September-October
Message
When you think about "ITE",
what's the first thing that comes to mind? For many, the oft-used
publications, such as Trip Generation, Parking Generation,
or the Traffic Engineering Handbook, are immediately conjured.
These reference materials (and many others) published by ITE
have made all of our jobs so much easier; it's hard to imagine
how we would do our work without these useful tools.
For others, the certification programs
offered by ITE, including the PTOE (Professional Traffic Operations
Engineer) and now the Traffic Signal Operations Specialist
(TSOS) and Traffic Operations Practitioner Specialist (TOPS),
are of central interest. These programs have allowed professionals
in various traffic engineering specialties to gain accreditation
certifying their knowledge and expertise, thereby establishing
a level of trust by anyone wishing to engage their services.
For me, what ITE really means
is all bound up in the people I've met and the friends I've
made, and if I had to assign a single word that explains what
ITE is to me, that word would be comradery. Call me crazy,
but I think that being a member of ITE, and particularly an
officer, is just a whole lot of fun because of all the wonderful
people I get to meet and spend time with.
That's not to say that it isn't a lot of work,
because it is. Those of us on the Board communicate regularly
to resolve a myriad of small issues, work with the various
Committee Chairs to keep activities moving forward between
semi-annual meetings, answer questions that come from Section
and Chapter officers, and provide information to our members.
But the reward of all that hard work is the chance to socialize
and enjoy the company of other members - peers, sometimes
competitors, but ultimately, friends.
I had the privilege of representing District
6 at the International Meeting in Milwaukee, where following
Monday's information-packed sessions, District 6 members and
their guests dropped by my room to chat for awhile, catch
up with old friends, and even make some new ones. It was a
great opportunity to see people that I might have missed otherwise.
The Tuesday night Banquet was topped off by a great band and
a lot of dancing - when the floor filled during the very first
song the band had to confirm with us that we were indeed a
bunch of engineers! It was a great evening of socializing
with members from around the world, and a terrific opportunity
to meet members from outside our Western District.
And this is just the start. During the next
ten months I hope to have an opportunity to visit many of
the Sections and Chapters to hear about what you're doing,
but more importantly, to find out what ITE can do for you.
Our members have an amazing amount of combined knowledge and
experience; and for the most part, all you need to do is ask
to tap into it!
I thank you for this chance to serve as
your President, and hope that you will take me up on my offer
to do what I can to make your ITE experience the best it can
be
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