President's Message: March/April 2021
Dear WTS-DC Chapter Members and Friends,
This month, WTS-DC and all WTS chapters celebrate Women’s History Month. This national celebration is a time to reflect and recognize the women who have helped shape our lives, our culture, our country, and our world. Many of us have benefited from women who have helped pave the way for our own career paths. I want to say a tremendous thank you to all of those women, and the men who have supported the professional growth of women.
In honor of Women’s History Month, WTS International is offering a 15% discount on membership using the code “WHM2021” when you join or renew! If your membership is not up for renewal soon, you can still renew now to get the discount. Your renewal year will begin whenever your current membership expires. I encourage you to take advantage of this great discount.
One of the pillars of the WTS mission is to sustain women’s careers to strengthen the transportation industry. We at WTS-DC strive to live out this mission in several ways: by offering professional development programming, by recognizing women leaders in our industry, by working with youth through our Transportation YOU program, by giving out scholarships to deserving young women in our area, and by hosting a mentoring program.
In the month of March, it is fitting that as we honor women role models within our chapter and throughout history, WTS-DC’s Mentoring Committee is kicking off our signature mentoring program. This year 15 mentor-mentee pairs were matched based on skills, interests, and location, among other factors. We are excited to see so much interest and demand for this program that speaks directly to our mission of helping advance careers in the transportation industry, and we are looking forward to another successful mentoring program in 2021!
Our chapter is also excited for the upcoming WTS International Annual Conference, “Our Future in Transportation,” which will be held virtually from May 10-14. Every year, this conference provides attendees with a wonderful opportunity to engage with other chapters as representatives of WTS-DC, expand our personal networks, and represent our respective companies/organizations. Additionally, attendees can participate in sessions on a variety of topics including:
- One Size Does Not Fit All: Ingrain Equity and Inclusion in Workplace Culture
- The Future of Innovation in Transportation
- Mobility Redefined: Evolving Transportation Through Creative Innovation
- The Silver Tsunami: Riding the Wave Toward the Workforce of the Future
If you’re interested in learning more about the conference, including registration details, please visit the conference website.
It’s easy to see that we have a lot to celebrate from the women mentors and role models we’ve had in our lives to the opportunities to sustain and further the careers of women in the transportation industry. While it’s important for all of us to look gratefully at the past during this month, I want to encourage you to take this time to also look towards the future and think about the history and legacy that you want to leave. History reminds us of what others have done before, and I think it should also encourage us to reflect on our present and on our legacy. So, I will leave you with this question: how do you want to help advance the transportation industry in the present, and what legacy do you want to leave?
We look forward to seeing you (virtually) soon!
Best,
Neela Babu, Ph.D.
President, WTS-DC Chapter
Contact Us!
If you or your organization are interested in contributing to WTS-DC and would like to know how you could do so, please contact us. You can reach us through any of our social media channels listed below, or you can email me at president.wts.dc@gmail.com.