By Alyssa Reynolds, PE, PTOE Western District Vice President

On June 27, 2010 Western District leadership convened the Annual Board Meeting at the historic Palace Hotel in downtown San Francisco.  President Michael Sanderson called the meeting to order and initiated introductions.  Attendees included Western District elected officers, committee chairs, International ITE officers, candidates and other interested parties.  This year’s agenda was efficiently streamlined so that attendees could participate in the Mitey Race event immediately following the board meeting.

Several changes to the committee structure were identified during the meeting.  First, President Michael Sanderson introduced the newly appointed Traffic Bowl Committee.  Jerry Hall serves at the Chair of the committee and other members include: Jim Pline, Jonathan Upchurch, Rhonda Young, Grant Schultz, and Paul Villaluz.  The strategic planning process resulted in the creation of a Public Relations Committee.  The Board will be working on defining the committee’s specific duties, but the focus will be on raising the awareness of the transportation engineering industry outside of ITE.

Vice President Edgar Perez and WesternITE Managing Editor Zaki Mustafa provided recommendations for changes to the WesternITE committee.  At the center of the discussion are the tasks related to publishing the on-line newsletter.  Options include creating a new position or combining that role with the Webmaster’s.  Per presidential direction, the WesternITE committee will be rewriting the committee guidelines for the Managing Editor and the Webmaster and looking at the stipend structure.

In other WesternITE news, hard copies of the newsletter will continue to be printed in hard copy format twice a year.  More regular updates will be posted in the on-line newsletter.  Newly appointed Webmaster Nathan Mustafa, has plans to upgrade the District’s website and prominently feature the newsletter.  This new format will create opportunities for increased information sharing and advertisement revenue.  He has also set up a Twitter account for the District under the name “wdite”.

Advertisement revenue has decreased significantly from previous years.  Advertising Manager Nate Larson reported eight job wanted ads posted this year.  Professional Services Directory advertisements have also dwindled.  Changes to the website and newsletter may increase advertising opportunities.

Secretary-Treasurer Alyssa Reynolds provided a budget update and recommendations.  Discussion ensued regarding specific budget items, but centered on travel budgets.   The Board determined that it was appropriate to maintain the current committee chair and national council chair budgets.  Funds for the winner of the Student Traffic Bowl would be reallocated from the Student Chapter Award this year and a new budget item was created for future years.  Travel budgets for the International Directors and Officers will remain the same for the next year.  The Board also decided to provide a donation to the International ITE Anniversary Fund in honor of Wolf Homburger, a distinguished member of ITE and the District who recently passed away.

Past President Monica Suter provided a discussion on proposed changes to the Individual and Lifetime Achievement Awards processes.  This led to a discussion about all of the District’s awards.  Prior to the mid-year board meeting, the Vice President will be evaluating all of the awards and the monetary sums associated with each.

Despite the dreary economy, International President Paul Eng-Wong presented a positive report on the state of ITE.  The organization experienced continued, though small growth in membership.  Additionally, members are still attending meetings at the local, regional and international levels.  Of course, to combat some of the current economic challenges ITE International has instituted some new programs.  For those members that have been laid off, ITE will waive International dues.  Further, ITE has increased its electronic transmission of information to those that can’t afford to travel.  For instance, many components of the Annual Meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia will be broadcast over the web.

Continued document updates and the election have occupied District Administrator, Jenny Grote.  With the name change from District 6 to the Western District, all of the District’s documents have to be revised to reflect the new information.  Most items have been changed and posted to the website, but the work continues.  Additionally, Ms. Grote has been working on charter and/or bylaw changes for the Colorado/Wyoming Section, the University of Colorado, Denver student chapter and the Inland Northwest Chapter.  Ballot returns reflected previous trends.  About 25% of members vote and of those, approximately 50% vote on the first day.

International Directors Zaki Mustafa and Ken Ackeret accounted for their travels and activities since the mid-year Board meeting.  Mr. Ackeret discussed his activities with International ITE’s Sustainability Committee and their work to define sustainable transportation.  He also noted that the International Directors hosted a kickoff meeting at the Intermountain Section’s 50^th Anniversary.

International Director Dalene Whitlock presented a draft Student Endowment Fund investment policy to the Board, which was subsequently approved.   The Endowment Fund Committee was then directed to continue working with the investment advisor and pursue placing the funds in appropriate growth vehicles.  In related news, the Endowment Fund has continued to grow through donations.  Endowment Fund Committee Chair Cathy Leong reported nearly $50,000 in donations over the last year.

The success of District student programs was evident in the student registration at the San Francisco Annual Meeting.   Over 130 students registered for the meeting compared to 213 full professional registrations.  Significant discussion was generated regarding the impact of so many student registrations on the Local Arrangements Committee’s (LAC) budget, but all agreed that this level of student participation is very positive.

Student Initiatives Committee Chair Danielle Reagor also reported significant participation in District student programs.  Twelve student chapters are participating in the Student Traffic Bowl, 17 chapters submitted annual reports, and two chapters are revitalizing their chapters.

Other committee chairs provided updates on their activities.  Membership Chair Gary Hansen reported a 1.9% increase in District membership.  Legislative Chair Steve Egan discussed the SAFETEA-LU extension, potential fuel tax increases, and several new laws in California.  Vendor Committee Chair Mark Lichty noted that though some vendors were concerned about the cost of conference registration, vendor participation was very high for the San Francisco meeting.

Annual Meeting Chairs from Anchorage and Santa Barbara provided reports on the status of their preparations.  Anchorage  LAC Chair Anne Brooks described the proposed family night at Kincaid Park, anticipated key note speakers and the draft budget breakdown.  Santa Barbara LAC Chair Tom Mericle announced plans to host Family Night at the zoo and presented the meeting’s new logo.  Discussion of future meetings in Phoenix and Rapid City also occurred.  Lastly, following two excellent presentations from members of the New Mexico Section and Nevada Chapter, Las Vegas, Nevada was selected as the site of the future 2015 Annual Meeting.

Just after 1:30 pm the Board adjourned the meeting, and many members rushed off to run in the Mitey Race.  The group will reconvene in early 2011 for the Mid-Year Meeting at a yet-to-be-determined location.