WTSEXPRESS

September/October 2016

In this issue...
President's Column
Corporate Partner Spotlight
Holiday Party Update
Scholarship Applications
WTSI Board Visit
Recap: Transportation Trivia
Recap: Book Clubs
TYOU Update
Members on the Move
New Members
  
WTS Minnesota welcomes the following new and returning members:

 

Daniel Baxter

Michael Baker International

 

Jennifer Zink

MnDOT

Save the Dates for Upcoming Programs!
 
Holiday Party
December 8th
Theodore Wirth Chalet


Visit our Events page for more information including registration soon.
Job Postings
  
WTS Minnesota posts job and internship opportunities on our website. Visit our Employment Opportunities page to view all current postings.  
 Help us spread the word about available positions by sending new posting information to Laura Eash.
 Corporate Partners   


Thank you to our 2016 corporate partners: 
AECOM




HDR, Inc.


   
Kimley-Horn & Associates, Inc.


   Stantec
 


WSB & Associates, Inc.
 
American Engineering Testing, Inc.
 
Bolton & Menk, Inc.
 
Braun Intertec
 
HR Green


KLJ


SEH, Inc.

 
SRF Consulting Group
 
TKDA
 
WSP-Parsons Brinckerhoff 
 
Isthmus Engineering
  
Pierce Pini & Associates, Inc.
 
Professional Engineering Services, Ltd.
 
Rani Engineering
 
Stonebrooke
 
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.
Follow us on Twitter
 
Like us on Facebook


View our profile on LinkedIn
Has your email address changed?



Please email Kathleen Mayell with your new address and don't forget to update your email address with WTS International as well.
 
Join Our Mailing List
2016 WTS Minnesota

Board of Directors



President



Vice President



Secretary

Treasurer

Kelly Agosto
  
Past President


Scholarships & Recognitions Director

 Programs Co-Director

 Chelsey Hendrickson

 
Programs Co-Director


 Membership Director

Kathleen Mayell



 Marketing Director

Laura Eash



 Transportation YOU
Co-Director


Transportation YOU
Co-Director
Anna Potter


Development Director


Special Events Director
2016 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
 
Dear WTS Minnesota members and friends,


Greetings and happy fall! At WTS Minnesota, our fall season is focused on wrapping up the year on a high note (holiday party!) and planning for 2017. As always, I have lots of ideas for you to get involved!


Planning for the WTS MN Holiday Party is in full swing. I hope your calendar is marked for the transportation event of the year: December 8 at the Theodore Wirth Chalet! Registration will open soon - stay tuned for more. I encourage you to join us and consider bringing a colleague new to WTS.


Our holiday party is more than a chance to gather and celebrate - it is also a fundraiser for the WTS MN scholarship fund. All of the proceeds from the silent auction go directly to our scholarship fund. Please consider donating an item or experience to the auction. Contact Morgan Hoxsie for details. We truly appreciate your generosity!


The support of our members and corporate partners has allowed us to begin a new scholarship program. New this year is a $1,000 WTS MN High School Scholarship. Please help us spread the word to your contacts - high school students, teachers, and others in your community. We are also seeking applicants for our longstanding undergraduate and graduate scholarships. All applications are due November 18 and are available on our website.


As we plan for 2017, we are finalizing the ballot for the 2017 Board of Directors and seeking committee chairs. It is not too late to throw your hat in the ring. Contact Morgan Abbott if you'd like to get more involved in 2017.


WTS MN has had a very busy and successful year of programs and events. Attendance at our programs surpassed my expectations. My sincere thanks go to Kristina Nesse and Chelsey Hendrickson for all their work to host high-quality programs. If you have ideas for 2017 programs, or would like to be a part of the Programs Committee, please get in touch with Kristina Nesse.


Enjoy the rest of the fall and see you soon at the Holiday Party!
 


Rose Ryan
President, WTS Minnesota
Corporate Partner Spotlight: WSB



WTS Minnesota would like to thank WSB for being a 2016 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 2016. Please take a minute to learn more about WSB in Minnesota and why they support WTS MN.



 


MN 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.



Websi
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Why WSB Supports WTS MN
WSB is a longtime supporter of WTS Minnesota and its mission, and we strongly believe that our company's passion and mission are aligned with WTS's goals. "Diversity betters WSB as a company, and we are committed to attracting, retaining and supporting a diverse workforce." said Bret Weiss, President of WSB. WSB consistently strives to be an active voice in advancing 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. For example, WSB has a robust internship program that encourages women students to enter the transportation field by providing various internship opportunities. Additionally, we have an outstanding record of affirmative action in hiring and promoting at all employment levels. We are very proud to support WTS, and we strive to be a company that matters and recognizes that in this business, it is our people who matter most.


Interested in being a Corporate Partner next year? Simply fill out and return this form.
Holiday Party Update
By Hannah Pritchard


Serving as the special events coordinator for WTS Minnesota these last two years has been a real privilege for me. I continue to remain energized and inspired by the women that I'm working with when we put together the Scholarship and Recognitions Luncheon and the Holiday Party and Scholarship Fundraiser. WTS Minnesota would not be what it is without our volunteers, and the same goes for our big events. The upcoming holiday party is a fantastic networking event for a good cause. If you're interested in volunteering to help make this happen (and work with some great people in the process) please feel free to contact me.


In addition, one of the biggest ways we raise money for our annual scholarships is through our silent auction at this event. Many of us in chapter leadership were at one time recipients of these scholarships, so we know how much this financial assistance can mean to college students. Have something to donate to the silent auction? Contact Morgan Hoxsie for details. If you'd like to donate, but don't have a particular item in mind - she can help you with that too. Looking forward to seeing you there!
WTS MN Scholarship Applications Now Available


This year, WTS Minnesota is pleased to offer four scholarships to encourage women's pursuit of careers in transportation-related fields. 
Applications are available on the website and due to Adele Hall on November 18, 2016 by 5:00 PM CDT.


Please spread the word to any potential candidates. Thank you!
WTS International Board Visits WTS Minnesota


From left to right: WTS MN Development Director Michelle Julius, WTSI Director of Membership and Chapter Development Tiffany Jackson and WTS MN President Rose Ryan. 




Back Row (from left to right): Rose Ryan, Dorri Raposa, Beverley Swaim-Staley, Lisa Thompson, Pamela Hammond, Rosa Chung. 

Front Row (from left to right): Tiffany Jackson, Jannet Walker Ford, Diane Woodend Jones, Michelle Caldwell, Susan Martinovich.
Event Recap: Transportation Trivia


Over 45 WTS MN and WTS International Board members gathered at Republic in Minneapolis for a spirited, entertaining, and educational round of multimodal transportation trivia on September 21st. Local transportation celebrities Scott McBride (MnDOT) and Katie Roth (Metro Transit - BRT Project Office) emceed the event, which tested their own trivia chops and improv skills. Thank you to all who participated!







Event Recap: WTS MN Book Club



On September 14th and 16th, 20 WTS members and friends joined moderators Jessica Treat (2016 Honorary Member - TLC), Jessica Laabs (Kimley-Horn), Yingling Fan (2016 Honorary Member - UMN), and Ciara Schlichting  (Toole Design Group) for two excellent book club conversations on Boots on the Ground, Flats in the Boardroom. The conversations centered on strong themes such as the cultural difference between men and women in the workplace, the challenge and frequency of being interrupted, and how social activities differ when led by men or women. The groups also talked about professional visions and how they all strive to have as much of an impact as the transportation leaders portrayed in the book.
TYOU Update


The October TYOU program went off without a hitch. The girls learned all about Blaine, with stops at Public Works sign shop and City Hall. They had discussions about how big data gets translated to transportation decisions in their community. Thank you to Lisa Rasmussen, Andrea Arnoldi, and Ann Wallenmayer for providing mentor support that day. We are looking to expand the program to more schools, so if you want to be involved, contact Anna Potter or Tara McBride.






Congratulations to Chelsey Hendrickson (Armstrong) and her husband Tim, who got married in August in Minneapolis!



Congratulations to Lyssa Leitner for making Mass Transit Magazine's Top 40 Under 40 for 2016! 



Congratulations to Sarah Pflaum and her husband Don, who just welcomed their second child Lucas!


Congratulations to Anna Potter and her husband Justin, who got married in June in St. Paul!



Congratulations to Nelrae Succio, who retired from Hennepin County in late October. Enjoy your retirement, Nelrae!



Congratulations to Kelley Yemen, who is leaving Hennepin County to join the City of Philadelphia as their first Complete Streets Director starting in November. We'll miss you here in Minnesota, Kelley! 



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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!


WTS Minnesota | c/o WTS Minnesota | Minneapolis | MN | 55415