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New Members
WTS Minnesota welcomes the following new and returning members:
Deborah Carter McCoy
Erin Daly
Humphrey School of Public Affairs
Wendy Duren
Destination & Sales Marketing Group
Allison Futhey
Scott County
Keelee Roggenbuck
Kimley-Horn
Emma Siegworth
SEH
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Save the Dates for Upcoming Programs!
WTS MN Fall Social - Celebration and Libations
October 30th, 5-7 PM
Bar Urbana at the Hyatt Regency Bloomington
November Run Club
November 6th
6:00-8:00 PM
Nicollet Mall Technical and Walking Tour
November 15th
4:30-6:00 PM
Begins at Minneapolis Central Library
Invite via email coming 10/30
WTS MN Holiday Party
December 7th in the evening
Weisman Art Museum
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Job Postings
Help us spread the word about available positions by sending new posting information to Laura Eash.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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President's Column
Hello WTS Minnesota community!
Fall has flown by! We had a successful Habitat for Humanity Build in September. The house that was worked on in St Paul, is already matched to a family.
Winter is fast approaching and with that comes a very busy time for the board. In the next few weeks we will be having our
2018 board elections. If you or know of anyone interested in becoming a WTS MN leader, please reach out to
Chelsey Hendrickson for time commitment, position summary and to get on the ballot. The deadline to put your name in the ballot is Friday, November 3rd. The board transitions January 1st.
Winter also brings the annual
WTS MN Holiday Party. Thursday, December 7th we're celebrating 35 years as a chapter in Minnesota at the Weisman Art Museum at the University of Minnesota. See below for information on how to donate to the
silent auction, which funds our annual scholarship program directly with its proceeds.
There is currently a
member drive going on, where we have a goal of getting 35 new members by the end of the year. WTS MN is offering a $35 rebate, which can be applied to the new member's holiday party ticket, among other options. We are already underway of reaching our goal, but we still need a few more. If you know of anyone who would love to join WTS MN please reach out to
Hannah Pritchard!
I hope to see at an event yet this year!
Best Regards,
Morgan Abbott
President, WTS Minnesota
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Corporate Partner Spotlight: WSB
WTS Minnesota would like to thank WSB for being a 2017 Advocate-Level Partner. Giving at WTS MN's highest partnership level, WSB has contributed to the success of WTS programs, scholarships, and educational opportunities in 2017. Please take a minute to learn more about WSB in Minnesota and why they support WTS MN.
Minnesota Office Locations: Minneapolis, St. Paul, Burnsville, St. Cloud, Rochester Downtown, Rochester and Baxter
Transportation Services Offered: Planning, environmental, highway, bridges, traffic and ITS, design-build, municipal, landscape architecture, public involvement, and construction services.
Why WSB Supports WTS MN: WSB is committed to attracting, retaining and supporting a diverse workforce. Diversity and inclusion creates a culture of forward thinkers from different backgrounds and perspectives, ultimately delivering the greatest results. WSB is a longtime supporter of WTS Minnesota and we strongly believe that WSB and WTS's passions and missions are closely aligned. "Caring about diversity is caring about the future of innovation. WSB remains committed to hiring the best and the brightest, and we don't stay at the forefront of our industry without employing people from diverse backgrounds," says Bret Weiss, President and CEO of WSB. WSB consistently strives to have an active voice and supports the advancement of women in an otherwise male-dominated industry. We aim to enhance the transportation industry through our commitment to excellence and quality in our services by providing ongoing education to our employees and others. WSB is proud to support WTS and will continue to remain a purpose-driven company that recognizes it is our people who matter the most.
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Recap: Women Build Day
WTS Members and friends joined forces with Habitat for Humanity on Friday, September 22nd for a Women Build Day in North St. Paul. Despite the 90+ degree temps, the group of women successfully built stairs, installed exterior insulation, and assembled an exterior wall. A Twin Cities family of four was recently matched to the home and will be moving from their 1-bedroom apartment into the home in the near future.
Attendees dedicated 8+ hours of their time on the 22nd and the WTS MN is extremely appreciative of your time and efforts. Special thanks to WTS MN member Caroline Miller (Metro Transit - Blue Line Extension Project Office) for her large role in coordinating and leading the group on the Build Day.
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We all do better when we all do better:
WTS Minnesota Diversity and Equity
By Andi Moffatt
Diversity and Inclusion seem to be the latest buzzwords in business. And while they may seem like buzzwords to some, the concept of diversity, inclusion, and equity is very important not only from a social standpoint, but also from a business standpoint. Diversity and inclusion includes gender, race, age, and ability. This can also refer to diversity in personal values, beliefs, and personality type. Companies with greater diversity perform 35% better than industry norms. And in turn, when companies do better, communities can do better by providing jobs and economic benefit.
So how are Minnesota companies doing in relation to increasing diversity in the workforce? In a Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) state survey of Minnesota
businesses and article posted by MPR, over 50% of employers say they are actively trying to increase diversity of their workforce, and the larger the company, the more likely they are to be working towards a diversity initiative. However, these initiatives are not translating to real success in the workplace.
Focusing on race, Minnesota's minority population is about 19%, which is less than the US as a whole. Among the State's employee pool, 12% are racial or ethnic minorities. The state demographers anticipate Minnesota's racial diversity will continue to increase.
So what can WTS Minnesota do to work towards greater diversity and inclusion? WTS Minnesota has started a Diversity and Equity Committee. The purpose will be to develop skills and knowledge within women in WTS Minnesota to be advocates in individual workplaces to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in the transportation industry. We will do this by increasing and supporting diversity within WTS Minnesota membership, leadership, and program participants to better reflect our changing communities. If you have ideas or thoughts, please let us know!
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2017-2018 WTS MN Applications for Scholarships
WTS MN is pleased to offer five scholarships to encourage women to pursue careers in the transportation field. New this year is a $1,000 scholarship for students enrolled in a junior college or trade program in a transportation related field. The scholarships offered are:
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$1,000 WTS MN High School Scholarship
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$1,000 WTS MN Junior College/Trade Scholarship
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$500 Katherine F. Turnbull Undergraduate Leadership Award
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$2,000 Donna W. Allan Undergraduate Scholarship
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$2,000 WTS MN Graduate Scholarship
Applications must be submitted to Adele Hall by Friday, November 10, 2017 at 5 pm
. Help us spread the word to qualified applicants! More information is available on the WTS MN website.
The WTS MN Scholarships Committee is expected to convene in December. Adele will contact committee members with information.
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TYOU Update
The Transportation YOU (TYOU) program had a successful first event at both of the schools, Blaine High School and at Wellstone International High School. We are looking forward to our joint field trip to the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization on November 1. If you are interested in getting involved, please email Morgan Hoxsie or Anna Potter.
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WTS Holiday Party - Silent Auction
One of the main ways that we raise money for our annual scholarships is through our silent auction at the annual holiday party event. Have something to donate to the silent auction? Contact Leila Bunge or Morgan Hoxsie for details. (If you'd like to donate, but don't have a particular item in mind, Morgan can help you with that, too.)
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Recap: Social with APBP
The September Social hosted by WTS MN and the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP) was a hit! After opening day of the National Walking Summit, members and friends from both organizations filled the rooftop of the Oxcart Ale House for an evening of cocktails and conversation.
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Puerto Rico Relief After Hurricane Maria
WTS MN has been discussing Puerto Rico and how to help. The country is still in crisis after Hurricane Maria. About 3.5 million U.S. citizens live on the island - about the same population as the metro Twin Cities - and many are in danger, particularly the very young, the elderly, anyone with medical needs, and those in rural areas.
Want to help?
- Donate to the following organizations:
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WTS International Call for Board Nominations
WTS seeks nominations for the WTS International and WTS Foundation boards of directors. Nominations are due November 30. Information and nomination forms are available
online.
Are you considering this opportunity? Biz Colburn, former WTS National Board Member, shares her encouragement below:
Serving on the WTS International Board provides an opportunity to meet transportation professionals from across the country. It's a chance to be connected to the greater transportation industry and keep the MN chapter in touch with key national issues.
WTS has been many things to me over the years. WTS MN gave me leadership experience as 1993 MN Chapter President. While traveling on business, I connected with other WTS Chapters around the country and met many smart, talented women, many with high-level transportation jobs. I felt at home because no matter where I was, the women were similar to those in the WTS MN Chapter.
Sitting on the WTS National Board for 6 years (1996-2002) was one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. Besides using my leadership skills to help further WTS National goals, it gave me great access to current national speakers/topics for MN Chapter programs. Also, whenever I needed information on a specific type of project, I felt free to contact one of my National WTS colleagues who immediately gave me a personal response.
We have now grown into an International Board. The WTSI Board is a worthwhile use of one's time - Go for It!
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2017 Membership Drive - Don't Miss Out!
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WTS Central Region News
Click here to read the latest issue of WTS Central Region News.
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Congratulations to Jasna Hadzic-Stanek who is now a Transportation Planner at the City of Minneapolis Department of Public Works!
Congratulations to Michelle Julius who recently took over as the Southwest LRT ADC Project Manager!
Congratulations to Juana Sandoval who is currently working on a city council member's campaign. Don't forget to vote November 7th!
Congratulations to Sierra Saunders who recently joined Alta Planning + Design as a Senior Planner!
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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!
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