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In This Issue
-President's Message
-Announcements
-March Event Recap:
PennDOT District 5
-WTS Member Shares Story at MOD
-TransportationYOU Event Recap
-Sponsor Spotlight: AECOM
Upcoming Events
APRIL 7
Mentoring Program Event
APRIL 9
Standup 4 Transportation
APRIL 21
Save the Date: Professional Development Webinar
APRIL 22
WTS at TransAction: TransConOpps
APRIL 29
Save the Date: "FAA Reauthorization and Effects" WTS Event
MAY 2
TrYOU Science Festival
MAY 4
Save the Date: Women's Golf Outing
MAY 13
Joint Luncheon with Traffic Club of Philadelphia for National Transportation Week
MAY 20-22
Annual WTS Conference
JUNE 4
Save the Date: Scholarship Fundraiser
Job Postings
BREE & Associates: Project Engineer
City of Philadelphia: Management Trainee (Personnel)
City of Philadelphia: Semiskilled Laborer (General)
Converse Winkler Architecture: Project Architect
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
BREE & Associates, Inc.
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
AECOM
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
Jaclyn Raciti
Jacobs
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,
Recently on Last Week Tonight, John Oliver provided some humorous, yet compelling commentary on a question we in the transportation community have been asking for a decade: What are we waiting for to address the pending infrastructure funding gap? He made the case that when our infrastructure is not being “blown up by robots” in the latest summer action film, it is under an equally alarming threat due to lack of funding in the face of a depleted Highway Trust Fund. In the end, he concluded what we in the industry already know, that even in the face of unprecedented consensus on the need to address the crumbling infrastructure among the most typically divisive factions (business and labor, democrats and republicans) the single biggest barrier to transportation funding today remains lack of public support.
So how do we raise public support? Raising awareness is a good start. APTA has recently designated April 9th as Stand up for Transportation Day. The transportation community in Philadelphia will host a public rally in Dilworth Plaza in support of the initiative. See the link in our upcoming events section for more details on this event. I may also borrow a trick from the John Oliver playbook and start adding whatever the latest trending hashtag is to all my transportation tweets as a way to increase the likelihood that they will actually be seen by the general public on social media. After all, the first step to being heard on social media is being seen. #wtsphilly #StandUpForTransportation #JustinBieberturns21.
Regards,
Megan Syrnick
President, WTS Philadelphia Chapter
WTS Announcements
MEMBERS MAKING TRACKS
-Congratulations to Marcia Ferranto, WTS International President and CEO, who received the Advocacy award at the 4th annual Women Who Move the Nation awards by the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO)
- On Friday, March 27, 2015, Rina Cutler, the City of Philadelphia’s Deputy Mayor for Transportation, announced she will be moving on to become Amtrak’s Senior Director of major station planning and development. WTS Philadelphia congratulates her on her new position and thanks her for her service to the City of Philadelphia and continued support of WTS. Read more here.
- Congratulations WTS Philadelphia 2013-2014 Board on a job well done! The Philadelphia Chapter achieved a Gold Circle of Excellence rating from WTS International.
#SU4T STAND UP FOR TRANSPORTATION
Join the Movement April 9, 2015.
GET WITH THE TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM!
Interested in voicing your opinion on transportation needs in Pennsylvania? Every two years, the State Transportation Commission (STC) and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) update the current Twelve Year Transportation Program (TYP). The TYP outlines PennDOT’s next 12 years of projects. The first step in the 2017 TYP update process is to hear from you. Learn how here.
CALL FOR MENTORS
On April 7, WTS Philadelphia will host an event to celebrate the end of
the trial mentoring program and kick off the mentoring program for 2015.
This event is intended for last year's participants (both those wishing
to continue in their current mentor/mentee pairs and those who are
unable to continue) as well as members who wish to join the program for
the first time. The event will include general networking as well as a speed dating session to match new mentor and mentee pairs.
We are seeking some additional participants, particularly mentors.
We encourage everyone to consider joining the mentoring program to enjoy
benefits such as: building an enduring career network; gaining insights
and different perspectives from others in your profession; and expanding
your leadership skills! Current WTS members who are unable to attend the
event but still wish to participate as a mentor or mentee can email by
April 7 to participate in the 2015 mentoring program.
TRYOU SCIENCE CARNIVAL
Can you fly through the target?
Come visit WTS and Transportation YOU on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway at this year’s Philadelphia Science Carnival on May 2nd, 2015! Test your abilities to build the most accurate paper aircraft. Winners receive a great Transportation YOU Prize! Interested in volunteering to help out in our booth? Please let us know at wtsphilastem@gmail.com.
AMTRAK DIVERSITY VIRTUAL CAREER FAIR
Amtrak will be hosting a Diversity Virtual Career Fair on April 29th from 12pm-3pm. Participants can visit one of their virtual career booths to learn more and to chat with one their recruiters about job opportunities with Amtrak's Executive and Corporate, Northeast Corridor, Mechanical and Engineering, Long Distance and State Supported and IT teams. Learn more 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
March Event Recap: PennDOT District 5
Written by: Kelly Schultz, NEW WTS Philadelphia Member
WTS sponsored a luncheon centered on PennDOT District 5-0 on Wednesday, March 18, 2015 at the Sheraton Society Hill.
James McGee, PE, Assistant District Executive for Design from PennDOT walked the attendees through a simple, but well told story of where the agency has come from and where it wants to be. Each district has their challenges, but a restructuring of the organization internally has helped put a positive outlook on future growth and better project delivery. Read more about the event here.
Pictured: Patti Gibson, WTS Philadelphia Vice President (left), James McGee, ADE for Design PennDOT District 5-0 (center), Irene Eels, WTS Philadelphia Programs Chair (right)
WTS Member's Touching Family Story told at March of Dimes 22nd Annual Transportation, Building & Construction Awards
Over 1,200 guests gathered for the 22nd Annual Transportation, Building & Construction Awards held on Thursday, March 12 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. This event honors the leaders in both public and private sectors of transportation, building and construction industries. Over $560,000 was raised to support the lifesaving research and educational programs aimed at giving every baby a healthy start in life.
WTS member, Jeannette Quirus, an Associate with McCormick Taylor (WTS sponsor) sits on the board for the March of Dimes award luncheon. Together with John Quirus, Roadway Manager with HDR (WTS sponsor), and their three daughters, they served as the Ambassador Family for the event. Jeannette gave a beautiful speech about her family’s experience in having three, premature baby girls and the importance of March of Dimes research. Each girl spent nearly 7 weeks in the hospital before going home. The cause of their premature birth was never determined. All of them are now healthy and growing up quickly (one in 6th grade and two in 3rd grade). Jeannette then opened up the Fund the Mission portion of the program and challenged the room to raise $30,000 with individual contributions. It was a grand success with over $32,000 (and counting) collected! Click here to read more.
TrYOU Event Recap: Schuylkill River Trail Tour
In March 2015, WTS Philadelphia’s Transportation You program held their fourth event that centered around the Schuylkill River Trail with Schuylkill River Development Corporation (SRDC) staff leading a workshop and tour. The event kicked-off at Jacobs Engineering offices on Chestnut St with an overview of the Schuylkill River Trail presented by SRDC staff Danielle Gray and Lane Fike. The workshop focused on the mentees coming up with a concept and design for a pedestrian/bicycle bridge over the CSX rail line that runs parallel to the Schuylkill River Trail in the area south of Walnut St and north of South St. The girls presented their designs to the group and SRDC presented the actual design and bridge that was selected for construction.
After the workshop and lunch, Danielle and Lane led a walking tour south along the Schuylkill River Trail from Walnut Street down to South Street, including a tour of the new 2,000 ft long boardwalk that extends over the Schuylkill River and opened in October 2014. The mentees learned about environmental, structural, and community concerns that were factored into the concrete structure’s design and construction, including issues such as appropriate footing depths in bedrock, and the impacts to structure from flooding during storms, tides, and river debris. Even the solar-powered LED lights are designed to continue operating if submerged during flood events. The tour ended at the Schuylkill River Park, with a stroll over the pedestrian bridge to compare the actual design with the designs the girls developed during the morning workshop.
Sponsor Spotlight: AECOM
Extraordinary changes are underway at AECOM. In the last 12 months, AECOM more than doubled its revenue and the size of its workforce via several acquisitions, most notably URS Corporation. With nearly 100,000 employees serving clients in over 150 countries, AECOM is ranked as the #1 engineering design firm by revenue in Engineering News-Record magazine’s annual industry rankings, and has been recognized by Fortune magazine as a World’s Most Admired Company. A Fortune 500 firm, AECOM had revenue of approximately $19 billion during the 12 months ended December 31, 2014.
AECOM is honored to be a long-time Trailblazer sponsor with the Philadelphia Chapter of WTS, and Corporate Partner on the International level. AECOM continues its commitment to the mission of WTS by giving opportunities to two former WTS scholarship winners, Rachel Aland and Veronica Ge, who joined the company not long before the firm’s dramatic transformation. Both women are now transportation planners in AECOM’s Philadelphia office. Read more here.
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