ITE Journal - June 2021 - 27

Illinois Section
of ITE (ILITE)
Great Lakes District
Membership
347 members

The I-90 (Jane Adams) Expressway SmartRoad
facility tour hosted by ILITE in 2018.

the year, providing a shared venue for
attendees to view webinars presented by
ITE, the Transportation Research Board,
the Federal Highway Administration, the
National Association of City Transportation
Officials, and other national organizations, all
while receiving PDHs.
The Section also organizes quarterly afterhours social events to provide members with
an opportunity network and blow off steam.
Members meet at local social establishments
to enjoy drinks, appetizers, and just hang out
with colleagues. One of the Section's hallmark events is the annual Golf Outing where
members and non-members can share a
fun-filled day of 18 holes of golf in scramble
format. The day concludes with a lunch
and awards presentation. Sponsorships and
proceeds go to fund the Section's student
scholarship program for the year.
The Illinois ITE Section played a significant role in planning the 2020 Virtual
Midwestern and Great Lakes Districts Annual
meeting, in addition to the cancelled
in-person meeting planned for Chicago,
IL, USA. Significant effort was put forth
to convert the in-person event to a fully
digital experience, and the 2020 Virtual

Screengrab from the 2021 LeadershipITE
virtual program.

Leadership
President - Jenna Brose, P.E., PTOE (M)
Vice President - Tom Szabo, RSP1, TOPS, TSOS (M)
Secretary - Monica Shei, P.E., PTOE (M)
Treasurer - Katelyn Bleach, P.E. (M)
Past President and Section Representative - Josh Harris, P.E., PTOE (M)
Committee Members
Activities Group - Justin Effinger, P.E. (M), Karyn Robles, AICP (M)
Technical Group - Andrew Freeman, P.E., PTOE (M)
Student Affairs Group - Patrick Jordan (M)
Public Affairs Group - Ashley Hochstatter, P.E., PTOE (M)
Operations Group - Curtis Cornwell, P.E., PTOE (M)

Communications/Social Media Efforts

Illinois ITE prides itself on remaining connected to its local membership through a variety of methods:
the ITE Illinois Section website, email, social media, and Items, its quarterly electronic newsletter. In the
past few years, ILITE has boosted its LinkedIn group members and engagement, and increased activity
on the Job Postings portion of the ILITE website. For three consecutive years from 2017-2019, the Illinois
Section was the recipient of the District/Section Communication Award from the Midwestern District. The
purpose of the award was to " recognize the District or Section that during a calendar year most effectively
communicates with its membership through innovative approaches and the effective use of media. "
ILITE has used this momentum to continue its member communications throughout COVID-19,
and all meetings transitioned to a virtual setting. The Section continues to use Constant Contact for
membership announcements and is now well versed in hosting Zoom webinars. As a result, webinar
attendance has significantly increased in the past year. Recently, ILITE released a membership survey to
gather feedback. The Section typically releases a membership survey every few years to keep an accurate
pulse on its membership's opinions, and takes their feedback into account to improve member retention.

Special Awards

ILITE awards two student scholarships,
one student paper award, and three
Section awards annually during the
Section's Annual Awards Banquet in
January. These awards include:
Undergraduate Scholarship
Graduate Scholarship
Student Paper Award
Outgoing Past President Award
Outstanding Member Award
John LaPlante Past President's
Award: This award was recently
named in memory of John LaPlante
The new ILITE board poses at the 2019 Annual Banquet.
who passed away in early 2020 from
COVID-19. John was a tireless advocate for the transportation industry and promoted Complete Streets
and safety for bicyclists and pedestrians. By challenging the status quo, he had a deep impact on our
community in Illinois and the transportation industry while working well into his 70s. His knowledge and
mentorship will be missed.
w w w .i t e.or g

J u ne 2021

http://www.ite.org

ITE Journal - June 2021

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