Georgia ITE March 10 E-Blast 
Upcoming ITE Events and Webinars
March 17th: Come compete in a Mock Traffic Bowl to prepare Georgia Tech team for Southern District ITE competition. This event will be hosted at VHB’s office (1355 Peachtree St NE, Suite 420) from 6-7:30 pm.
March 19th: ITE Georgia March Monthly Meeting at Sandy Springs City Hall-Terrace Room with Dr. Ricardo Martinez- Emory University School of Medicine as the speaker! He will be presenting on the impacts of transportation policy on public health and safety of our public infrastructure. Registration is open.
March 19th: Happy Hour at Social Fox Brewing & Distillery, 5:30-7 pm.
March 20th: Mentorship applications are due!
March 25th: Young Member Trivia Night at Cultivation Brewing
April 1st: Scholarship applications open!
April 3rd: Safety Committee Meeting
Mid April: Spring Road Safety Audit (RSA) with Georgia Southern University (GSU). Look out for a formal call for volunteers in the coming month. RSAs with KSU and GT will be in the Fall.
Recent ITE Events
Last month, we held our first monthly meeting at Curiosity Labs with Edgardo Aponte as the speaker.
The Student Chapters and Young Members Committee were active with a Resume Workshop at KSU, Mock Interviews at GSU and a Port Authority Tour with GSU. YMC hosted its kickoff social at Your 3rd Spot.
This past weekend was filled with networking, idea sharing, and helping our industry continue building their engineering toolbox! The GA ITE/ASHE GA 16th annual Winter Workshop led by Raul Viera (ITE) and Kadi Smith & Ian Maxfield (ASHE) brought together a diverse set of presenters discussing topics ranging from Roadway Software, Traffic/Safety, Planning/Case Studies, and Communication/Soft Skills. Additionally, the Workshop included two distinguished keynote speakers, John Heath – 40+ year veteran Bridge Engineer and industry legend and Paul DeNard, District 7 Engineer who provided invaluable tools and insights gained over his nearly 20-year GDOT career. The Workshop also included a fun and exciting offsite social event this year filled with drinks, games, raffle prizes, and ping-pong tournament. Looking forward to the next Workshop!
Activities Committee
This month's social event for the Activities Committee will be a happy hour in downtown Norcross on March 19th from 5:30-7:00 pm at Social Fox Brewing & Distillery.
Address: 20 Skin Alley, Norcross, GA 30071
Website: https://www.socialfoxbrewing.com/
Young Members Committee (YMC)
Mock Traffic Bowl
March 17th is the Mock Traffic Bowl for GT Students at VHB’s downtown office (1355 Peachtree St NE, Suite 420) from 6-7:30pm – reach out to Anna Scheinbach ([email protected]) if you’re free to compete against the student team to help them prepare for Southern District!
Young Member Trivia Social
March 25th, 6:30-8:30pm Trivia Night at Cultivation Brewing in Norcross – trivia starts at 7pm, 650 Langford Dr, Norcross, GA, 30071. Registration will be free and posted soon! Day of event contact is George Curtis ([email protected])
Young Member Golf Outings
Reach out to Hayden Flechner ([email protected]) if you’re interested in YMC golf outings starting in early April! Our goal is to have a young member golf team for the annual ITE golf tournament!
Save the Date: YMC Atlanta United Game
Save the date for the annual YMC Atlanta United Game: May 9th at 7:30 pm. Registration for will be posted in mid-March. Stay tuned and reach out to Allison Groth ([email protected]) for more information!
Interested in YMC?
To learn more or get involved with this exciting group, reach out to George Curtis at [email protected] and Chris Gallien at [email protected].
Mentorship Program
The Georgia ITE Mentorship Program is designed to connect young professionals with experienced transportation professionals and leaders to accelerate growth. Through structured mentor-mentee matching and ongoing engagements, participants gain valuable career guidance, industry insights, and meaningful professional connections.
It is a seven-month program pairing young members with experienced industry mentors. Sessions will be at various locations around Metro Atlanta. The program is limited to eight participants.
Application Deadline: March 20, 2026.
Apply here: www.gaite.org/Mentorship_Program
Planning Committee
Interested in Transportation Data Tools and the City of Atlanta's Safety Program? ARC is offering two upcoming opportunities for you to learn more and get involved. If you want to learn more about these additional opportunities, please reach out to Kofi Wakhisi [email protected]
City of Atlanta Vision Zero
April 21, 2026 | 1-3 PM
229 Peachtree St, Atlanta, GA 30303
ARC's Harry West Board Room
This in-person session will feature the City of Atlanta, highlighting progress since the adoption and implementation of its Vision Zero Strategy, with a focus on outcomes relevant to active transportation and safety planning.
Safety Committee
Our first meeting will be on Friday April 3, 2026. In this meeting we plan to learn more about the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety task teams, analyze where our organizations share similar goals, and identify areas where we can work together and learn from one and other.
If you’d like to join the Safety Committee you may send a request through our webpage or email either Sarah ([email protected], [email protected])
Legislative Update
This past week marked Crossover Week, with lawmakers holding two committee workdays and convening for Legislative Days 26–28 to move bills before the Crossover deadline.
HB 1277 — Support
Raises the environmental review threshold to $200M and removes the design‑build cap, speeding up major GDOT projects and improving delivery efficiency.
SB 447 — Support
Creates strict 45‑day permitting deadlines with automatic approval for missed timelines, significantly accelerating local development and land‑disturbance approvals.
HB 812 — Support
Establishes a 45‑day initial review and 14‑day resubmittal shot clock to stop perpetual permit review cycles and reduce delays for construction starts.
SB 51 / HB 377 — Support
Extends Qualifications‑Based Selection to local governments, standardizing procurement statewide to prioritize expertise and reduce project risk.
HB 1342 — Reviewing
Authorizes GDOT to remove utilities causing project delays, addressing a major source of construction slowdowns but triggering industry opposition from utilities.
HB 1286 — Reviewing
Eliminates the Governor‑appointed GDOT Planning Director and shifts authority back to GDOT staff, altering internal planning and governance structure.
HB 1287 — Reviewing
Revises the selection process for the GDOT Commissioner, potentially reshaping leadership alignment and transportation policy direction.
SB 437 — Monitor
Tightens plan review timelines and expands virtual inspections for single‑family homes, modestly improving speed and predictability of residential permitting.
The GA ITE Legislative Committee will continue to monitor transportation related legislation throughout the 2026 session and provide updates as measures advance. Our focus remains on identifying potential impacts to transportation planning, design, operations, and safety.
If you have questions or would like to share insight on legislation relevant to transportation professionals, please contact Tim K. ([email protected])
Get to Know...
We want to introduce the new Council & Committee structure. Here are the Councils for ITE Georgia: Professional Development; Technical Programs; Events & Conferences; Student Engagement; Membership & Recognition; and Communications & Operations Council. In today's newsletter, we'll highlight the following Councils:
Professional Development Council
The Professional Development Council is comprised of the Mentorship Program, PeachTEA Podcast, Young Members Committee, Engineering Outreach Committee and Legislative Affairs Committee. Each of these groups is committed to enhancing professional skills and coordinating industry events that benefit GA ITE members.
The Mentorship Program is a 7 month long program where young individuals are paired with experienced mentors. The curriculum covers a wide range of technical and soft skills. The application deadline for this year’s program is March 20th, 2026. Questions about this program can be directed to Emily Wiseman ([email protected]) and Rahul Pasawala ([email protected]).
The PeachTEA Podcast can be listened to on YouTube and Spotify. You can listen to Kimari Duvvuri interview leaders in our industry about their career and impactful projects. If you are interested in editing and social media outreach, please reach out to Kumari ([email protected]) to get involved.
The Young Members Committee focus on professional development opportunities for GA ITE members 35 and under. There are regular events hosted by this committee such as socials, community service events and professional development. To learn more or get involved with this exciting group, reach out to George Curtis ([email protected]) and Chris Gallien ([email protected]).
The Engineering Outreach Committee spotlights and coordinates various industry events. They ensure membership is aware and involved in industry wide activities such as Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day. This event is put on by ACEC and will be on March 21st 2026. Reach out to Andrew Lewis ([email protected]) if you would like more information about this committee or would like to volunteer for an event.
The Legislative Affairs Committee tracks and keeps GA ITE members up to date on any legislative action that could impact members or our projects. If you would like to be involved with this committee, please reach out to Timothy King ([email protected]).
Student Engagement Council
The Student Engagement Council works with our Student Chapters and conducts the annual Traffic Bowl. Here are the point of contacts for Student Chapter Liaisons and Traffic Bowl:
- GSU - Teresa Macias [email protected];
- KSU - Kevin Nintin, [email protected];
- GT - Matteo Saracco, [email protected];
- UGA - Grant Tomlinson, [email protected];
- Traffic Bowl - Anna Scheinbach, [email protected];
Every semester this Council with support from the Young Members Committee hosts resume workshops or mock interviews with the Student Chapters. Resume workshops have now been completed this semester.
Upcoming events for the Fall will include speed networking and RSAs at GT and KSU.
The Council is working on more technical tours for students and looking into conducting a design challenge competition.
Students are always looking for consultant firms or agencies to present at their routine meetings, so we recommend reaching out to the Student Chapter Liaisons if there is interest. We believe GT may have their schedule set for the most part though.
The Council has biweekly meeting the first and 3rd Friday of the moth at 10:30 AM that folks can contact Ron Knezevich, [email protected], if they would like to join.
Communications & Operations Council
This Council encompasses those committees within GAITE which exist to support the Board and other committees. Some of these committees are looking for those interested in volunteering on committees that operate behind the scenes and with certain skills or talents. Please feel free to reach out to the following contacts or Kelly Patrick for more information about the roles & responsibilities!
Marketing/Communications Committee
This committee supports GAITE with social media posts and reviewing communications sent to its members and the public. Please reach out for more information or if you’d like to volunteer. Chair - MC Martin
A/V Committee
This committee provides audio & visual support during the monthly meetings, conferences, podcasts and other events throughout the year. These recordings are posted on the GAITE YouTube channel and shared on GAITE’s social media outlets. Make sure you subscribe! Additional volunteers are needed for our larger events such as Summer Seminar, so let one of the co-chairs know if you’re interested in learning more. Co-Chairs – Paul Slone & Ulrich Sounkoua
Website Committee
This committee manages and maintains the website content and layout, and supports other committees as they need assistance setting up events or managing meeting registration. Coordination with the host platform company is sometimes needed to troubleshoot issues as they arise. We are currently looking to add 1-2 additional volunteers. Chair – Kate Shearin
Finance Committee
This committee consists of experienced Georgia Section members and advises the Board on budget and finance issues, and it assists with auditing yearly financial data for taxes. It meets twice a year to review financials pertaining to the overall annual budget, the two main conferences, and the scholarship fund. Chair – John Hibbard
Clerk
The clerk is responsible for keeping meeting minutes and noting action items during board meetings, and for tracking action items with those to whom they are assigned. This role tends to be filled over multiple years by the same volunteer, so if you are interested in learning more when this role is open in the future, please reach out to Kelly.
Comptroller/Admin
The comptroller/admin is responsible for the tracking of the Section’s finances each month, filing of the annual tax return, keeping non-profit business documents up to date, and reporting on monthly budget items to the Board and various committees as applicable. This is a multiple-year role filled by the same volunteer for financial consistency. If you are interested in learning more for a future opportunity, please reach out to Kelly.
