WTS CT Fall 2021 Newsletter

Fall 2021

Newsletter

In this issue: • DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION • ROAD EATS • WOMEN IN GOLF • HEALTH & WELLNESS MONTH • PANDEMIC PETS • MEMBERSHIP SPOTLIGHT • SCHOLARSHIP AWARD APPLICATIONS

There are still two days left (Oct. 14 and 21) of the Virtual TMS and there’s still time to register! Register here

CHAPTER VISION: OFFER A WTS CHAPTER THAT PROVIDES EXCEPTIONAL BENEFITS TO ITS MEMBERS IN THE AREAS OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, CAREER SUPPORT, MENTORSHIP, AND STUDENT OUTREACH; OFFERS LEADERSHIP, EDUCATIONAL, AND NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES; ADVANCES WOMEN IN THE TRANSPORTATION INDUSTRY; AND STRIVES TO FUNCTION IN AN ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE MANNER, WITH INTEGRITY AND A COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY.

ROAD EATS

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Kenya Rutland, Principal and Chief Enthusiasm Officer, KJR Consulting and Steph Bogue, WTS-CT Diversity & Membership Chair

WTS-CT worked with local Girl Scout Troops to host a virtual event for girls ages 7-12 called “Road Eats.” Board members provided a 45-minute session covering the basics of Civil Engineering and “How As- phalt is Made.” The girls took a fun quiz on what makes a good engineer, watched a short video and then made “No-Bake Asphalt Cookies.” The process of making the cookies mimicked the pro- cess used to make asphalt. Girls put in as much or as little of the provided ingredients as desired. The girls then com- pared their “asphalt cookies” and talked about how adding too much or too little of cer- tain ingredients affected the cookie. By participating in this event, the Girl Scouts were able to earn an Engineering Fun Patch.

May 11, 2021

April 8, 2021

June 9, 2021

August 10, 2021

Coffee & Conversations Following the success of the first session in the DEI Series, the Diversity & Membership Committee realized a fo- llow-up event would be be- neficial to continue the con- versation. With a total of 12 attendees, participants were able to enage in an active discussion. The group shared experiences and strategies that can be applied in daily life. Overall, the conversa- tions emphasized the impor- tance of having a continuous dialogue for these topics.

DEI Session 1: Inclusive Leadership

DEI Session 2: Navigating Bias in the Workplace This session explained how the 20 types of cognitive bias directly impact people’s thin- king, decision making, and encouraged participants to reflect on their existing bia- ses. Participants learned how these can result in different types of microaggressions and the impact they have on indi- viduals. The 55 attendees were placed in breakout groups, each with a different case study, and took a closer look at the systematic biases woven into the example scenario. This session also shared micro-in- tervention strategies to use when addressing bias.

This first session of the DEI Series was focused on inclu- sive leadership in the wor- kplace. With a total of 48 at- tendees, participants learned about the six traits of inclusi- ve leadership and worked to understand the significance of our individual leaders- hip shadow. The breakout groups allowed participants to share their perspectives and encouraged everyone to reflect on how they can apply these leadership stra- tegies.

WTS-CT Student Outreach Committee

Diversity is a fact. Equity is a choice. Inclusion is an action. Belonging is an outcome. - Arthur Chan

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Pandemic Pets ADDING FURRY MEMBERS TO THE FAMILY SINCE WE’RE ALL AT HOME ALL THE TIME ANYWAY

Meet Me at the Tee: Women in Golf Looking for a new hobby? Look no farther than your local golf course. Golfing is a fun, outdoor, social, exercise activity that could also advance your career!

Boise (Amanda

Marino) is a 9-month-old Border Collie who was born on a farm in Idaho. He is extremely intelligent, friendly, energetic, and loves to go hiking and play fetch.

“An estimated 90% of fortune 500 CEOs play golf. According to Barrons, one quarter of the 25 million golfers in the U.S. are top management executives. The one problem is, not enough women are getting in on this great opportunity. Golfing is all about networking. Whether it be bonding with new clients or quality one- on-one time with upper management, that time on the course (and potentially drinks after) can be priceless in your career. Accor- ding to the Barron’s survey, 80% of golfers believe it is an important business develop- ment tool.”

Sully (Caroline Cianni) was adopted at 4 months old from One More Dog Rescue, a local CT rescue orga - nization. He is a Lab-Husky-Great Pyrenees mix and loves eating anything and everything: sticks, rabbit poop, asphalt chunks, dead birds, etc.

Source: PGA.com, Six Great Reasons Why Women Should Play Golf

Health & Wellness Month Rachana Shivaswamy (CDM Smith) was the lucky recipient of the WTS-CT Health & Wellness Month prize. The basket included: basket/ice tub, Float Forty-One gift card, candle, matches, face mask, eye gels, linen spray, hand cream, mask refreshing mist, body wash-infused buffer, shower aromathe- rapy bar, and a WTS Yeti tumbler. They’re all from local businesses, especially Good Cause Gifts which supports people in the state with disabilities.

Roxie, Denali, and Milo (Katie Klose). Katie may have a problem at this point...

Murphy (Steph Bogue) was res- cued from a shelter in Texas in December 2020. She’s a 1-year-old Hound mix who loves peanut but- ter and playing frisbee at the park.

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Getting Involved

Scholarship Award Applications

Membership Spotlight How long have you been a member of WTS? I joined WTS in the fall of

meone home who is always excited to see you! I have three golden retrievers, Roxie (4 years old), Denali (9 mon- ths), Rosie (11 weeks), and one tabby cat Teddy (4 years old). Our first golden Acadia (pictured) passed away in a collar related accident in January 2021, please check out break-away collars for your pets. What is your favorite part about working in transpor- tation? After a project is comple- te and built, I always enjoy hearing comments from the public when they notice the difference in their commu- nity! Who or what inspires you? Brianna Maljanian, CTDOT, has always inspired me to be my best self. She was my mentor while we attended Worcester Polytechnic Ins- titute (WPI... Go Tech!) and we were in the same sorority, Alpha Phi. To this day we still talk, and both serve on the CT Society of Civil Engineers board!

2016! WTS is a great organi- zation that promotes women in transportation. It has a wide reach of members in- cluding engineers, planners, administrators, managers, legislators, and the public! What does a typical work- day look like for you? Working with my team on various traffic impact studies and corridor studies. Do you have any influences - whether that be a person, place, or experience - that sparked your interest in the transportation field? Interning with the BL Com- panies CTDOT CLE team sparked my interest into the transportation field. I enjo- yed working closely with the DOT and other consultants reviewing plans, reports and conducting field visits. What’s one thing you can’t live without and why? I couldn’t live without my fur-babies. No matter what kind of day you have, you always know there is so-

Name: Katie Klose, RSP1 Title: Project Engineer Company: BL Companies WTS Connecticut Treasurer CSCE Younger Members Group President ASCE Committee on Younger Members - - - - - -

We are pleased to announce the opening of the 2021 WTS Scholarship Awards applications! WTS Connecticut awards high school through graduate program scholarships to women who are pur- suing careers in transportation. The scholarships are competitive and based on the applicant’s spe- cific transportation goals, academic record and transportation-related activities or job skills. Applica- tions are due on December 1, 2021 -- more information can be found here.

What is one tip you would give to someone in our in- dustry? Don’t underestimate your value on a team and speak up when you have an idea to share. How do you enjoy your time outside the office? I enjoy traveling and being outdoors! My husband, fa- ther-in-law and I started sec- tion hiking the Appalachian Trail with a goal of hiking the entire trail.

For additional information, please contact Shivani Mahajan and Karina Massey

There are still two days left (Oct. 14 and 21) of the Virtual TMS and there’s still time to register! Register here

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