Voting for Board

How to Vote:

1. Log in to GAITE’s webpage through the member area link in the top right or CLICK HERE
2. Click on “Surveys” under the Member Area Menu to the left
3. Click “Take Survey” under the 2027 GAITE Board Voting or CLICK HERE
4. Select your choice for the vacant positions
5. Click Submit

Official voting for the Georgia Section ITE Board Members : 

Up for Election in 2027, one spot for each position:

- President Nominee: Bill Ruhsam

Bill Ruhsam, PE, PTOE, RSP1 is a transportation engineer with Michael Baker International with a specialty in traffic engineering. He works mainly in Georgia and the southeast region and has been a member of ITE since 2004. He lives in Cobb County with his wife, daughter, and two cats.

As President, Bill plans to strengthen the broad and diverse list of ITE Georgia Section activities by increasing the involvement of members in leadership positions across the organization. On a yearly basis, the Section completes a number of activities that are the envy of every other section throughout ITE. We are capable of this only through the support and engagement of our volunteers. Bill’s presidency will ensure this highly-sought-after position is maintained and the leadership pipeline through our committees, councils, and board is thoroughly staffed. If you are a current leader at any level within ITE Georgia, thank you. If you are not, why not? There are plenty of opportunities. 

- Vice President Nominee: Elizabeth Shin

Elizabeth Shin, PE is transportation engineer at Toole Design. Her work focuses on multimodal design and safety projects leading from planning to construction. She has been an active member of ITE since 2016. She has been a mentee and mentor for the GAITE Mentorship Program, graduate and co-leader for the GAITE Leadership Program. Elizabeth served as the co-chair for Winter Workshop in 2025. She was the co-chair for the GAITE Young Members Committee, restarting the committee in 2023, until 2025. She continues to serve at the Southern District and International level on their Young Member Committees. In 2021, GAITE recognized Elizabeth as the Marsha Anderson Bomar Young Member of the Year. 

As Vice President, Elizabeth plans to bring her perspective as a transportation professional working across planning, design and safety to technical content that reflects the full range of our work. She will also support the Technical Programs Council, Winter Workshop and Summer Seminar in delivering relevant, engaging technical programming throughout the year.

- Secretary Treasurer Nominees (2):

1. Andrew Park:

Very appreciative of being nominated for Secretary Treasurer! This role is the critical cog to drive timely engagement and involvement to operate as an outstanding section, which has been a major focus of mine within GAITE over the past few years. My responsibilities setting up trainings and leading Summer Seminar helped me connect with many more members of ITE and help elevate others to showcase their successes. Bringing people together has been very rewarding and I hope to continue doing so in this role!

Bio: Andrew Park, PE is the Traffic Engineering Department Manager with HNTB. Daily responsibilities include traffic engineering, planning, and technology support while keeping up with two kids 3 and under. Andrew has been an active GAITE member since moving to Georgia in 2015. ITE involvement in recent years includes serving as the planning committee training chair and leading the 2026 Summer Seminar as conference chair.

 2. Raul Viera:

I’m deeply honored and thankful to be nominated for the position of Secretary-Treasurer. I look forward to continuing to serve GAITE in this role should I be elected. GAITE has played a pivotal role in both my professional and personal life and my primary goal will be to continue creating and fostering the professional development of our membership in alignment with the mission and purpose of our Section. GAITE sets the standard for all sections internationally and we are charged with not only maintaining that standard set forth by those before us but with continuing to raise it through our involvement, innovation, and ingenuity. Again, thank you for the nomination and consideration for the position of Secretary-Treasurer.

Bio: Raul K. Viera, PE is a graduate of Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA and has worked in the transportation/traffic engineering industry since 2019 serving in various roles for the Georgia Department of Transportation up to his current role as a State Traffic Operations Lead Engineer in the Office of Traffic Operations. He is a dedicated member of GAITE and has held numerous leadership positions; most notably 2026 Winter Workshop Chair, 2025 Winter Workshop Technical Committee Chair, and 2025 Leadership Program Co-Chair. Raul is also a graduate of both the GAITE Leadership Program (2023) and the GAITE Mentorship Program (2024). In 2025, GAITE recognized Raul as the Marsha Anderson-Bomar Young Member of the Year for his significant contributions to the section and transportation profession.

- District Representative Nominees (2):

1. John Karnowski:

John Karnowski, P.E., PTOE, AICP is a graduate of Georgia Tech. He started his career with the City of Roswell in 1988 and in consulting in 1994. He is the National Director for Traffic Services for NV5, a publicly-traded firm. He’s been an active member of ASHE, ACEC-GA, ITS GA, ITS Carolinas, and both the Georgia Section and North Carolina Sections of ITE – having served as the Georgia Section President in 2012 and on many committees over the years. John is the husband of Peggy, father of one son, who also works at NV5, and two daughters; but, he’s most known for his shameless photobombing of his two grandchildren at inappropriate times.

Statement: Many people in ITE believe that I can’t be serious – that I’m always trying to make a joke. But the truth is I have serious beliefs. For example, I seriously believe that no one can say, “no” to Christy Jeon when she asks you to run for District Representative. (Right, Robinson?). I seriously believe bleu cheese is an abomination under God… it is moldy mold… gross! And, I seriously believe that GA ITE is by far the best ITE Section in the known galaxy and has a responsibility to spread the gospel of technical and social excellence to the rest of the Southern District. See? Serious.

2. Robinson Nicol:

Hello ITE Georgia! I am honored to be nominated for the role of District Representative for our section and respectfully ask for your support in the upcoming election. Throughout my career, I have valued the collaboration, knowledge sharing, and professional growth that ITE fosters within Georgia’s transportation community. If elected, I will advocate for our members, strengthen communication between the Georgia Section and the broader ITE organization, and support opportunities for professional development and engagement. I am committed to representing your interests, promoting innovative transportation solutions, and helping our Section continue to grow and thrive.

Bio: Robinson has been an active member of Georgia Section ITE since 2006 and has demonstrated a longstanding commitment to the organization through leadership, mentorship, and technical contributions. Beginning with the Technical Committee in 2015, he helped organize webinars, support paper competitions, contribute Traffic Bowl questions, and later served as Technical Committee Chair, leading initiatives such as management training for the Mentorship Program, a technical tour of the Northwest Corridor project, and the creation of the Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAV) subcommittee. He went on to serve as Technical Chair for the 2019 Summer Seminar and Conference Chair for the 2020 Summer Seminar, delivering record GDOT involvement, record attendance, enhanced networking opportunities, and the section’s first-ever virtual annual conference. Robinson continued his service as Board Liaison, Vice President, President, and Past President, focusing on leadership development, knowledge sharing, the Georgia Section’s 60th anniversary celebration, and the establishment of a young member committee. Professionally, he is a Senior Technical Advisor and Practice Lead at HNTB with extensive traffic engineering experience, and personally enjoys spending time with his wife Beth and their three children while remaining passionate about giving back to the engineering profession through ITE.

- Board Member at Large (2):

1. Tyler Martin:

Hey there GAITE members! My name is Tyler Martin and I have worked at Jacobs as a traffic engineer for over 10 years now. I primarily work on traffic operations projects (shoutout to SigOps!) and signal/fiber design projects. My favorite part of my job is seeing the results of a well-executed retiming project. There’s nothing like riding down a corridor and experiencing how weeks of background work can prevent future road rage from thousands of drivers. In my free time, I love to camp and travel with my friends and family. I grew up in Blairsville, GA so I try to escape to the mountains as much as possible to remind myself what a road looks like with one traffic signal every ten miles. I’m also a DIY-fanatic and have been renovating my home in Cobb County for the past 5 years now.

As for this board position, I’m still trying to figure out who nominated me; whoever you are, thank you! I have been a part of GAITE since 2016. I started off as a member of the Technical Committee, eventually serving as Technical Committee Chair and now the Technical Exchange Chair. I have organized/helped organize the Technical Exchange for the past five years with the help of some amazing colleagues. Before helping with the Technical Exchange, I organized the Technical Paper Competition, which eventually morphed into the Technical Challenge. I have also been involved in the Leadership Program, Welcoming Committee, and Summer Seminar Technical Committee. In professional settings, I always strive to include every person in the room in the conversation. As engineers, it is our duty to break old stereotypes by communicating effectively and empathetically and I hope to bring that mindset to the GAITE board.

2. Kaitlyn Stewart (Click here for Bio)

I am honored to be considered for the ITE Board Member at Large position. My career in traffic operations, along with my extensive involvement in ITE, has reinforced my commitment to advancing our profession and supporting the next generation of transportation leaders.

Since 2019, I have steadily deepened my engagement with ITE through a variety of technical, leadership, and service roles. I was recognized as the 2019 Traffic Engineer of the Future and competed on the Georgia Tech Traffic Bowl Team. After transitioning from student to professional, I became involved in the Leadership Program, Mentorship Program, Scholarship Committee, and Young Member Committee. I later had the privilege of chairing the Leadership Program, Mentorship Program, and Scholarship Committee. Most recently, I served as the Professional Development Council Chair, supporting and elevating several of these key committees. I have also enjoyed contributing to ITE conferences by serving on committees and presenting at Winter Workshop, Summer Seminar, and the Southern District Meeting.

These experiences have shaped my dedication to mentorship, technical excellence, and expanding opportunities for all members. I would be grateful for your support.

Not up for Election:
- District Representative (seat 2) - Held by Sam Harris