping and expanding our local Minnesota program. WTS Minnesota is looking to team up with another school in the metro starting next fall, in addition to renewing our partnership with Blaine High School. Both of these initiatives will connect WTS MN to more high school girls and inspire them to enter into transportation careers. See the TYOU update for more details and hopefully inspire you to get involved in this great program.
Our 35th Anniversary membership drive is underway and we've had a large number of new members take advantage of this great promotion. If you or anyone else you know is interested in joining check out our drive below!
We have a great summer program lined up. I hope to get the chance to see you at (at least) one of them!!
Morgan Abbott
President, WTS Minnesota
|
Corporate Partner Spotlight: Short Elliott Hendrickson (SEH)
WTS Minnesota would like to thank SEH for being a 2017 Advocate-Level Partner. Giving at WTS MN's highest partnership level, SEH has contributed to the success of WTS programs, scholarships, and educational opportunities in 2017. Please take a minute to learn more about SEH in Minnesota and why they support WTS MN.
Minnesota Office Locations
:
St. Paul, Minnetonka, Rochester, St. Cloud, Gaylord, Hutchinson, Duluth, Brainerd, Grand Rapids, Virginia
Transportation Services Offered
: M
ulti-modal transportation systems, highway design, streets and roadways, bridges, railroad, airport planning and design, transit structures/parking, roundabout design, traffic engineering, corridor planning, and bicycle/pedestrian paths and trails
Why SEH Supports WTS MN:
Improving transportation infrastructure is a long-time focus and priority for SEH, and our work can be found across the landscape the Midwest, Colorado and Wyoming. To be a leader in the transportation industry SEH has placed a focus on creating advancement opportunities for our people, investing in professional development and cultivating thought leaders who are sought out experts in their field. In a survey of clients, they say people represent the greatest strength of SEH. This is why creating an engaged culture, a culture of inclusiveness and a diverse culture are top SEH priorities. We value organizations like WTS as we strive to achieve similar goals and hold like values. Goals to continuously improve our world's transportation infrastructure while bringing people together to network, learn, grow and develop as leaders. Both SEH and WTS value and believe in the importance of a diverse culture and a culture of inclusion. It is here where we are able to manifest, cultivate and develop new ideas -- all aimed at improving our world.
|
|
|
TYOU Update
In May, we closed out another great school year with a field trip to American Engineering Testing and Metro Transit's Green Line Operations & Maintenance Facility in Lowertown, Saint Paul. At this field trip, the students got their hands dirty learning about research, testing, and maintenance in the transportation industry. Thank you to the speakers that made the day possible!
* Melanie Fiegen organized numerous speakers at AET and lead a soil classification activity with the students.
* Kristin Thompson spoke about her career path and how she came to be at Metro Transit
* Gary Courtney and Charles Bragg lead the students on an exclusive LRT maintenance tour
A huge thanks goes to Andrea Arnoldi, Anna Cunningham, Andrea Dvorak, Morgan Hoxsie, Anna Potter, Lisa Rasmussen and Lindsey Renstrom for their participation as mentors this school year.
We are excited to expand our Transportation YOU program to reach more students and provide more opportunities for WTS members to be involved in mentoring the next generation of transportation professionals. We have been working with metro area schools to determine the best expansion option for our program. We need YOUR help to make the expansion a reality! If you want to be a part of this fun and educational program, let
Morgan Hoxsie
know ASAP! Stay tuned for additional information through the summer.
|
WTS MN Award Nominations Now Open!
Did the WTS Scholarships and Recognitions Luncheon this year leave you inspired? Know someone whom you'd like to honor at next year's event? Now is your chance! The nomination period for WTS awards is now open. Consider nominating your coworker, project, or employer for a WTS award! The nomination process is easy and it's a great way to recognize the achievements of a respected colleague.
*
Member of the Year. This award acknowledges a WTS member who has made extraordinary contributions to the success of the organization.
*
Woman of the Year. This category is designed to reach out beyond our membership to honor a woman who is an outstanding role model in transportation.
*
Employer of the Year. This award is designed to honor an organization (company, non-profit, association, or government agency) for recruiting, retaining, and advancing women.
*
Rosa Parks Diversity Leadership Award. The WTS Diversity Award recognizes either an organization(s) or individual(s).
*
Innovative Transportation Solutions Award. This award salutes an innovative transportation project led by a woman.
*
Honorable Ray LaHood Award. This award honors a man who has contributed to the advancement of women and minorities in the transportation community.
|
|
Join our Diversity and Equity Committee
WTS Minnesota is forming a Diversity & Equity Committee this year chaired by Jasna Hadzic-Stanek. The committee will be charged with setting the vision, goals and responsibilities on how to promote diversity and equity within the chapter. The time commitment of the committee will entail conference or in-person bi-monthly meetings for the next year, with the in-person kick off meeting planned for Summer 2017. If interested in participating, please contact Jasna.
|
Recap: WTSI Annual Conference in New York City, May 17-19
WTS members
Morgan Abbott (SEH), Juana Sandoval (HNTB), Katie Caskey (MnDOT), Katie Roth (Metro Transit), Kristin Petersen (SEH), Kristina Nesse (U of MN - CTS), Michelle Julius (AECOM), Morgan Hoxsie (Kimley-Horn), Tara McBride (MnDOT), Fay Simer (City of St Paul), and
Philip Schaffner (MnDOT) attended the recent annual conference in New York City. A variety of plenaries, sessions, and technical tours covered an array of topics including autonomous technologies, shared mobility solutions, transportation funding, and innovative data collections methods to name a few. Combine these fantastic learning opportunities with evening receptions, networking events, and sightseeing and participants ended up with an exciting three-day getaway. Highlights included:
*
Katie Caskey presented on a panel for the breakout session Planning Smarter: Tomorrow's Transportation Technology Session, where she shared her experience with public outreach during her work on MnDOT's Statewide Multimodal Transportation Plan.
|
|
Help Shape WTS MN Mentoring Pilot
Mentoring Co-Chairs Stephanie Smith and Hally Turner will be meeting from 4 to 6 pm on July 6 to discuss the mentoring pilot project. Interested in joining in the conversation? Email Hally for details.
|
WTS MN at the APTA Workshop
Are you attending the APTA workshop in Minneapolis this August? After the workshop on Tuesday, August 8th, join WTS MN members and friends for dinner at a nearby restaurant. Stop by the conference host table at the event to sign up.
|
|
Congratulations to
Kristina Nesse, formerly with Metro Transit, on her new Manager of Coordinated Research position at the Center for Transportation Studies!
2016 WTS MN Honorary Member Professor
Yingling Fan was quoted in a recent
City Pages article.
**********************************************************
Have member news to share? Send in snippets about job changes, life milestones, and other accomplishments to Laura Eash so we can keep track of and recognize our colleagues!
|
|
| |
|
