The Yodel - December 2025
Posted by [email protected] on Dec. 1, 2025 / Mountain District Executive Update / Subscribe 0
I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve in the ITE Mountain District leadership and represent our District as International Director over the past three years. This role has been the culmination of an incredible journey that began nearly 30 years ago when I first joined ITE as a graduate student.
Serving in leadership has required hard work and countless hours, but the rewards have far outweighed the effort. ITE has given me as much, if not more, than I have given to it. Through my many roles, I’ve gained invaluable technical knowledge and developed essential soft skills, from writing articles like this to confidently presenting before large audiences.
ITE has also opened doors to experiences I will never forget. I’ve traveled across the Mountain District and the U.S., attending board meetings in Washington, D.C., St. Augustine, Burlington, Omaha, and Memphis; District meetings in Boise, St. George, Big Sky, and Santa Fe; and international meetings in Portland, Philadelphia, and Orlando. Visiting every Mountain District Section and connecting with local leaders has been a privilege, but the greatest reward has been meeting so many dedicated ITE members.
I want to thank Consor and my former employers, LSC Transportation, Jacobs Engineering, City of Lakewood, City of Arvada, and Stantec, for supporting my involvement. Their encouragement and support made this possible. I also owe immense gratitude to my wife, Carmen, and our three boys for their unwavering support through late nights and many days away.
I am proud of what we’ve built together. From humble beginnings as a new District, we’ve grown into a model other districts look to for inspiration and guidance. I’m confident that momentum will continue with the outstanding leaders now in place and those rising through the ranks.
Thank you all for your support throughout my tenure. I look forward to staying involved, attending meetings at every level, and continuing to grow our ITE community. I hope to see you soon!
-Ben Waldman, Mountain District International Director, 2024-2025
IBOD Meeting Summary
The ITE International Board of Direction (IBOD) held a two-day meeting at the ITE Headquarters offices in Washington, DC. The gathering included some dedicated orientation time for incoming IBOD members set to begin their terms in January, as well as a dinner event where outgoing IBOD members had a chance to thank their fellow members and celebrate their three years of success. The meetings took place November 6th through the 8th.
During the official IBOD meeting, the Board took several important actions:
- Discussed the upcoming Strategic Plan update that will take place next year, and the role the Board will have in contributing to it. An All-Member Survey will also take place next Jan/Feb, with the results feeding into the strategic planning process as well.
- Had a review of the Safety Roadmap & Action Plan that was launched at the beginning of this year. One of the action items assigned to the Board was the development of a Safety Pledge, and the members contributed feedback to efforts underway for that task.
- Approved seven (7) new student chapters at this meeting! Three in the United States – Oklahoma State Univ, Ohio State Univ, and Univ of Massachusetts-Lowell. Three in India – Institute of Technology Tiruchirappalli, College of Engineering Trivandrum, and National Institute of Technology Calicut. And our first student chapter in Africa – Addis Ababa Univ (Ethiopia).
- The Board approved recommendations from the Nominating Committee to adopt the slate of candidates for VP for the 2026 Election: Hardik Shah and Marc Jacobson.
- The Board also approved a provisional 2026 budget, with the understanding that a final budget would be brought for review and approval at the January IBOD meeting.
Other significant updates included:
- Reviewed and endorsed recommendations from the Leadership Task Force, which was formed at the beginning of this year to evaluate ITE’s current leadership culture, identify challenges and opportunities across all levels of engagement, and recommend actions to build a stronger, more sustainable pipeline of future leaders.
- Held a detailed conversation on the future of our industry’s workforce. ITE is a supporting partner of the Engineering Workforce Consortium (a multi-association group focused on growing our future workforce). ITE will also take on its own activities to help bolster the next generation of transportation planners, engineers, data scientists, and safety experts.
- Reviewed the status of our Brand Evolution effort and shared best practices across Districts and Sections in pursuit of updating websites, About Us messages, and development of logos.
- Reviewed the current process for developing and approving Recommended Practices and gave feedback on streamlining that process. This will be voted on in January.
- Welcomed incoming International Directors with a half-day orientation program and bid farewell to the outgoing directors during a board dinner that Friday evening.
Future Annual Meetings:
- July 19-22, 2026 – Detroit, MI (with ITE Great Lakes District)
- July 25-28, 2027 – Calgary, Alberta (with ITE Canadian District)
- July 23-26, 2028 – Albuquerque, NM (with ITE Mountain District)
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