2011 Annual Report

young professionals in transportation

2011 Annual Report

Letter from the Chair

YPT Mission

YPT Members and Friends:

Thank you for the opportunity to serve as the Chair of Young Professionals in Transportation for the 2010 – 2011 year. This year has been one of tremendous organizational growth, driven by the continued support of our members, our sponsors, and our Board of Advisors – from hosting keynote leadership seminars like US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, to inaugurating new chapters in Boston, Austin and New York City, to holding our semi-monthly networking happy hours that continue to grow in participation.

Over the last three years, YPT members and friends have grown to nearly 3000 from all around the United States and the rest of the globe. In 2011, the YPT Board of Directors committed to building the institutional infrastructure required to manage our transformation to a fully self-sufficient membership organization capable of managing rapid growth and expansion, while still continuing to serve our members’ interests. Key to our growth has been the expansion and extension to our chapters the institutional tools required to grow and thrive:

• Soliciting tax-free sponsorships for all YPT chapters under YPT’s 501(c)(6) umbrella status• Full directors’ and officers’ liability insurance coverage for YPT and each of its Chapters• Full access to and use of YPT’s trademarked logo, website, and membership database.

As YPT continues to mature into a full-fledged membership organization, this 2010-2011 Annual Report outlines and reviews the organization’s accomplishments over the past year. As such, on behalf of the 2010-2011 Board of Directors of Young Professionals in Transportation, I’m pleased to submit this Annual Report for your review. The report is broken into several sections:

¬ YPT Mission ¬ Membership by the Numbers ¬ Accomplishments ¬ 2012 Goals and Plans ¬ Chapters ¬ Sponsorship Information ¬ Officer Contacts

Thank you again for your continued support and participation in Young Professionals in Transportation as YPT works towards its goal as the premier membership organization for emerging leaders in the transportation field. We could not do it without you.

Sincerely,

Christopher S. Smith 2011 Chair

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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 between 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 based in Washington, DC with chapters opening around the country. 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.

No chapter in your area?

YPT is expanding to cities and campuses around the country. Join the national chapter, and contact us to start a chapter where you are!

[email protected]

YPT Mission


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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 call Capitol Hill home, work in the maritime shipping industry, and help commuters travel across the nation on our highways, byways, and railways.

Membership growth continued in 2011 at a rapid pace. Paid memberships increased fourfold to 350 paid members in 2011. At the close of the year, we now have over 2800 registered friends who subscribe to the YPT Alert email, YPT Voice blog, and Mobility Matters, our flagship quarterly magazine. We also have nearly 5000 members on the professional networking website LinkedIn.

While the majority of YPT members work in the United States, we continue to attract members and interest from across the globe - from India to Canada and many other places where transportation is at the forefront of policy and economy.

YPT aims to enrich our members’ careers and connections at each of our events - from leadership seminars and field visits to more casual networking events. Members are the backbone of YPT.

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Friends & Members 2011 Growth

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Overall as of December 2011

2818

November

2808October

2520 Sept2105

August2076

July2094

Dec 2010690

Stephanie CamayTransportation PlannerURS Corporation

Stephanie is a Transportation Planner at URS Corporation in New York, New York. She keeps busy as an active member of several of the Transportation Research Board (TRB)’s committees and the Women’s Transportation (WTS) 2011 Mentoring Program. She’s an active user and proponent of social media. She believes social media has helped her to ‘break the ice and navigate the complex, multi-faceted transportation industry’.

Stephanie’s research interests include transit planning, waterborne transportation, congestion management, public involvement, communication and social media, and using visualization to help in decision-making processes.

Stephanie is a member of and webmaster at YPT NYC. Follow Stephanie on Twitter at @scamay.

Millie HayesArea Engineer, FHWA

Millie graduated from Iowa State University in 2007. Upon graduation, she joined the Federal Highway Administration in their Professional Development Program (PDP), based out of the Connecticut Division office. While on the PDP, she completed temporary

assignments in New York and North Carolina. Upon completing the program, she transferred to the Texas Division office, where she worked as Area Engineer and provided oversight for the Atlanta, Paris, and Tyler Districts of TxDOT. She now provides oversight for the Dallas District.

Millie is the Deputy Chair of YPT Austin. Contact Millie at [email protected].

Juan FloresDirector, Multimodal Transportation Resources - Tennessee DOT

On October 31, Juan Flores began his new post as Director of Multimodal Transportation Resources at the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) in Nashville. Flores strongly believes that freight is a central and growing component of the transportation industry. ‘If you don’t want to see more and more trucks on the road, we have to have an efficient intermodal system that can move friend by other modes,’ he says.

Juan is a native of Laredo, Texas, and has worked previously at the Mississippi DOT and American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials in Washington, DC.

Andy PalanisamySenior Transportation Management Specialist - Citizant, Inc.

Andy is a civil engineer with nearly 14 years of experience in transportation engineering and planning and social media. He’s currently working with the US Department of Transportation, supporting its Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) program.

A self-descroibed transport nerd and social media junkie, Andy is the founder and editor of

TransportGooru.com, a popular transportation information portal that caters to the transportation community.

Andy is a member and former Communications Vice Chair of YPT National in Washington, DC. Contact Andy at [email protected].

Member Highlight


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2011 Event Highlights

US Secretary of Transportation. YPT was pleased to host U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and Deputy Secretary John Porcari at a summer 2011 Leadership Seminar in Washington, D.C. Secretary LaHood outlined to members the future of programs and policies at USDOT, with an emphasis on the important topics of transportation funding and reauthorization. Secretary LaHood also explained the challenges faced by his department with continuation measures used to keep the department operational since the expiration of SAFETEA-LU. YPT’s event with Secretary LaHood allowed members unprecedented access to ask a wide range of transportation questions, with most of the focus on policy.

Community Service. YPT National offered Washington-Baltimore area members the opportunity to participate in our first ever community service event beautifying the grounds of an elementary school in the District through “Hands on DC.” National also continued the late summer tradition of hosting a networking event at a Washington, D.C. Nationals baseball game. For 2011, members watched as the Nationals challenged the Philadelphia Phillies. YPT members also participated in the Road Gang’s Fifth Annual Tony Kane Golf Tournament in Maryland. Approximately $10,000 was raised to support the Ronald McDonald House charity.

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting. Our largest and most popular event at YPT National continues to be the YPT Reception at the annual Transportation Research Board meeting in January. Attendance at the January 2011 event - branded as a Tweetup - far surpassed all expectations and, to this day, remains one of the most widely attended YPT events. The reception at TRB provides the unique opportunity for members across the nation to interact with each other and members of the National Board, Chapter Board members and the YPT Board of Advisors.

2011 Timeline

Looking Back - Accomplishments

January TRB Tweetup + Happy Hour

February Leadership Seminar Car Sharing with FastLane Hires

March Spring Networking @ Greene Turtle

April Leadership Seminar Ed Wytkind AFL-CIO TTD

Community Service Hands on DC

June YPT + Eno Foundation Happy Hour

July Leadership Seminar Ray LaHood @ US DOT

August YPT + YCDC Joint Networking Happy Hour

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September YPT Baseball Outing Nationals vs. Dodgers

October YPT + WTS New Rail~Volutionaries

November Board of Directors Elections

December Holiday

Happy Hour + Networking

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Looking Back - Accomplishments

ChaptersRegional Chapters are expected to be the main form of growth for YPT over the next several years. 2011 was a landmark year, with YPT’s first three regional chapters opening in Austin, Boston, and New York City. The National Board of Directors continues to work with Board members at chapters to improve the way in which chapters are developed and institutionalized. The National Board of Directors emphasized at the at the last round of elections that one of the two ‘At-Large’ National Board positions would focus on chapter development and support. We have come close to developing a final Chapter Affiliation Agreement outlining the development and rules surrounding chapter operations. YPT looks forward to adding additional chapters in 2012, with the San Francisco Bay area being the next likely chapter.

YPT celebrated YPT Boston’s six month anniversary in the summer of 2011, read about YPT Austin’s tour of the Austin-Bergstrom Airport facility and watched as members were granted unprecedented access to several exciting MTA projects in New York hosted by YPT New York City, including tours of the George Washington Bridge and the underground construction site of the No. 7 Train Subway Extension project in Manhattan.

YPT AustinThroughout 2011, YPT Austin increased its presence in the Central Texas region. The chapter has instituted a regular series of speaker events, allowing members to interact informally with transportation professions from a variety of disciplines. YPT Austin has also held several happy hours, both independently and as joint networking events with other professional organizations, such as WTS and ASCE. YPT Austin’s first organizational tour was a behind-the-scenes look at the operational side of the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Members participated in several volunteer events, including Engineer’s Day at the Austin Children’s Museum, assisting at a local 5k charity race, and donating gifts to Brown Santa. Membership has grown, and the chapter looks forward to more networking, speaker, and tour events in 2012.

YPT BostonThis year, YPT Boston successfully completed the three overarching goals set by its local Board of Directors in autumn 2010. YPT Boston ended the year with over 500 members and friends, successfully secured corporate sponsorships, and held a diverse set of networking and educational events.

Highlights of the first year include several networking events featuring prominent transportation professionals and educators in the Boston area, a technical tour of Massport’s Logan Airport ground transportation facilities, a walking tour of the Rose Kennedy Greenway in Downtown Boston, and YPT Boston’s very first distinguished speaker series, at which former Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation Jeff Mullan spoke on the past, present and future of transportation. Boston’s year was capped off with a successful election event in which all seats on the Board were filled, including three new seats: Vice Chair for Membership, Vice Chair for Regional Development and Vice Chair for Fundraising. In 2012, YPT Boston leadership hopes to continue increasing membership in the organization and offering an even more diverse set of events.

YPT New York City In its first year, YPT NYC experienced dramatic growth and featured a number of successful events. The YPT NYC Board formed after a kick-off event at the Cooper Union in December 2010, and got to work very quickly, planning events and growing the membership base on a limited budget. Highlights of the first year included a panel on infrastructure finance, networking happy hours featuring young professionals with unique jobs, a summer tour series of numerous local transportation facilities, and a leadership breakfast series. Participation rose to over 300 Friends and more than 25 Members. Future events include a tour of the Second Avenue Subway and a holiday happy hour.


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YPT continues to grow by leaps and bounds. Building on a strong record of activity to date, the organization has set the wheels in motion for a strong year in 2012.

Professional Development Programs Leadership seminars and networking events will continue to be the primary means for YPT to serve members. YPT typically holds six leadership seminars and six networking events each year, alternating event types every other month. We anticipate one of our annual highlights will again be a Young Professionals Reception at the TRB Annual Meeting.

YPT National and regional chapters will continue to engage a diversity of speakers and industry practitioners at leadership seminars. Networking events will be held in both the Washington, DC region and in areas served by our local and regional chapters.

YPT has begun to offer members the opportunity to participate in site tours – ranging from airport tours to subway expansion projects – providing a better understanding of projects in the field and a unique and fun experience outside of the office.

The YPT National Board of Directors continues to meet monthly, usually on the second Tuesday of each month. All members are encouraged to attend Board of Directors meetings and to interact with the National Board and members of each chapter Board. A complete directory for the National Board of Directors is provided at the end of this report.

YPT plans to continue its partnerships with other organizations going forward, including the Women’s Transportation Seminar and the Eno Foundation, among others.

Community Service

YPT continues to support local community service events, in both Washington, D.C., and across our chapters, to provide an opportunity for members to “give back.” While most of YPTs events focus on professional development and fellowship, local community development is important to our communities, members and friends. In addition to providing service, these types of events help members get to know each other outside of a work setting, have fun, and demonstrate to others the caring provided by members of the transportation profession.

MembershipYPT continues to grow its number of paid members. The YPT Board began to offer access to some of our more popular events to dues-paying members free of charge or offering anyone with an interest in transportation to sign up for membership and gain complementary access. The Board took the opportunity to use the summertime Leadership Seminar with US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood to attract a relatively large number of new members to YPT.

The YPT Board of Directors changed the classification of members, with dues-paying members becoming “YPT Members” and others as “Friends of YPT.”

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In response to growing information technology demands spurred by YPT’s growth and expansion into a chapter-based organization, the Board of Directors hopes to begin a search in 2012 for a new, integrated membership database and management system. Once such a system - which the Board anticipates to be a significant investment - has been adopted, YPT hopes to undertake its first large-scale membership campaign.

CommunicationsFresh off of the December launch of a new national website and domain at yptransportation.org, YPT is in a strong position to continue consolidating and growing its communication campaign in 2012. The new website serves as a hub for all YPT communications activities, and is integrated with both the organization’s social media platforms as well as its more traditional blog and magazine publications. As new YPT chapters open across the country, the national website will serve as a central hub for locating information on chapters, growth opportunities, and more.

YPT’s flagship magazine, Mobility Matters, continues to grow under the ongoing leadership of the 2012 Editor, Shana Johnson. As YPT’s communications platforms and outlets continue to diversify and mature, we are committed to publishing Mobility Matters as a long-form periodical showcasing the voices of YPT members nationwide on contemporary transportation issues. All issues of Mobility Matters are available online at yptransportation.org/mobility-matters.

YPT Voice, the blog of Young Professionals in Transportation, continues to grow as well. Hosted online at yptransportation.org/ypt-voice, YPT Voice offers weekly and even daily short-form news and views, job opportunities, event recaps, and more. As we grow and expand our YPT Voice contributor network, expect a diversity of content from chapters around the country.

We recognize that many of our members are moving away from email as a day-to-day platform for sourcing their news and information. Accordingly, while YPT is still committed to YPT Alert email notices for upcoming events and important deadlines, we continue to integrate and strengthen our social media presence, including Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn at both the National and chapter level.


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As a new and rapidly growing national organization aimed at providing professional development guidance, fellowship, and networking opportunities for young professionals in the transportation field, your generous financial support of YPT organization will ensure that we can play a critical role in developing and shaping young leaders for generations to come.

In 2012, YPT will continue to reach out to existing sponsors and carry out a formal capital campaign to secure the resources and funding necessary to continue to grow and sustain YPT as a preeminent professional development organization for emerging leaders in the transportation sector.

YPT offers a wide range of exciting and business-supporting and friendly opportunities. Reaching YPTs members can have value to any agency or company looking to grow staff or tap the expertise and drive of young professionals in the field.

YPT offers a variety of membership and program incentives for sponsors.

As a federally-recognized 501(c)(6) non-profit entity, contributions or gifts to YPT are not tax deductible as charitable contributions. However, they may be tax deductible as ordinary and necessary business expenses.

SponsorshipFor more information about sponsorship opportunities, please contact:

Nick Perfili, Chair (571) 221-3568 [email protected]

Alek Pochowski, Sponsorship (703) 885-8970 [email protected]

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2011 Board of DirectorsChris Smith, YPT ChairIntermodal Policy and Program Manager, AASHTO

Nate Smith, Deputy ChairManager of Government RelationsAmerican Traffic Safety Services Association

Aaron Zimmerman, Vice Chair for Administration Senior Transportation PlannerLoudoun County Office of Transportation Services

Andy Palanisamy, Vice Chair for CommunicationSenior Transportation Management Specialist, Citizant

Nick Perfili, Vice Chair for FinanceTransit Planner, Fairfax County Department of Transportation

Nikki Rudnick, Vice Chair for MembershipSenior Policy Analyst, Bipartisan Policy Center

Jeffrey Ensor, Vice Chair for ProgramsConsultant, Parsons Brinckerhoff

Shana Johnson, Director at LargeTransportation Planner, Foursquare ITP

Chris Pangilinan, Director at LargeSpecial Assistant to the Deputy Administrator US Dept. of Transportation - RITA

2012 Board of DirectorsNick Perfili, YPT ChairTransit Planner, Fairfax County Department of [email protected]

Chanel Winston, Deputy ChairStrategic Planning, Procurement & Public FinanceUS Dept. of Transportation - [email protected]

Aaron Zimmerman, Vice Chair for Administration Senior Transportation PlannerLoudoun County Office of Transportation [email protected]

Aimee Custis, Vice Chair for CommunicationProgram Manager - Outreach, Transportation Learning [email protected]

Bud McDonald, Vice Chair for FinanceFederal Programs Financial Analyst, [email protected]

Michael Rodriguez, Vice Chair for MembershipAssociate Consultant, Parsons [email protected]

Sophie Guiny, Vice Chair for ProgramsAssociate, Booz Allen [email protected]

Brittney KohlerDirector at Large - Chapter DevelopmentManager, Infrastructure Initiatives, [email protected]

Alek PochowskiDirector at Large - SponsorshipEngineering Associate / Planner, Kittelson & [email protected]

2011 & 2012 Officers

Mary PetersFormer US Secretary of Transportation

Jack BassoChief Operating Officer, AASHTO

Mortimer DowneyChairman, Parsons Brinckerhoff

Emil FrankelBipartisan Policy Center

John HorsleyExecutive Director, AASHTO

Jonathan GiffordAssociate Dean for Research and Director, Transportation Policy, Operations and Logistics, Master’s Program, George Mason School of Public Policy

Tony KaneDirector of Engineering and Technical Services, AASHTO

Emeka Moneme Managing Director, Pillar Solutions, LLC

Janet Friedl KavinokyDirector of Transportation Infrastructure, U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Gloria ShepherdAssociate Administrator for Planning, Environment and Realty, FHWA

Stephen Van BeekChief of Policy and Strategy, LeighFisher

Jane GarveyNorth American Chairman, Meridiam Infrastructure

Donna McLeanVice Chairman of the Board National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Amtrak

Bill MillarFormer President, American Public Transportation Association

Bob SkinnerExecutive Director, Transportation Research Board

Board of Advisors


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http://yptransportation.org/

Documents

2011 Annual Report