IOWA DOT AND STAFF RECOGNIZED FOR ADVANCING WOMEN IN TRANSPORTATION
It’s often said that creating genuine, positive change happens from the inside out. When a determined core group of Iowa Department of Transportation employees set out seven years ago to lead meaningful change in the way women connected with transportation careers through Iowa’s WTS International Chapter, the effort launched a deep-rooted transformation.
Formerly known as Women Transportation Seminar, WTS is an organization with the purpose of advancing women in transportation. DOT leadership was instrumental in helping to establish the Iowa Chapter, and its participation in WTS is part of a deeper focus on enhancing a learning and development culture.
The DOT’s commitment to advancing women in transportation came full circle as the Iowa Chapter of WTS recognized us as the Employer of the Year at its Annual Gala held on Friday, January 10, at the Des Moines Botanical Garden. The Chapter also awarded District 3 Engineer, Jessica Felix, with WTS Woman of the Year honors.
Felix Shares Future-Focused Values
Criteria for the WTS Woman of the Year award requires the recipient to be a non-member. Ironically, Jessica Felix began making her mark early and first landed on the WTS radar as a junior at the University of Minnesota when the local chapter awarded the budding engineer with a student scholarship. Following college, she accepted a position with the Wisconsin DOT, later relocating to Iowa to join our team three years ago as a District Engineer for the northwest portion of Iowa.
“I’m very humbled and honored by this award because the WTS core values align closely with our DOT core values,” says Felix. “And I believe in everything we do in life, you have to see it to be it. So how do we expose the next generation of women to transportation careers? That’s where WTS and the DOT are very future focused in making that happen,” she adds.
Felix reflected on a recent meeting when it occurred to her that the mutual goals that WTS and DOT are striving to achieve are being fully realized. “I was sitting in an internal Iowa DOT meeting to solve an issue with a project, and it hit me that there were seven women in transportation on the call. They weren’t hand-selected just because they were women, but were in various positions of expertise. I remember saying, ‘can we just pause for a moment, because I’ve never had this happen in my career. This is super cool’.”
Passion Burns Bright To Advance Employees
The transportation industry, filled with STEM-related and blue-collar careers, has long been dominated by males. The DOT has recognized this in recent years and has worked to find ways to support female leadership and advancement. WTS membership and WTS leadership who work for the DOT are some of those connections to reshaping how women engage in career opportunities at the department.
Angie Poole, with the Office of Location and Environment, is a charter member of the Iowa Chapter, and was an early advocate for breaking down barriers to create a more diverse and equitable environment at the DOT where recruiting, retaining, and advancing female transportation professionals is embraced daily.
“We’re honored that the Iowa WTS Chapter is seeing the changes the DOT continues to make to provide so many opportunities for the advancement of women and men at the department,” says Poole, who adds “I am passionate about attracting and advancing more women within our industry as it will bring a diversity of thought, background, and experience to the benefit of our projects, our customers, and Iowa communities.”
This focus includes the availability of numerous leadership programs across the department, state, region, and nationally. DOT staff are involved with WTS at several levels of leadership within the organization whose Iowa Chapter roster is 56 members strong, which includes 14 DOT members.
Poole and fellow WTS member, Renee Jerman – also a charter member of WTS Iowa – point to several examples where the department has made strides to break down barriers for women to succeed in the once male-dominated transportation field.
The department’s organizational structure includes women in leadership including Melissa Gillett in the executive role of Chief Operating Officer and several senior-level positions such as Bureau Directors and District Engineers. Three of the four Executive Fellows at the department have been women. Women at the department lead major initiatives across government and in partnership with public/private sectors, impacting all modes and functions of transportation.
“WTS Iowa to me is a community that embraces one another as ideas are shared during our panelist discussions, webinars, book clubs or various meetups, says member Renee Jerman, state and federal relations compliance officer. “It’s a professional group that offers collaboration on transportation topics across many sectors and organizations that in turn allows growth for career development,” says Jerman.
She adds, “WTS has become ‘Why Transportation Matters’ to me, and has helped to form connections as humans among those whom we work with every day. Joining WTS Iowa does not require a special license or degree. It’s open and welcoming to anyone in transportation or anyone interested in the transportation world.”
Growing WTS Membership & Opportunities
We support WTS through memberships and employee involvement on the WTS Iowa Board of Directors. Our employees have been part of the chapter’s board since the inception of the Iowa Chapter with Jacqui DiGiacinto with the Motor Vehicle Division being named the Chapter’s 2025 President.
Our members are involved in fostering the growth and expansion of WTS including member engagement events, technical tours, professional growth opportunities, and professional development hours – all to help form a community within the transportation world. In addition, members from the DOT are involved at the regional level with the WTS Central Region and attending International Chapter Training and Leadership Development opportunities and conferences.
Recently, the Iowa DOT has become one of nine public partners of WTS International. This partnership will make it easier for employees to become members, attend events, develop their leadership skills, and grow their careers. WTS International offers leadership training, community forums, a career center, and access to other transportation professionals in local, national, and international settings that allow for more intimate learning and conversation.
Staff are encouraged to consider becoming WTS members, and COO Melissa Gillett will be sharing more information about those opportunities later this week.
To find out more about the WTS Iowa Chapter, visit: https://www.wtsinternational.org/Chapters/iowa.
Congratulations Jacqui!
Posted by: Kathy LaRue | 01/14/2025 at 01:10 PM