FROM THE DISTRICT DIRECTOR
As the tree leaves quickly turn to orange and red, it is a not-so-welcome reminder that our summer has quickly approached its end. Looking back, it has been a packed year for all things ITE. Attending the Joint ITE International and Western District Annual Meeting and Exhibition in Portland in August seems like a long time ago. It was a great event with over 1,600 attendees, with excellent technical sessions and tours. It was amazing to see all the Canadian members in attendance and thanks to all of those members who came out to the “Canadian” get-together. Congrats to our students from UBC who participated in the annual
Edward Soldo, P.Eng., FITE Canadian District Director, ITE director@itecanada.org
Traffic Bowl as they made a strong showing in the event. The District was also honoured to receive a number of awards at the event, winning the District Innovation Award and the University of Waterloo Student Chapter won the Student Chapter Momentum Award. The Burton W. Marsh Award for Distinguished Service was presented to Michael P. Sanderson. It is ITE’s top award which recognizes an
individual who contributed to the advancement of ITE in an outstanding fashion. Having had the pleasure of working with Michael on several initiatives, it is well deserved and reflects the dedication and leadership that he has provided over the years. During the International Board of Direction meeting in Portland, Steve Kuciemba was approved as the next ITE Executive Director and CEO effective November 1, 2023, and a new Strategic Plan (2024-2026) was approved in principle that sets forth a revised vision, mission, and values for ITE. Further information will be published in the November ITE Journal. On behalf of all of ITE Canada, I want to wish Jeff Paniati, our ITE Executive Director and CEO, a happy retirement and best wishes. It is difficult to thank someone like Jeff who has done so much for ITE in just a few short sentences. His leadership, vision, integrity and character will be remembered by all and he always took the time to listen, mentor and encourage. It was an honour to work with him. As Chair of the ITE Canada Nominating Committee, I want to congratulate Destiny Piper from the Saskatchewan Section as our new ITE Canada Secretary-Treasurer. I look forward to working with you and the rest of the Executive Committee in their new positions next year. With the new Executive starting in January, we will also be saying farewell to Julia Salvini, our current Past President. I have had the privilege of working with Julia for the last 8.5 years on the Executive, and her leadership, vision, tenacity, and passion for ITE Canada have significantly contributed to the advancement of the organization.
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TRANSPORTATION TALK