 |
| Scott Mohler ITS Georgia President |
ITS Georgia is fortunate to have had quality leadership
since its inception from the late Wayne Shackelford as founding chairman to my
immediate predecessor, Marion Waters. Marion has been a model President for the
past two years, and I want to extend an enormous thank you for all of his hard
work and dedication to the betterment of ITS Georgia. His leadership in ITS Georgia and in the ITS
industry are invaluable, and I’m thankful that Marion will remain a member of
the Board during my presidency.
I also want to thank outgoing board members Marwan Abboud
and Ron Boodhoo, and the new and returning officers and directors who are listed
below.
2012 and Beyond –
Over the next two years we plan on turning our mission and
goals into facts and accomplishments.
Our Mission: Promote and educate
people about ITS and encourage incorporation of ITS into transportation
projects.
Our Goals:
- Provide forums to share and coordinate ITS Georgia member missions and experiences
- Educate our members on national directions and technologies
- Develop a broader ITS constituency
- Educate policy makers on benefits of continued operations and maintenance and how ITS can help
We did a great job in 2011 on Goals
1 and 2 and an okay job on Goal 3. In 2012, we will continue to provide our
members with forums to network and learn about new technologies and lessons
learned from our colleagues from around the state and the nation. We also plan on reaching out to new member
organizations and to increase participation from existing members, especially
younger associates and students.
Goal 4 has been a challenge and we
need to do more to get decision makers to understand the benefits of ITS
solutions and the value they bring to state and local transportation
infrastructure. To reach Goal 4, we are teaming with the Georgia Section
Institute of Transportation Engineers and the TIME Task Force in a cross-organizational
Public Officials Education Committee which I will chair. We plan on conducting a training class on the
benefits of ITS with county officials in April at the Association County
Commissioners of Georgia Annual Meeting.
GDOT’s Todd Long has agreed to be the instructor for this class. We think that is a good start. Next are city and state decision makers.
On an organizational level, we plan
on increasing chapter revenue so we can continue to fund scholarships and
provide our membership with access to the latest in ITS technology and forums
for networking and professional growth.
We also plan on expanding our membership outside the reach of our
typical members to include the growing number of automotive and high tech
companies in Georgia that provide traveler and fleet information.
In addition to providing
scholarships to students studying ITS, we plan on increasing their involvement
in chapter activities to facilitate networking and learn more about potential
employers in the area to keep and attract talent to Georgia.
As always, our monthly and annual
meetings will be packed with outstanding speakers and topics in 2012. We’ll
learn about everything from how ITS solutions help move millions of tons of
cargo in and out of Georgia’s ports to creative funding opportunities, how well
our products and services stack up and what the future holds from our excellent
research institutions.
Please visit our web site (www.ITSGA.org) for information about our monthly meetings
for 2012.
