ITS MICHIGAN                                               2009 – 2010 STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

 

When I think about ITS Michigan, I think of it as an organization that facilitates ITS development and deployment. We have an opportunity to establish an environment that not only saves lives and improves mobility, but also that can be the launch pad for workforce development in Michigan.

 

Sometimes it is easy to get lost in the minutia and internal workings of an organization, and, by doing so, lose track of the goals of the organization. Sure, we have to be concerned with sustaining our organization, but only because we have a greater obligation – to our membership and to the citizens of Michigan – that is imbedded in our charter.

 

This year is a crossroads for transportation. With a new transportation authorization bill on the horizon, transformational changes in how we fund and deliver transportation products, projects and services are possible, but not without greater collaboration, proactive engagement of decision-makers, and strong, unified messages that reflect our organizational goals and objectives.

 

Therefore, during the next 12 months, I would like to focus on outreach and collaboration to expand our membership and the impact of our organization on transportation safety, congestion relief, job growth, and state and national transportation policy. This can be done in a variety of ways, but I would like to focus on a small set of big objectives that help us meet our organizational goals. These include:

 

1.      Engage university students in the organization to a greater extent for the purpose of expanding the number of ITS professionals on the market.

    1. Offer scholarship opportunities ($2,000 per year from budget).
    2. Technical paper competition and presentations at quarterly meetings.
    3. Job fair sponsorship.
    4. Supplement travel expenses and waive registration fees for student participation in ITS Michigan quarterly and annual meetings.

2.      Promote job opportunities within the Michigan ITS community.

    1. Target laid-off automotive industry employees.
    2. Seek new industries related to ITS to locate in Michigan.
    3. Provide a clearinghouse for ITS related job openings at member organizations.
    4. Seek funding through the Recovery Act for workforce development and training for ITS positions.

3.      Provide a higher level of service to our membership, particularly the Michigan DOT.

    1. Sustain the current services provided to our membership and MDOT.

                                       i.                              Quarterly technical meetings

                                     ii.                              Annual meeting

                                    iii.                              Bi-monthly Board meetings

    1. Meet more regularly with the Michigan DOT to define measures of success and a more refined scope of work for ITS Michigan.
    2. Engage the membership and program committees to define innovative ways of serving our members.

                                       i.                              More technical sessions

                                     ii.                              Training opportunities

                                    iii.                              Networking opportunities with other organizations

                                   iv.                              Greater variety of venues for Board meetings

                                     v.                              Combine Board meetings with technical sessions more frequently

                                   vi.                              Combine technical/Board meetings with other entertaining activities

                                  vii.                              Move technical meetings around the state to engage others in ITS Michigan activities and to educate others on the merits of ITS, even in rural areas

4.      Engage our elected officials to educate them about the ITS needs of our member organizations.

    1. Provide our congressional delegates with a position statement for the new authorization bill consistent with ITSA, but more specific to the needs of the ITS Michigan membership.
    2. Hold a legislative roundtable session with key members/staff of both houses of the Michigan legislature.
    3. Work harder to get local legislative and congressional staff to attend the annual meeting.
    4. Work with member agencies to seek Michigan based ITS programs and projects in the 2010 appropriations bill (February mark-up).

5.      Position Michigan for the receipt of significant funding awards from the next transportation authorization bill.

    1. Create a new panel of ITS Michigan members to prepare an IntelliDrive information sheet for distribution to decision-makers.
    2. Support the proposed “Smart Towns and City Streets” initiative.
    3. Assist the Michigan DOT and local agencies in the development of a Michigan-based strategy for IntelliDrive, across all modes and all roads.

6.      Achieve State Chapter of the Year Status for 2009 – Submit an application for award at ITSA annual meeting in Houston in 2010.

 

 

Jim Barbaresso

June 2009