December 2020 Newsletter
Notes from the YPC Chair
Hi YPC Members and Friends of YPC,
2020 has been an interesting year for everyone. I know if I hear the term ‘these difficult times’ one more time, I’m going to scream, but it really has been full of challenges and obstacles. This year, YPC intended to host their very first YPC day at the April Tech Summit, which was unfortunately cancelled. We also hoped to kick off some in-person local events that we were unable to host. However, instead of focusing on the things that did not happen, lets focus on this year’s successes.
The YPC kicked off 3 new initiatives in 2020, and set up Subcommittees who will provide programming focusing on these initiatives- Community, Networking, and Education. These subcommittees have been hard at work creating content, and our first IBTTA Sponsored Networking Webinar will be held on December 14 – check the Events section for more details! We also hosted a virtual Meetup during the Annual Meeting where we got a chance to hear your suggestions and ideas for moving forward. Additionally, we kicked off our Community forum by creating a Discord Server where we welcome open communication and conversation. In October we kicked off our initial YPC Lunch Social, which we will begin hosting on a monthly basis starting in January. Finally, we just started a Book Club, which you can join by going to the ‘book club’ channel on Discord.
We are really looking forward to what 2021 will bring. If you have any ideas, concerns, or questions, I’m always just a DM or an email away!
Chelsea Scheid
2020-2021 YPC Chair
YPC Member Spotlight
Heather Henck
Q: Where do you work and how long have you worked there?
A: I work for RK&K in their headquarters in Baltimore, MD. I’ve worked for RK&K for 18 years (I’m starting to feel not so “young” anymore!).
Q: What is your current role?
A: I am a manager in the Traffic Department, which includes our toll practice. My background is in traffic engineering, providing traffic studies, traffic control device design, electrical design, and ITS device design services to clients along the east coast. About 2.5 years ago, I transitioned into RK&K’s toll practice, participating in studies to convert facilities to all-electronic tolling, design of roadside toll system infrastructure, and design/implementation support services for roadside and back-office system conversions. I still oversee traffic engineering projects, but my main focus currently is assisting the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) with their transition to new roadside and CSC contractors.
Q: Tell us about your favorite project that you have worked on be it at your current or a prior role.
A: For the past 15 years, I provided on-site staff support to the Maryland State Highway Administration’s Traffic Policy and Management Team. It’s given me the opportunity to shape work zone safety policies and processes in Maryland, including the development of Maryland’s Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) program in work zones. ASE has many parallels to the tolling world, including roadside technology, violation processing, and customer service. I’ve been engaged in Maryland’s ASE program from initial legislation in 2009 to program development to present-day program operations. It’s been very rewarding to see the safety benefits of the program and to have it be a model for other states looking to implement similar enforcement programs.
Q: What’s one thing either industry related or not that you learned in the last month?
A: Stickers on fruit are edible…kinda/not really. I have many friends with kids virtual learning from home who send me all sorts of interesting facts they are learning from their kids. Today’s fun facts were “There is a bridge over a road in the Netherlands that is only for squirrels and stickers on fruit are edible”. Having designed a toll road with a wildlife tunnel, I totally bought into the idea of a squirrel bridge, but eating the stickers on fruit? Ewe. The internet has a myriad of accounts that the paper and glue are both edible, but they seem to be mostly bogus. Eating one probably won’t harm you, but it’s not going to make that apple taste any better.
The squirrel bridge tale is true and they have them in the US, Belgium, France, Germany and UK, too.
Q: What do you like to do when you are not in the office?
A: In my free time, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, going to the theater, yoga, skiing, and relaxing at the lake or the beach. Pandemic hobbies have included lots of walking (need that fresh air), puzzles and growing my first tomato plants. Random fun fact – for the past few years, I have developed marshmallow peep art with my best friend for a local “PeepShow” held around Easter time. Our peep art has won awards!
YPC Book Club
Join with other professionals to discuss books covering a range of topics from mobility to business theory to changing technology, and more! There are options on the site to submit book suggestions and books are selected via poll.
Discussion
The meetings will be created on Discord book club channel and take place every 2 weeks.
Current Book: The Management Myth: Debunking Modern Business Philosophy
By Matthew Stewart
Get it at Amazon or BookClubz.com.
Upcoming meetings:
Dec 18, 2020 02:00 PM – 03:00 PM – EST (UTC-05:00)
Jan 08, 2021 02:00 PM – 03:00 PM – EST (UTC-05:00)
Jan 22, 2021 02:00 PM – 03:00 PM – EST (UTC-05:00)
YPC Subcommittees – Get Involved!
The Young Professionals Council has multiple subcommittees eager for your participation! If you are interested in Education, Networking, Community, Finance or Communications, you can learn more or join the subcommittees here.
Events
Learn more about upcoming YPC and IBTTA events here.
December 14: The YPC Presents: Meet the IBTA Leaders. Get Involved. Make a Difference!
Join us for a fun, engaging event, designed by the IBTTA Young Professionals Council. Come meet your IBTTA colleagues and learn more about the work of important committees, councils, task forces and meeting planning groups. Leaders of many of these groups will speak about their particular missions, accomplishments and plans for 2021. This is a great time to learn more about IBTTA’s governance structure, to ask questions and to understand how to participate.
IBTTA Is YOUR Community! Getting involved is the best way to enhance your membership experience. Come and learn about all the possibilities! Learn more and register here.
December 7: Managing Your Career with Intentionality
We are living in an unpredicatable world right now. Job security is important. Managing your career is always important and is imperative in our changing, uncertain, and hard-to-predict market conditions. Let us offer some thoughts and tools to guide your efforts. Learn more and register here.
December 20: YPC Gaming Social
Join your YPC peers in playing Jackbox Trivia games, as well as Among Us. Mark your calendars now and look for further info on Discord in the near future!
Chat With Us!
Join the YPC Discord Channel.
