Creating more support for professional women.
One of RETTEW’s transportation engineers is helping to spearhead a new chapter of WTS, an organization dedicated to advancing professional women in the transportation industry.
Juli Wolfe, Senior Project Manager, is one of five women partnering together to start a chapter in the Lehigh Valley, which encompasses Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton, PA.
WTS has chapters in Philadelphia and Harrisburg, which are more than 60 and 80 miles away, respectively. It’s hard for women living and working in the Lehigh Valley to maintain active participation in those chapters.
“Having a local chapter of WTS to promote women in the transportation industry in that region would be extremely beneficial,” Juli said.
The Lehigh Valley is home to a number of major transportation resources, such as an international airport, a public transit system, and several academic institutions. Transportation agencies in the area include the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation District 5-0 headquarters, several Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission facilities, and the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission. The region also has an Amazon fulfillment and warehousing center and a new FedEx ground hub.
Juli and the other women launching this chapter have the support of Leslie Richards, Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Transportation, and personnel from the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission.
A chapter will help provide access to top leaders in the industry, build programs with provocative topics, and provide networking and mentoring opportunities.
Kudos to Juli for taking on this responsibility, and for helping to support women professionals in the local region!