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In This Issue
>> President's Message
>> Announcements
>> Shelley Row Event Recap
>> WTS-COMTO Joe Casey
Reception
>> WTS Student Chapter
>> TrYOU Event Recap
Upcoming Events
DECEMBER 8
Professional Development Webinar
DECEMBER 10
Awards Dinner
JANUARY 26
Save the Date: Passenger Rail Event
Job Postings
BREE & Associates:
Marketing Coordinator
Rybinski Engineering:
Traffic/ITS Project Manager
The Burns Group:
Senior Electrical Engineer, Senior Track Engineer, Systems Engineering Specialist, Mechanical Project Engineer
Board of Directors
PRESIDENT
Megan Syrnick
Hill International
VICE PRESIDENT
Patti Gibson
Envision Consultants, Ltd.
CORRESPONDING SECRETARY
Elizabeth Hansmann
Jacobs
RECORDING SECRETARY
Elizabeth Smith
SEPTA
TREASURER
Erica Antoine
Burns Engineering, Inc.
IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
Carol Rose
STV Incorporated
COMMUNICATIONS CHAIR
Jasmine Narcisse
Jacobs
CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP CHAIR
Samantha Safara
Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson
DIVERSITY CHAIR
Apiramy Appulingam
RS&H
MEMBERSHIP CHAIR
Lindsey Graham
HNTB Corporation
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
CO-CHAIRS
Lee Wolfe
TranSystems
and
Karen Hulshizer
Gilmore and Associates
PROGRAMS CO-CHAIRS
Irene Eells
Ammann & Whitney
and
Orla Pease
Urban Engineers
SCHOLARSHIP AND AWARDS
CO-CHAIRS
Jenna Oskowitz
HNTB Corporation
and
Linell Homentosky
AECOM
TRANSPORTATION YOU CO-CHAIRS
Kim Waters
Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson
and
Faye Majekodunmi
Amtrak
The Philadelphia Chapter of WTS was formed by twelve women on June 21, 1979. Since its formation, the Philadelphia Chapter has focused on promoting the development and advancement of women in the transportation industry.
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A Note From Our Chapter President
Greetings WTS Community!
Tis the season of giving thanks, and I would like to take a moment to thank all of the dedicated volunteers and supporters of WTS Philadelphia that make what we do possible. WTS Philadelphia has organized or co-organized 26 events since January with an additional two more to come in December. These events included a range of offerings from industry program and networking events, to professional development events, to mentoring events at every level from the middle/high student to the college student and to the working professional.
Executing 28 events in 12 months is no small undertaking. From creating the vision for the events, to gathering speakers, to finding venues, to advertising, to handling all of the logistical details that need to fall in place in order for us to successfully execute events that are true to the visions set forth, it takes an army of willing and dedicated volunteers. Along the way, we managed to raise funds to support the award of $18,000 in student scholarships, increase the number of free professional development opportunities available to members, reinstitute our formal mention program for professionals, and host our very first college student chapter event. While our volunteers are a critical piece of the puzzle, much of what they do would not be possible without the generous support of our corporate sponsors and the employers supporting their employees’ volunteer efforts. We are incredibly fortunate to have your support to allow us to do what we do, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
We look forward to seeing you all as we close out the year with our Annual Awards Banquet on December 10th at the Crystal Tea Room, and I wish you all the best this holiday season.
Regards,
Megan Syrnick
President, WTS Philadelphia Chapter
Announcements
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SURVEY
We want to hear from you! Help us develop our 2016 Professional Development program by responding to this brief survey. The survey is anonymous, open to all members and non-members, and will take less than 5 minutes to complete. The survey will close at 11:59 pm on December 11th. Happy Holidays!
VISION ZERO CONFERENCE
On Thursday, December 3, 2015, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital are co-hosting Philadelphia’s first Vision Zero conference. Vision Zero is based on the concept that road crashes are not accidents, but are preventable events. For more information and to register, click here.
SHARE A STORY OR JOB POSTING: Contact Jasmine Narcisse and Alyssa May
VOLUNTEER WITH WTS PHILADELPHIA: Contact Patti Gibson
BECOME A WTS MEMBER: Contact Lindsey Graham
Professional Development Event Recap:
Shelley Row
Written by: Lee Wolfe, WTS Philadelphia Member
On November 3rd, 43 people were treated to two very interesting programs presented at Haworth, 1700 Market St., by Shelley Row, P.E., a business owner specializing in executive coaching, author, and former USDOT Director at the ITS Joint Program Office. The first was a keynote titled, “The Future of Transportation Is Now!” and the second was a workshop titled, “Use Your Gut: Effective Decision-Making in an Over-Thinking World.” Read more here.
WTS-COMTO Joe Casey Retirement Reception
On November 5, 2015, the Philadelphia Chapters of WTS and COMTO held a joint retirement reception honoring Joseph M. Casey, Retired General Manager, SEPTA. The reception acknowledged not only his successful tenure as General Manager of SEPTA, but all of his achievements and contributions to SEPTA throughout his 34 year career at the authority. As a dedicated SEPTA employee, Casey continuously strived to improve SEPTA's vital transportation network in Philadelphia and the region. During the event, WTS Philadelphia President, Megan Syrnick, presented Mr. Casey with the prestigious WTS Philadelphia Milestone Award in honor of his career and legacy. Read more here.
WTS Student Chapter
WTS Philadelphia Membership Committee hosted its first meeting for the newly-formed student chapter on Saturday, November 21st at University of Pennsylvania’s campus. 27 students from Cabrini College, University of Pennsylvania, Temple University, Drexel University, and Villanova University attended the brunch-style meeting to network, hear from industry professionals, discuss plan for formal ratification for the student chapter, and to learn about additional WTS Philadelphia events and volunteer opportunities. Read more here.
Any student or educator who is interested in joining the student chapter may email Catherine Preim, Student Chapter Subcommittee Chair, at cpreim@systra.com or Lindsey Graham, Membership Chair, at lmgraham@hntb.com.
TrYOU Event Recap: Mechanical Engineering with
Temple University's SWE Student Chapter
On November 7, 2015, WTS Philadelphia’s Transportation You (TrYOU) program held their second event of this program year which had a mechanical engineering focus. The event took place at Temple University and was hosted by their student chapter of Society of Women Engineers (SWE). For the mechanical engineering activities, the girls were split into groups and worked alongside their TrYOU mentors and SWE members at stations where they participated in four mini projects. The mini projects included building marble rollercoasters, hovercrafts, and ping pong ball launchers.
A special thank you goes out to Temple SWE for hosting this incredible event! Read more here.
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