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In This Issue
-President's Message
-Announcements
-August Event Recap:
Waterworks Tour
-Transportation You Spotlight
-PD Webinar Recap
-Sponsor Spotlight:
Ammann Whitney
-Sponsor Spotlight:
Global Program Partners
Upcoming Events
SEPTEMBER 12
Save the Date: TRYou Kickoff Event
SEPTEMBER 16
Joint Dinner Meeting with ASHE: Bayonne Bridge "Raise the Roadway" Project
OCTOBER (DATE TBD)
Papal Visit Transportation Logistics Event
OCTOBER 20
Save the Date:
Professional Development Program
DECEMBER 10
Save the Date: Awards Dinner
Job Postings
AECOM:
Project Engineer - Highways
Jacobs: Inside Sales/Proposal Coordinator, OCS Engineer, Construction Project Manager - Traction Power, Construction Project Manager, Senior Mechanical Engineer
Milligan & Company:
Marketing Manager
PennDOT:
Lead Policy Specialist
The Burns Group:
Senior Track Engineer, Highway Project Engineer, Highway Associate, Traffic Project Engineer, Junior Structural Associate
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
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,
In the many years that I spent on the WTS Philadelphia board, I have had the pleasure of working with countless supporters that enable us to carry out the mission of advancing women in transportation. One of the consistent supporters that stands out is the SEPTA organization under the leadership of Joe Casey. As many of you know, Joe will be stepping down as General Manager at the end of September. They say that actions speak louder than words, and Joe’s lead-by-example commitment to supporting and promoting diversity within the SEPTA community is a true testament of that phrase. He oversaw the formation of the Women in Transit (WIT) group at SEPTA, an internal organization to promote professional development opportunities for women. In addition, simply put, he is the kind of guy that shows up for WTS and organizations like us. You can almost count that if Joe is not headlining at a program event, he is likely to be there in the audience. As a member of the WTS Philadelphia advisory board, he has provided invaluable feedback that has enabled the chapter to improve opportunities for public agency employees to participate in chapter activities. From all of us at WTS Philadelphia, we thank Joe for his support over the years and wish him the all the best.
Regards,
Megan Syrnick
President, WTS Philadelphia Chapter
Announcements
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS!
Welcome to Gretchen Vreeland, Tamara Nazhmutdinova, Meghan Hanney, William Detwiler, Jane Rowan, Erin McGuire, and Beth Termini!
TRANSPORTAL: Check out the new website for WTS members, TransPortal! Create your profile (which can be easily populated from LinkedIn) and start connecting with members across the country. PLUS, you can access chapter resources, communicate committee to committee, post questions and discussions, and more! Log in today and join a discussion about "TR Little You", or tell us about why you joined WTS!
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
August Event Recap: Waterworks Tour
There were 22 members who signed up to attend the very interesting “River Reimagined: A Land and Water Tour,” presented by the Fairmount Water Works and held on August 6, 2015. The tour began at their Visitors’ Center from where our tour guide, Sandy Sorlien, led us past the Water Works’ beautifully landscaped South Garden on a 1.5 mile walk along the Schuylkill River Trail to the Walnut Street Dock where we boarded a boat for a one-hour narrated cruise. Read more here.
Transportation YOU Spotlight
Do you know any girls between the ages of 13 and 18 who like science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and might be interested in learning about exciting careers in transportation? If so, check out our FREE mentoring program TransportationYOU! TransportationYOU is a hands-on, interactive, mentoring program that offers girls ages 13-18 an introduction to a wide variety of transportation careers focused within the STEM initiative. This program is FREE for all girls in the Philadelphia area. In our fifth year for the TransportationYOU Program the girls will participate in bi-monthly activities including hands-on workshops, site tours, and panel discussions.
Some events you can look forward to this year are the mechanical engineering challenge at Temple University, a college Q&A panel, a tour of the Philadelphia Science Carnival, and EVEN more! In June, there is an opportunity for the TrYOU girls to participate in the WTS TransportationYOU Summit hosted in Washington, DC. In addition, participants are eligible for future WTS TrYOU scholarships offered to high school seniors and students pursuing college degrees in the transportation field (junior college, undergraduate, and graduate levels). Head over to our website where you can find more details and the application!
Professional Development Webinar Recap
The 2015 Emerging Women Leaders Webinar series continued on August 25 with the topic of “Leading Change.” Leila Pourhashemi, Head of Product Operations at eBay Marketplaces, and Mona Sabet, the General Manager of the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, presented on their strategies and past experiences of how to effectively lead through change. One of the most important messages stressed by both presenters was to make sure the change was something significant and being passionate about seeing the change, since this will help galvanize a team to work with you along the way. The importance of communicating the change broadly, while showing empathy towards those it affects, and setting clear objectives for the change were also stressed.
Sponsor Spotlight: Ammann Whitney
Our PA team is growing quickly and we welcome talented civil and structural engineers to contribute to our exciting future. Become a part of Ammann & Whitney’s tradition and history of excellence.
Ammann & Whitney has been providing highway and bridge design and construction phase support services to meet Pennsylvania’s transportation development needs since 1983. Over our 32-year history in Pennsylvania we have completed a broad spectrum of assignments for state, city and local transportation authorities. Read more here.
Sponsor Spotlight: Global Program Partners
Global Program Partners, A CH2M HILL, DHA & CMTS Joint Venture
The Global Program Partners Joint Venture, comprised of CH2M HILL, Delon Hampton & Associates (DHA) and CMTS, Inc., is the program manager for the multi-billion dollar Capacity Enhancement Program (CEP) at the Philadelphia International Airport. The CEP is currently one of the largest and most complex aviation programs in the United States and one of the largest infrastructure programs in Pennsylvania. Read more here.
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