By Rick Day, Southern District International Director
International ITE Board of Directors Report
to the Southern District Membership
It is a distinct honor to serve as the Southern District’s representative on the International ITE Board of Directors. Thanks to all of you for allowing me to serve in this capacity. Bob Stammer did a fabulous job in representing SDITE on the IBOD and will be a hard person to follow.
I would like to take this time to report on the Board’s most recent meeting in Pasadena, CA. The meeting was held just prior to the Spring Conference on March 2 – 3, 2012. This was my first meeting to serve as a full IBOD member.
Before I begin to report on the board’s discussions and deliberations, I’d like to remark upon the high quality of our International ITE elected leadership and staff. You can rest assured the staff, along with the other directors take their responsibilities very seriously and the Institute is in good hands.
Now, down to my report.
Prognosis for 2012 – ITE is still concerned how the economy will affect our overall membership. At this time in 2012, membership renewal is slightly behind last year. Staff is asking our sections for membership rosters to identify transportation professional that are not an International member. Staff will contact them to see if we can influence them to join International ITE. In 2012, staff will be focused on the 3-R’s: Retention, Recruitment and Re-Activation of ITE members.
ITE Community – ITE’s virtual meeting place, the ITE Community website, continues to become more used. ITE practitioners who have a question or would like to find more information can log in and connect with literally thousands of transportation professionals across the US and the world. If you haven’t tried it, go to www.ite.org.
International ITE Vice President Campaigning Rules – One of the topics that stimulated the most discussion centered around VP campaigning. As you know, running for the VP office takes quite a commitment of time and money. It has been determined that the cost and time commitment to run for this office has restricted a number of good candidates. After much discussion, the board decided to reduce the campaigning schedule. Look for continued discussion on this topic related to final campaigning rules.
Trans-Soft Trip Generation Enhancements – ITE will soon be partnering with the Trans-Soft Company to develop an intelligent application of ITE’s trip generation manual. This program will allow transportation practitioners to query historic trip generation studies through ‘The Cloud.’ Stay tuned for more info…
Updates on Key ITE publications – ITE is about to embark on an update of three of ITE’s publications: Traffic Engineering Handbook, Transportation Planning Handbook and Urban Street Design Handbook. New editions for each of these publications are expected to become available in late 2013.
Council Activities – ITE Councils have developed expanded action plans for 2012, focusing on implementing and advancing the ITE Strategic Plan Goals. Please get on ITE’s website to review the various councils and get involved. My experience with ITE is that you need to get involved to get something out of it. Becoming active in an ITE council you are interested in is a great place to start.
Reauthorization of Federal Transportation Legislation – As of the date of this report there is still no long-term federal transportation bill, but at least the Senate and House are discussing it. Be aware that ITE maintains relationships with other transportation advocacy groups in this process and has developed recommendations reflecting ITE Policy positions related to reauthorization.
SDITE Leadership Program – Over the past few years, SDITE leaders have developed an excellent leadership program – developed by transportation engineers for transportation engineers. After implementing this program in a number of sections to rave reviews, SDITE has offered it to International ITE to allow it to be used throughout all of ITE. Look for these leadership modules to be made available in webinars and other venues through International ITE.
ITE Leadership – Under the guidance of Michael Sanderson, a committee has been formed to develop an International ITE Leadership Program. As currently envisioned, this program will enroll a number of ‘ITE Rising Stars’ to teach them leadership skills and allow them to learn more about transportation on a national level and ITE. This program is just now being developed so the first class is not anticipated for at least a year.
Hibbett Neel for International VP – I’m proud to report that our own Hibbett Neel from SDITE will be running un-opposed for International ITE Vice President. Hibbett is exceptionally well qualified for this position and is committed to ITE. I look forward to serving on the Board with Hibbett in the years ahead.
Next International ITE Meeting – Atlanta, GA – The next International meeting will be hosted by SDITE’s Georgia Section. The meeting is scheduled for August 12-15, 2012 at the Westin Peachtree Plaza in downtown Atlanta. The conference is designed to share knowledge, ideas and expertise with the transportation industry. Please mark your calendar to attend now.
Without making my report too long, I’ve tried to cover most of the major topics discussed at our most recent board meeting in Pasadena. However, if you have other questions about ITE that I can help with, please don’t hesitate to let me know. Likewise, if you have suggestions or complaints, please let me know those as well.
I look forward to seeing everyone in Lexington!
Go to the Guest Column Archive
Advanced Search Tips
