Happy new year! I hope everyone was able to connect with family and loved ones over the holidays, one way or another.

As of January 1, 2021, the Western District Board begins a new term. I welcome and look forward to working with all our new Section Representatives and Officers. The heavy lifting with regard to OneITE/new Western District is behind us thanks to the dedicated efforts of last year’s Board and we have an exciting year ahead.

The new year kicked off with the virtual 2021 Student Leadership Summit on January 15-17th, graciously hosted by the student chapter at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. As has been done for other Section meetings, the District was pleased to lend logistical support with use of our Zoom accounts for virtual meetings, including very well-received break out sessions for one-on-one resume reviews and mock interviews. I would like to extend a big thank you to our District Officers and professional members who participated by volunteering their time toward such a valuable and successful event for our student members.

The Western District will hold a virtual Mid-Year Board Meeting on January 29th. The meeting will include updates from all the District Officers, Committee Chairs, and Section Representatives regarding activities for their respective positions since the Annual Board Meeting in June 2020. Other notable topics for discussion include the nomination of candidates for awards and 2022 District Officers, planning for upcoming and future Annual Meetings, review of the ITE 2021 awards program, and open discussion with Section Representatives.

From February through April 2021, the Western District is also pleased to present a Joint Sections Webinar Series on Diversity and Inclusion. Registration is free to ITE members – see the Western District webpage for more info and registration.

As a reminder, the 2021 ITE Joint International and Western & Mountain Districts Annual Meeting is scheduled for July 18-21, 2021 in Portland, Oregon. The Western District LAC has been coordinating with ITE International to include planned District events in the schedule. Stay tuned for more info!

Giancarlo Ganddini
President, ITE Western District