YOUNG PROFESSIONALS IN TRANSPORTATION YOU’RE ON THE RIGHT TRACK! By Lori Gale, CEO FastLane Hires The unemployment rate has now reached an unfathomable 10.2%. Most of us have never seen anything like this. Companies have laid off workers en masse, nobody seems to be hiring, and those employed are expected to do the work of five or ten people as their companies try to reorganize and stay afloat. No doubt, it’s a terrible time for workers, all around. But this will not go on forever. And as things improve and we move forward, there is no place I’d rather be than in the transportation industry. Young transportation workers especially are well poised for great opportunities in the coming years. The time has come for transportation. I feel the ground shaking and people finally waking up to need for public transportation options. We have relatively few in comparison with the rest of the developed world. Soaring oil prices, new commitments to greening our planet and changing lifestyles all point in the direction of transportation growth. Everyone is paying attention, on both sides of the political aisle. Transit Oriented Development (TOD) has caught fire, and nobody wants to invest in real estate projects that don’t have easy access to public transportation. There is an enormous talent vacuum in our industry that will only get worse with time. With
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the retiring baby boomers, who will fill those roles? You will! Those jobs may not be jumping out at you right now, but they will. In the meantime, continue to hone in on your skills. This is the time to do the grunt work, study the industry and build your network. Be sure that you are creating your own personal brand so that when things turn around you’re ready to take off. YPT BOARD OF DIRECTORS JOUNG LEE Chair
CHRIS SMITH Deputy Chair
AARON ZIMMERMAN Vice Chair of Administration
DAVID GRANT HILL Vice Chair of Communications
FALL 2009
Transportation Events Calendar December 9th, 2009 YPT Happy Hour at the Russia House, 6-8 PM January 5th, 2010 YPT Communications Subcommittee Meeting January 10-14, 2010 Transportation Research Board’s (TRB) 89th Annual Meeting and YPT Happy Hour (see website for details) February 8-11, 2010 International Winter Road Congress February 16, 2010 Climate Change and Ships: Increased Energy Efficiency Symposium
NICK PERFILI Vice Chair for Finance
DEVON BARNHART Vice Chair for Membership
NATE SMITH Vice Chair for Programs
MATTHEW BIESCHKE At-Large Director
JEFF ENSOR At-Large Director
YPT BOARD OF ADVISORS JACK BASSO Chief Operating Officer, American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO)
MORTIMER DOWNEY Chairman, PB Consult
EMIL FRANKEL Bipartisan Policy Center
JOHN HORSLEY
March 1, 2010 Road Safety on Four Continents Conference March 25, 2010 Workshop on Control and Electrification of Highway Vehicles: Integrating Concepts and Infrastructure Need April 11, 2010 Global Information Systems (GIS) for Transportation Symposium June 13, 2010 Northeast Association of State Transportation Officials (NASTO) Conference
Executive Director, AASHTO
TONY KANE Director of Engineering and Technical Services, AASHTO
YOUNG PROFESSIONALS IN TRANSPORTATION
JANET FREIDL KOVINOKY
YPT is a Washington, DC-based organization. General membership in YPT is open to anyone engaged or interested in transportation regardless of age. All are welcome to participate in the organization and activities.
Director of Transportation Infrastructure, US Chamber of Commerce
EMEKA MONEME Chief Administrative Officer, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA)
GLORIA SHEPHERD Associate Administrator for Planning, Environment, and Realty, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
STEPHEN VAN BEEK President and CEO, Eno Transportation Foundation
HTTP://YPT.TRANSPORTATION.ORG
Mobility Matters is the official publication of YPT. If you have questions about this newsletter or wish to contribute material, please contact David Grant Hill, Vice Chair for Communications, at ypt@transportation.org, Subject: Mobility Matters. For additional information, visit our website. Mobility Matters © 2009 Young Professionals in Transportation All rights reserved.
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