The following are the 2024 Western District candidates for office for your consideration. All members are encouraged to vote and make your voice be heard. Thanks for helping the Western District serve its members efficiently and effectively!

Kimberly Leung, PE, TE

I am honored to be selected as a candidate for International Director to represent the Western District. It has been a privilege to serve on the District Board for the past three years and to continue as your Western District Past President this year. Throughout my time on the District Board, I have focused on expanding our student and young professional initiatives and enhancing the member experience through improved communications.

I have been involved with ITE since co-founding UC Berkeley’s Cal ITE student chapter in 2008 and have served as Cal ITE President, SF Bay ITE President, the 2019 District Annual Meeting LAC Co-Chair, the District’s Student Funding and Initiatives Committee Chair, and Western District President. I currently serve as the Professional Liaison to the Cal ITE student chapter. I am proud to have been recognized for my dedication and contributions to the transportation profession with the following awards:
– ITE International Young Leaders to Follow – 2022
– ITE International Rising Star Program Award – 2017
– ITE Western District Young Professional Achievement Award – 2017
– SF Bay ITE Professional of the Year – 2017

I am familiar with the ITE Board of Direction and have had the opportunity to serve on International committees focused on students and young professionals, including the Younger Member Committee since 2017 and the Student Engagement at Meetings Committee’s Traffic Bowl Reimagined Task Force last year.

ITE inspired me to start the Cal ITE chapter and solidified my path into the transportation profession. I hope to continue giving back to this organization by advocating for programs to support the next generation of engineers and planners and to help ITE continue to grow and provide value for our members. I am
personally passionate about the development and mentorship of students and young professionals and will continue championing these initiatives as an International Director.

I am the Acting Livable Streets Director at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, where I manage our city’s programs for bicycle and pedestrian capital improvements, traffic calming, bikeshare, and school crossing guards. I am grateful that the SFMTA fully supports my longstanding commitment to
ITE. I hope to have your continued support and the opportunity to serve the Western District as an International Director for the next three years.

Joe de la Garza, PE, TE

I am honored and grateful to be nominated from my home section of San Diego to be a candidate to serve and represent the Western District membership as an International Director on ITE’s International Board of Directors.  I am also grateful to the Western District Board for accepting my nomination and their confidence in me to represent the Western District.

I have been actively involved in ITE for over 30 years and I can personally say that the benefits of being involved and serving at multiple levels, greatly outweigh the volunteer time that I have devoted to ITE.  From sitting behind a table checking membership at events to being a part of the Western District Board, each time I put on my ITE hat, I still feel connected and inspired by the community of transportation professionals that make up this great organization.  I have held many positions in my home San Diego Section, including President 2001. I first started my journey with the Western District Board in 2011 when I became the membership committee chair and has continued through 2023 with the last four years on the Western District Board.  I have also had the great opportunity to be the Local Arrangements Committee Chair for the 2017 Western District Annual meeting in San Diego where I was able to meet and interact with may Western District members.

I have devoted my professional career to transportation and now as a Senior Vice President at WSP USA, Inc., I still find myself excited and interested in transportation and continue to find new ways to plan, design and ultimately make communities better.  I continue to receive ITE mentorship from some amazing people and following them to the International Board is a great responsibility.  As a Western District International Director, I will continue to listen, engage, and collaborate with the ITE International Board of Direction to enhance our ITE experience and continue to make ITE not only the largest international transportation-focused professional trade organization but also the premier organization for our profession.  Keep volunteering and keep up the great work! I look forward to your vote!

Cameron Shew, PE, TE

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about me and my candidacy for Secretary-Treasurer. My ITE leadership experience includes 2 years at the student chapter level, 4 years at the Northern California Section level, and 5 years at the Western District level. I have served as the Western District Website Manager since 2019, and am also the current Local Arrangements Committee (LAC) Chair for the upcoming Annual Meeting this summer in Sacramento. I believe my previous and current ITE service has prepared me well for this position, and there is a lot that I would like to accomplish. My top priorities are:

1. Supporting Sections: Many sections are still resetting and rebuilding post-pandemic. Listening to discussions between section reps, I heard a lot of commonalities around their challenges. By sharing ideas, approaches, and resources, I know it’s possible for struggling sections to become thriving sections.
2. Promoting ITE Membership: ITE must stay relevant in a changing world and maintain its status as the organization of choice. The value proposition of membership comes from ITE’s trusted reputation for providing high quality, timely technical content for all transportation professionals, and access to programming, events, an online community, and publications.
3. Student and Young Professional Initiatives: Our investment in student and career guidance initiatives fills a critical mentoring and training gap, and feeds a pipeline for ITE’s next generation of leaders.  I will look for additional opportunities for young members to volunteer and serve in leadership roles at the local and district levels.

I am a licensed Civil and Traffic Engineer in the State of California, and serve the Sacramento County Department of Transportation (SacDOT) as a Principal Civil Engineer, where I oversee the Transportation Planning and Development Services group. I am grateful for my employer’s strong support of ITE, and am fully prepared to take on the responsibilities and time commitment required for this position. If you would like to learn more about me and my candidacy, I encourage you to visit my campaign website.

I would also love to hear from you: How can the Western District make your membership or leadership experience better? Thank you for the opportunity to earn your vote and give back to this great organization.  I hope to see you this summer in Sacramento!