By Kimberly Leung, P.E., T.E., Western District President

I had the pleasure of attending the Western District Student Leadership Summit at the end of February. Congratulations to the USC, UC Irvine, and Cal State Fullerton student chapters for hosting such a successful event, and a big thank you to the professionals who supported the event during that unprecedented stormy weekend in Southern California. 14 student chapters, including two from outside of the Western District, were in attendance, and I know that everyone appreciated the opportunity to finally meet in-person despite the rainy weather. I had the opportunity to speak at the SLS’s opening ceremony to share about the District’s student initiatives, including our MiteY mentorship program, Student Leadership Council, student awards, and career guidance resources. I look forward to seeing many of these future leaders at more ITE events, including this summer’s ITE Joint International and Western District Annual Meeting in Portland.

Continue to check your e-mails and the Annual Meeting website for more details about District-oriented events that will be taking place in Portland. For Western District members, please join us for our Family Night event on the evening of Monday, August 14^th and our Annual Business Meeting on the morning of Tuesday, August 15^th. For our Young Members, please plan to arrive early to participate in the Kell Competition, MiteY Race, and Student Awards Session & Young Member Social on Saturday, August 12^th. We will also be holding a Career Guidance Session on Monday, August 14^th.

The 2023 Western District elections are underway! We are pleased to announce Josh McNeill, PE, TE and Ryan Zellers, PE, TE as our Secretary/ Treasurer candidates and Peter Koonce, PE as our International Director candidate. Learn more about our candidates through their introductory videos and candidate statements. ITE International has also announced the winners of their recent elections. The Western District would like to extend our congratulations to John Davis P.E., PTOE, RSP1 (F) and Karen Aspelin, P.E., PTOE (F) on their elections as 2024 International President and Vice President, respectively.

The Western District is seeking volunteers to join our WesternITE Editorial Committee! This committee oversees all aspects of publishing the District’s monthly electronic newsletter and semiannual WesternITE. Members of the WesternITE Editorial Committee play a major role in overseeing and maintaining communications with all Western District’s members! Learn more about this committee here.