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2014-2015 Gold Sponsors s
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We give a hearty THANK YOU all of our international sponsors for their generous support over the past year. We couldn’t do it without you! YPT relies heavily on our sponsors for financial support, allowing us to continue offering exceptional benefits to our members at a low annual cost.
If your ogranization is interested in YPT International sponsorship, please contact: Emma Chapman YPT International Director of Sponsorship (312) 725-2093 sponsorship@yptransportation.org
2014-2015 Silver Sponsor
2014-2016 D
irectors an
d Advisors
2014-2015 International Board of Directors Katherine Kortum, YPT Chair Transportation Research Board chair@yptransportation.org
2015-2016 International Board of Directors
Zachary Bugg, Deputy Chair
Zachary Bugg, YPT Chair
David Gerstle, Director of Administration
Jack Cebe, Deputy Chair
Whitney Sullivan, Director of Communication
David Gerstle, Director of Administration
Aaron Zimmerman, Director of Finance
Cary Bearn, Director of Communications
James Robertson, Director of Membership
Aaron Zimmerman, Director of Finance
Elicia Elliott, Director of Programs
Ali Brewer, Director of Membership
Kittelson & Associates deputy@yptransportation.org Caliper Corporation admin@yptransportation.org
Tennessee Department of Transportation comms@yptransportation.org
Montgomery County Planning Department finance@yptransportation.org City of College Station membership@yptransportation.org British Columbia Transit programs@yptransportation.org
Kittelson & Associates chair@yptransportation.org
Georgia Institute of Technology deputy@yptransportation.org Caliper Corporation admin@yptransportation.org
Georgia Institute of Technology comms@yptransportation.org
Montgomery County Planning Department finance@yptransportation.org American Bus Association membership@yptransportation.org
Richard Sun, Co-Director of Chapter Development David Moyer, Director of Programs McKinsey & Company chapters@yptransportation.org
McMahon Associates programs@yptransportation.org
Kristen Maddox, Co-Director of Chapter Development Antonio Xu Liu, Director of Chapter Development Alta Planning + Design chapters@yptransportation.org
Stony Brook University chapters@yptransportation.org
Emma Chapman, Co-Director of Sponsorship
Emma Chapman, Director of Sponsorship
Fitch Ratings sponsorship@yptransportation.org
Fitch Ratings sponsorship@yptransportation.org
Jack Cebe, Co-Director of Sponsorship Alta Planning + Design sponsorship@yptransportation.org
2014-2015 International Board of Advisors Jack Basso
Senior Advisor, Parsons Brinkerhoff
Mortimer Downey
President, Mort Downey Consulting LLC Bipartisan Policy Center North American Chairman, Meridian Infrastructure
Jonathan Gifford
Professor and Associate Dean for GMU’s Transportation Policy, Operations & Logistics Masters Program
Art Guzzetti
Vice President for Policy, American Public Transportation Association
Mary Peters
Former Secretary of the United States Department of Transportation
Joshua Schank
President and CEO, Eno Center for Transportation
Bud Wright
Executive Director, American Association of Highway Transportation Officials
2015 Year in Review
Jane Garvey
Executive Director of Transportation & Infrastructure, US Chamber of Commerce
young professionals in transportation
Emil Frankel
Janet F. Kavinoky
2015 Year in Review
young professionals in transportation
Message From The Chair Dear Members and Friends of YPT, YPT has completed another year of “growing up” and establishing itself among the plethora of transportation organizations available to all industry professionals. We appreciate all of our members and friends, as well as our sponsors and other supporters, and remain committed to our inclusive and accessible structure. In my third, and last, year of chairing this organization, we cemented our status as an international organization with our first Canadian board member – Vice Chair for Programs Elicia Elliott. We also held our first strategic planning meeting, allowing our geographically-diverse board to meet in person and brainstorm for the future. YPT continued its relationships with other transportation organizations this year. We again held a successful reception at the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting in January, and we continued to hold events in combination with major events of the American Planning Associate, the Institute of Transportation Engineers, and the American Public Transportation Association. At the local level, YPT chapters coordinated with chapters of these and many other organizations, engaging our members in all sorts of interesting tours, happy hours, and conferences. Sincerely, Katherine Kortum, 2014-2015 Chair
Message From The Deputy Chair Dear Members and Friends of YPT, It’s been an exciting year to be a part of Young Professionals in Transportation. This year we welcomed several new chapters into our organization, and membership remains strong. Our Board of Directors expanded to ten members from the United States and Canada, and for the first time we were all able to meet and plan the future of YPT at our strategic planning meeting in Chicago. As someone who frequently travels, I have found that one of the greatest qualities of being a YPT member is the ability to attend professional networking events within the organization across the continent. Whether it’s in Washington, DC during the TRB Annual Meeting, in South Florida during the ITE Annual Meeting, or just networking with a chapter in Portland or Atlanta, I know that YPT provides a place for young professionals to meet and network. I’m looking forward to another year with the Young Professionals in Transportation, and I’m excited for things to come! Sincerely, Zachary Bugg 2014-2015 Deputy Chair, 2015-2016 Chair
n o i s Mis
YPT provides professional development, fellowship, and networking opportunities for young professionals in the transportation field across the country and around the world. Professional Development. A regular series of seminars, technical tours, and other opportunities from leading individuals or teams in transportation. Fellowship. An ongoing forum for mutual support and interaction among young transportation professionals, especially for those starting their careers. Networking. Networking events to help young professionals advance their careers and share innovative ideas.
YPT is expanding to cities around the world. Join us as a member-at-large, and contact us to start a chapter where you are! chapters@yptransportation.org Photo credit: Aimee Custis
2015 Year in Review
No chapter in your area?
young professionals in transportation
YPT is a truly international organization, with board members from across North America and chapters opening around the U.S. and Canada. Membership is open to all transportation professionals around the world. YPT does not have an age-restricted definition of “young.� Anyone is welcome to take advantage of our activities.
2015 Year in Review
young professionals in transportation
2015 Event Spotlight YPT International’s Board of Directors held a Strategic Board Meeting in Chicago. Due to the rapid growth and success of YPT in recent years, the YPT International board agreed on the need to hold a strategic visioning meeting to discuss and plan the future of YPT. A meeting was held in Chicago over an April weekend. The weekend included all-day strategic visioning sessions, teambuilding activities and events, and some fun in the Windy City. The International board discussed topics of import such as improving chapter stability and quality, ideas to promote our international brand/image, improvements to our existing tools and resources such as the CRM membership database, sponsorship goals, updates to current YPT bylaws, planning for future events, chapters needs, ways to better utilize the Board of Advisors, and transition plans for board members. All agreed that the event was well-worth the time and cost, and the International Board came away from the weekend with a renewed energy and a list of action items to advance YPT.
YPT Tampa Chapter Kick-off Event. The new YPT Tampa Bay Chapter held a kick-off event on the Terrace at the Tampa Museum of Art in June, featuring a cash bar and food trucks in conjunction with Rock the Park, a free monthly concert series in adjoining Curtis Hixon Park. Thirty supporters came out to launch the new Tampa Bay Chapter, grow their networks, and learn from local transportation leaders. The kick-off event was made possible by sponsorships from Tindale Oliver, Renaissance Planning, and Stantec.
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YPT events are the foundation for maintaining successful chapters. Technical tours, networking events, leadership seminars, and community service opportunities allow members, friends, and others interested in transportation to build connections and grow their expertise. YPT chapters hold hundreds of events each year.
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YPT Los Angeles Transportation Career Search Resource Session. In March, YPT Los Angeles partnered with a student group at the University of Southern California to host an event to provide students and young professionals with an opportunity to hear firsthand from professionals that are involved in hiring at firms, non-profits, and government agencies. Topics included interviewing, resumes, tips for recent graduates, and common pitfalls that hiring managers see. After each speaker spent a few minutes summarizing their job and the hiring process for their respective agency or firm, they were interviewed by a YPT Los Angeles board member. The one-on-one interviews allowed the board member and the guest speaker to explore the differences between hiring in a private firm, nonprofit, and government agency, and provide insider tricks and tips for attendees. The event concluded with a question and answer period and time for the attendees to network with one another as well as the guest speakers. We received positive feedback about the event, and hope to hold a similar career focused event in the future!
YPT Vancouver Rapid Transit Panel Discussion. YPT Vancouver held a Rapid Transit Event, which was timed with the transportation referendum for Metro Vancouver in the spring of 2015. The referendum pertains to transportation funding in the region, and it will be one of the most important decisions impacting the future of Metro Vancouver.
young professionals in transportation
Moderated by Gordon Price, Director of the City Program at Simon Fraser University, this event was extremely successful and generated a much discussion amongst participants. As this was one of the first transportation discussions related to the referendum, YPT Vancouver played a pivotal role in starting the conversation for the community of transportation professionals. In addition, since this event was relatively high profile, YPT Vancouver successfully secured several new memberships through this event.
2015 Year in Review
To discuss this important question, YPT Vancouver was joined by two of the leading advocates for rapid transit projects in Metro Vancouver: Lon LaClaire, Manager of Strategic Transportation Planning at the City of Vancouver and Paul Lee, Manager of Rapid Transit & Strategic Projects at the City of Surrey. Lon and Paul spoke about the merits of the UBC-Broadway SkyTrain extension and the light rail transit network in Surrey, respectively.
young professionals in transportation
2015 Year in Review YPT Nashville Transit Tour. The YPT-Nashville chapter organized a technical tour of Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority’s (MTA) maintenance and dispatch facility in July. As part of the tour, attendees were able to see MTA’s new Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) system that feeds their real time app which was available to the public at the end of the year. In addition, they learned about how buses and operators were dispatched both for regular service and for paratransit service. They also got to experience the maintenance section of the facility and see where all the dirty work is done to keep the system operable. As an extra bonus, they went through the bus wash on one of the MTA busses, which was a hit.
YPT Atlanta Citywide Transportation Referendum Panel Discussion. In anticipation of a citywide referendum for authorizing $250 million in infrastructure bonds for transportation and community projects, YPT Atlanta assembled a panel of government and community representatives to discuss what was at stake in the upcoming vote. With space generously provided by the Metro Atlanta Chamber, Tom Weyandt, a former transportation advisor to Mayor Kasim Reed, moderated a panel consisting of: Rebecca Serna, Executive Director of Atlanta Bicycle Coalition; Sally Flocks, President and CEO of PEDS; Jalal Slade, Senior Policy Advisor on Real Estate to the City of Atlanta; and Atlanta City Council District 2 Representative Kwanza Hall. More than 70 attendees turned out to network, enjoy refreshments provided by Parsons Brinckerhoff, and hear from the panelists. The panelists were mostly supportive of the bond package, with a few caveats. At the end of the event, YPT Atlanta asked each of the panelists to guess the eventual referendum vote outcome. Councilman Hall, who predicted an 88 percent pass rate was our “winner” who the Board took to lunch in a separate event later in the year.
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YPT Philadelphia SEPTA Police Speaker. YPT Philadelphia hosted a speaker event with Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority’s (SEPTA) Chief of Police, Thomas J. Nestel III. Chief Nestel is well-known around Philadelphia for providing a strong public face to the SEPTA Police Department, engaging with riders on social media, and working to balance first amendment rights with safe travel during demonstrations. Chief Nestel’s talk focused on his experience in policing (serving as chief of the Lower Moreland Police Department before SEPTA), the changes in tactics and smart data usage within the SEPTA Police Department during his tenure, and the origins of his favorite Twitter hashtag #cheesesandwich (as in what meal awaits fare evaders in jail).
YPT International Annual Awards Program for Excellence in Transportation. In 2015, YPT established an annual awards program that aims to provide recognition for excellent projects developed by our members. Two awards were established under this program, with the winners reciving a trophy and funding to hold a reception/event with their local chapter. The program was a resounding success and YPT plans on conducting the awards program again in 2016. The two award categories were as follows:
2015 Year in Review
Young Professionals Excellence in Innovation/Research of the Year – An award that will go to a product, paper, invention, etc. in the transportation industry where young professionals played a significant role. Elizabeth Paul in New York City won the 2015 Excellence in Innovation/Research Award for her work on the Credit Card Pilot Project at MTA Bridges and Tunnels.
young professionals in transportation
Young Professionals Transportation Project of the Year – An award for a project that had/is having a significant impact and where young professional(s) played a significant role. Brad Davis in Atlanta won the 2015 Project of the Year for the Cycle Atlanta Phase 1.0 Study (pictured above).
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YPT is proud of the diverse membership - both in age and in range of transportation careers that our organization represents. Our members, both in the United States and around the world,work on Capitol Hill, as consultants, in departments of transportation, in nonprofits, and more. Their work spans professions within the transportation industry including communications, engineering, finance, implementation, planning, policy, and more. Interested individuals may affiliate with YPT as paid members or non-paying friends. In keeping with our goal of providing fellowship, friends receive YPT publications and may attend many (but not all) YPT events. Friends are encouraged to become members, who pay a nominal $20 annual
membership fee to support YPT’s activities and receive additional membership benefits, including members-only events, access to the member database, and more. Interest in YPT has continued to grow in 2015, with 9,255 total affiliates (friends and members) in October 2015, up 12 percent since December 2014. Total paid membership has increased by 11 percent growing from 1,311 in December 2014 to 1,456 in October of 2015. To become a friend or member of YPT, visit my.yptransportation.org/join.
2015 Year in Review
young professionals in transportation
2015 Members & Friends Members
Friends
Total
Members
Friends
Total
Atlanta
91
286
377
Phoenix
5
49
54
Austin
15
233
248
Pittsburgh
14
79
93
Baltimore
67
220
287
Portland
65
182
247
Boston
184
1,029
1,213
Sacramento
50
25
75
Burlington
14
34
48
San Francisco
146
778
924
Chicago
83
348
431
Seattle
33
138
171
Houston
51
210
261
Tampa
19
45
64
Los Angeles
35
316
351
Toronto
32
85
117
Nashville
33
113
146
Vancouver
45
123
168
New York City
225
921
1,146
Washington, DC
168
1,771
1,939
Philadelphia
52
163
215
At Large
37
610
647
1,456
7,799
9,255
Total
YPT chapters have been up to a lot of good over the course of 2015! See the following pages for highlights on a handfull of YPT chapters including lessons they’ve learned in growing their chapter over the past year.
YPT Chapter
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YPT continues to grow! YPT International is composed of 21 chapters throughout the US and Canada, as well as numerous members at large. YPT chapters were extremely busy throughout the 2014 to 2015 term. We added a new chapter in Tampa, Florida and chapter leadership across the continent organized numerous events that allowed young professionals to meet, mingle, and deepen their knowledge of the transportation field. Chapter board members come from all sectors, backgrounds, and areas of focus. They have used the 2014 to 2015 term to broaden their engagement with YPT members. As a result, YPT chapters are thriving and creating lasting impressions in their communities.
Vancouver Seattle Portland
Burlington Boston
Toronto Chicago
Sacramento San Francisco
Pittsburgh
NYC Philadelphia Baltimore Washington DC
Phoenix Houston
Tampa
2015 Year in Review
Austin
young professionals in transportation
Nashville Atlanta
Los Angeles
2015 Chapter Highlights YPT Atlanta YPT Atlanta had a record year when it came to membership. They attribute this growth to performing a breakdown two years ago to determine where members worked and lived so they could better locate future events. After three-plus years as a chapter, they observed that the local young transportation community responded best to iconic or high profile events and thus their membership is fairly dependent on their ability to program these events. They also observed that engaging a wide spectrum of the transportation-affiliated community has been beneficial in attracting new membership. This includes ensuring these events are scheduled frequently with networking opportunities and free food. While it is always a goal to secure an annual sponsor, YPT Atlanta has been most successful at securing individual event sponsors. They were able to successfully obtain sponsors for some of their biggest events, including their 2nd Annual Holiday Party and their Atlanta Bond Referendum Event. They also have a successful relationship with YPT International, whom has partially sponsored multiple events.
YPT Boston YPT Boston was quite successful with gaining new sponsorships this past year. They pursued companies which employed their Board members and companies who hosted lunch and learn or social events for them. YPT Boston says it is important to make sure you always have a sign in table front and center, and be aggressive with reminding people this is a membership organization and the cost is very low. Having a Square credit card reader on hand is a great way to get people to sign up. One of their keys to success has been holding large numbers of members only events, and making them good!
YPT Burlington
YPT Chicago 2015 Year in Review
young professionals in transportation
YPT Burlington had a big year during their first full year as an established chapter. The members wanted to offer other new and emerging chapters tips when it comes to getting companies to sponsor local chapters. “Don’t be afraid to ask your own employer to be a sponsor. The worst they can say is no.�
This past year, YPT Chicago continued popular events such as their transit tour, transportation trivia, and discussions with leaders in transportation throughout the Chicago region such as Joe Szabo, head of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. YPT Chicago events have been becoming increasingly popular over the years, so the chapter began holding events where members were given priority or members-only were allowed. These events resulted in increased membership. Being able to register new members on-site during events has been key to their success in growing their membership base.
YPT DC While YPT DC has not conducted surveys thus far, it has been discussed during board meetings in an interest to gain more information about their chapter base. Having information about the breakdown of professionals vs. students and ages would be valuable for any chapter. This year, the DC board decided to host events at a nominal cost for those who are non-members to try and encourage them to join. They said, “For example, our holiday party was free for members and $10 for non-members; the event included some free drinks and appetizers, so, for those who were attending and were not members, the difference between the cost of attending and the cost of membership was only $10. We believe this created some incentive for people to sign up.”
YPT Houston YPT Houston found success recruiting friends and members by holding events in partnership with related organizations in the transportation industry (such as ASCE, ITE, etc.). Also, another key method to increase paid memberships was to reward sponsoring organizations with complimentary paid memberships for their staff who are active in YPT. In obtaining new sponsorships, they were most successful when they requested a sponsorship for a specific event or item, such as a pull-up banner stand or appetizers for an event.
YPT Nashville YPT Nashville suggests to do chapter presentations to different governmental agencies, private firms, and transportation-related organizations in-person. Compiling a short PowerPoint presentation with pictures from past events worked well as it gave potential members visuals as to what YPT Nashville is all about. This both helped attract new members and opened the door to discuss sponsorship opportunities with these companies. They called these events ‘YPT in the Office’.
YPT Portland YPT Portland found success in holding small monthly social events such as happy hours to keep current members engaged; new members typically join at large events where it isn’t as intimidating. The Transportation and Technology Panel they held in July led to nine new members during July and August. Their annual Marquee event in October always is expected to draw new members and remind expired members to renew. When it comes to gaining new sponsors, YPT Portland claims it is good to remember that private consultant sponsorship decisions are also generally made before the New Year.
2015 Year in Review
To receive input for future events and to encourage participation of members-at-large, YPT Vancouver held an open board meeting. The meeting followed a typical agenda, however, the team set aside a significant amount of time to discuss future events and invited comment from the members-at-large. Members-at-large were also offered open invitations to join the YPT Vancouver leadership team. One accepted this offer and is now an active member of the leadership team who is assisting with sponsorship efforts for YPT Vancouver.
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YPT Vancouver
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2016 will be another great year of building partnerships and increasing our visibility at the local and international-levels as we continue to expand our events with new chapters and host more networking events at major transportation conferences across North America. YPT is expanding mentoring and networking opportunities and presence at the transportation industry’s leading conferences such as the Transportation Research Board (TRB), Institute of Transportation Engineers, and American Public Transportation Association Conferences, as well as at many others. If you will be attending or hosting a conference in 2016 and would like to help YPT host an event, let us know at programs@yptransportation.org. YPT International will kick off the 2016 year at the TRB Conference by co-hosting the Annual Young Professionals’ Reception!
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Professional Development Programs
As YPT continues to grow and strengthen, we will remain the premier voice of the next generation of transportation leaders. We will continue to make our voice heard to organizations such as the U.S. Department of Transportation, share our desires and concerns about the transportation system, and represent all faces of the transportation industry. As always, YPT will remain the best possible resource for leadership, professional development, and networking opportunities.
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2015 Board of Directors Activity Reports
Membership YPT continues to grow in paid membership. Access to some of the more popular YPT chapter events is limited to dues-paying members, which encourages those who are interested in becoming members to do so in order to gain access to these events.
Over the next year, YPT International’s Board of Directors plans to continue looking for ways to aid chapters in increasing the number of individuals affiliated with their YPT Chapter. Additionally, the Board plans to continue looking for ways to aid chapters in transitioning individuals on their friends list to paid memberships.
2015 Year in Review
young professionals in transportation
Chapters YPT re-established monthly chapter calls during the 2014 to 2015 term. YPT chapter calls allow chapter leadership to meet one another, share updates, and exchange lessons learned. Directors of the YPT International Board have also used the reoccurring meetings to relay important information to chapter leadership and answer any questions as they arise. A sponsorship webinar addressed the YPT International sponsorship structure, individual chapters’ sponsorship structure, and ideas for continued growth. Thanks to numerous upcoming events and ideas for involvement, YPT chapters are poised for a successful 2016.
The development of an International Board in 2013 has enabled YPT to solicit sponsorship at an international level, funding the everyday operations and services of the organization. In 2015, YPT sought to diversify the international sponsorship base to reflect and introduce members to multiple facets of the industry. FedEx and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce continued their support from 2014 as gold-level sponsors, we were happy to once again have the support of Parsons Brinckerhoff as a gold-level sponsor, and we welcomed back The American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials as a gold-sponsor. In addition, we welcomed a first time sponsor, CH2M, who contributed at the silver-level in the summer of 2015. Chapters have done an excellent job of recruiting new sponsors as well to help continue quality programming at the local chapterlevel, reporting a total of $32,400 raised for local chapter use. In 2016, YPT will reach out to organizations throughout transportation sectors seeking sponsorships to fuel YPT’s further growth. As a rapidly-growing international organization aimed at guiding development, fellowship, and networking opportunities for young professionals in the transportation field, financial support for YPT from transportation leaders ensures that YPT can continue to play a critical role in shaping future leaders. YPT offers a range of exciting benefits for our sponsors including highlighted announcements and job postings broadcast to our nearly 10,000 members and friends, recruiting opportunities, Revenue Expenses free memberships for your organization, and $6,608 Membership many more. Programs
Finance YPT International maintained its financial stability in 2015 while supporting chapter operations, the strategic board meeting, and quality programs. This was made possible through new sponsorships, new memberships, and cost-saving strategies. For example, YPT was able to forgo their corporate filesharing account by opting for a smaller capacity, free service that still fit our needs. The table to the right summarizes the revenue and expenses from 2015. Keys to YPT’s success in 2016 will be growing the International sponsorship base and continuing to increase membership.
Sponsorship
$3,020 $8,500
Communications
$4,339
Administrative
$4,211
Strategic Planning Meeting
$6,534
Total
$15,108
$18,104
*Note that the membership revenue figure shown in this table represents only funds available for YPT International operations and does not include an additional $18,307 in membership dues and event fees collected and redistributed to chapters
young professionals in transportation
2015 Year in Review
Sponsorship
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