WTI Employees Continue to Make Headway as TRB Committee Chairs

In the December 2022 issue of Newswire, we introduced you to three highly accomplished WTI researchers who chair TRB committees. We caught up with them after the 2024 TRB Annual Meeting for an update:

Natalie Villwock-Witte has chaired the Standing Committee on Transportation Needs in National Parks and Public Lands since 2020. Natalie always looks forward to the TRB Annual meeting but noted that the highlight of the committee’s year for her was working on and seeing the final publication of the May-June 2023 issue of TR News (Issue 345), Journeying Through Public Lands. This was a significant undertaking that involved writing contributions from both committee members and friends. Looking ahead, the most significant objective will be developing the 2025 Tools of the Trade Conference. Natalie would also like to cooperate with another committee and council to offer a webinar, champion a workshop during next year’s Annual Meeting, and continue to seek opportunities for cooperation and engagement with other TRB Committees, such as AME30.

WTI’s Laura Fay has chaired the Standing Committee on Low-Volume Roads (LVR) since 2021. She was excited about the committee’s great attendance this year, which produced excellent discussion and ideas. A large piece of the committee meeting was spent reviewing LVR research needs that came from the 13th International LVR Conference (Summer 2023). The committee worked to divvy these ideas into research needs statements, webinars, TRB sessions, or workshops for development in the coming years. The committee’s goal for this year is to develop a Triennial Strategic Plan that will guide upcoming activities. Laura says, “While this is something that is required by TRB, it is a great exercise to make sure we as a committee have a vision for the work we are doing.” The LVR committee will continue to engage stakeholders and other TRB committees to work on a plan for a virtual symposium in the summer of 2025. This will allow for international participation and presentations. Laura has been told that one spends the first three years learning how to be a committee chair and the second three-year term enjoying being a committee chair. Laura is completing her first three-year term and is looking forward to the next few years.

Jamie Sullivan’s TRB schedule may look a little overwhelming to some. Jaime has led the Rural Transportation Issues Coordinating Council since 2020 and is the program manager, technical resource, mentor, and principal investigator for the Public Lands Transportation Fellows Program. Jaime arrived in D.C. in advance of the Annual Meeting to conduct a two-day orientation for the latest cohort of fellows and organized activities and team building exercises. Once the meeting started, she presided over the Rural Transportation Issues Coordinating Council Meeting and moderated the fellows’ Poster Session.

For more information on these women and their TRB committee background, please visit: https://westerntransportationinstitute.org/event/2022/wti-employees-take-the-lead-in-transportation-as-trb-chairs/