Message from the President

September 26, 2008

New Mexico Section ITE Members,

Looking at the Past Presidents list in our section directory, I see a "who's who" of New Mexico transportation engineers who have made important contributions to our profession. It also strikes me that the majority of our past presidents remain active in our section. I am honored to have been sworn in as your Section President at the September meeting.

Traveling to Anaheim to attend the ITE Western District and International Meeting was exciting and inspiring. The New Mexico Section is going strong with an active membership, as evidenced by all the New Mexico faces I saw participating there. We made a strong showing in the Traffic Bowl again this year, and the stage is set for us to unseat the Colorado/Wyoming Section on their home turf in Denver in July.

This year, I will strive to improve communications with the section membership. It is sometimes difficult for us to attend the monthly luncheons due to our many other commitments, and for some, the distances to travel. I will work with the officers and chairs to keep all the members informed of section news and activities through the website and e-newsletters.

This year, we will complete the process begun last year of establishing an educational endowment for the section. The endowment will be used to facilitate educational activities and programs for our members and for students. Throughout the year, we should all look for opportunities to reach out to students and draw them into participation in the section. The endowment committee is well underway, and I will provide further updates on the progress in coming messages.

This year's officers and committee chairpersons are always looking for ideas and suggestions on how we can better serve our members. Please contact any one of us and let us know what you think.

James Barrera, P.E. PTOE MITE
President
New Mexico Section
Institute of Transportation Engineers