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Congratulations to WTS Metropolitan Phoenix Chapter 2023 Member of the Year Samantha Hacker, a Light Rail Coordinator with the City of Phoenix. Samantha has more than 10 years of experience with major transportation infrastructure projects, the most recent five of which she spent supporting Valley Metro’s capital program through procedure development, document control administration and team training. She is originally from Los Angeles, where she first came to work in Transportation as a consultant with Parsons Brinckerhoff (now WSP). Samantha earned a bachelor’s degree in History from Occidental College and a master’s degree in Professional Writing from the University of Southern California. She is also a Project Management Institute Certified Associate of Project Management.

We asked her what inspired her to volunteer her time with the WTS Metropolitan Phoenix Chapter and why other should consider getting involved as well.

What has your career path been and how did you find your way to involvement with WTS?

My career path has been a winding one, but what’s interesting is when I look back on the various things I have done, my current role as Light Rail Transit Coordinator with the City of Phoenix in some ways draws on all that experience. So, not all who wander are lost! I taught high school, worked in the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office in Intergovernmental Relations and then worked in Communications for a large school construction program – all within the first decade of my career.  I first came to WTS when I worked as a Document Control Manager for a light rail project in Los Angeles, a job that I fell into while I was pursuing a master’s degree in Professional Writing at USC. It wasn’t until I moved to Phoenix in 2017 and took a job at Valley Metro supporting their capital program’s document control and procedure development that I really got involved with WTS and began to understand all that it has to offer. My supervisor, April Trevett, encouraged me to join the chapter’s Jane Morris Mentorship Program in 2019, and the rest is history. That program really got me thinking about my next steps, and made me realize that while I may have happened upon Transportation by accident, helping people work together to deliver projects for the greater good is exactly where I want to be.

What do you enjoy about the work you do for the chapter?

I really love helping out with the Jane Morris Mentorship Program. As a mentee, I felt so encouraged and supported as I began to develop my network, and that is something I hope to continue to pay forward in the years ahead. Being involved with that program in particular keeps me meeting new people, both those who are established in their career and the next generation working on defining their next steps, who inspire me as I move forward in my career. I also have enjoyed helping out on the Communications Committee for similar reasons. There, I’ve had the opportunity to interview a variety of people and use my writing background in a way I don’t always get to in my day-to-day work to help shine a light on good people doing good work.
 

What would you say to someone who was considering joining our chapter or taking on a role with a committee?

Of course I’d say, “Do it!” There are so many ways to take advantage of what the chapter has to offer, whether that’s attending the monthly luncheons to learn and network, cultivating the next generation through TransportationYOU or the Jane Morris Mentorship Program, or even just participating in the various networking opportunities to make connections and get the pulse on what is going on with Transportation in the Valley and beyond. But I do think getting involved with a committee is where you reap the greatest reward for participating. Having a presence in WTS through a committee really raises your profile. Through that additional level of involvement, you start to know more and more people, and they start to know you, and the next thing you know, even if you are introverted like me, you’ve raised your profile in the broader industry, all while promoting a great organization devoted to advancing women in the industry. It can be easy to feel stuck in a job or in a rut, unmotivated. We’ve all felt that way at one time or another – and I’ve found that the meaningful connection to WTS through committee work helps guard against that.

What is one thing you think every WTS member should do to get more out of their WTS experience?

Join a committee! Be a mentee or mentor in the Jane Morris Mentorship Program!

What is your favorite thing to do when you’re not at work?

I wish I could say it was something really cool like mountain biking or hang gliding or running marathons, but the things I enjoy are pretty mellow. My husband and I have two children, ages six and eight, so my favorite thing is to slow down and spend time with them - watching soccer practice or the kids perform a play they’ve made up in the backyard. I also enjoy my alone time, going for a late afternoon run (although not in summer), working on my writing or curling up with a book. One thing I very much look forward to doing eventually is more travel. I studied abroad in Italy in college, and it is my goal to take a family trip there one day soon. Nothing like eating parmesan cheese in Parma!