Greetings from ITS America President & CEO, Shailen Bhatt

Saving lives. Making people’s lives better.

I have always believed that is why a department of transportation exists. Every day, for over a decade, I have gone into work with that purpose. Three governors and one president have appointed me to leadership positions in DOT’s, and in those roles, I have had the honor and privilege to work alongside men and women who dedicate their careers to this purpose.

Saving lives. Making people’s lives better.

Later this month, I will leave public service. It will be a bittersweet day. I believe there is nobility in public service and I am grateful to the many professionals who give their careers to making their city, state, country - their homes - a better place. It has been a great honor to serve alongside these people on some of the best teams I have ever been a part of. I thank you for your continued service.

As I transition to a new role at ITS America, I find great comfort that the mission of ITS America is exactly the same:

Saving lives, Making people’s lives better.

Our members, be they public sector organizations (so glad we still get to work together!), private sector companies, research institutions, academia and many other industry leaders who are part of our association, are united in this purpose. We go to work every day to achieve this goal… To speed the deployment of new technologies that can reduce fatalities and ease congestion... To make our homes “Smart Communities” for the 21st century… To harness the power of Big Data and turn it into Big Information... To work with policy makers so that the laws we pass reflect the input of our collective knowledge… To make sure that cybersecurity is a primary focus so that the technologies we deploy are safe and secure.

To save lives. And to make people’s lives better.

I am so honored to lead this association at this pivotal juncture. Over the next year our members are going to have exciting new opportunities to participate in the burgeoning discussion around technology and transportation. In the new year we’ll be rolling out new benefits for our members and ways to engage. We’re going to have an amazing annual meeting in Detroit in June, thanks in large part to the support of Governor Snyder of Michigan who is a true believer in our mission and has committed to making this event a success. Building off the momentum of our exciting World Congress in Montreal this past fall, we will work with our international partners to ensure that the World Congress in Copenhagen in 2018 is well attended. And, we have already begun planning for our next World Congress in Los Angeles in 2020.

Clearly, there is a lot to be excited about. You’ll be seeing a lot from ITS America over the next year. In the meantime, please have a safe and joyous holiday season.

From our family at ITS America to yours,

Shailen Bhatt