Oregon ITE 2021 Secretary Treasurer Candidates

Learn about our two great candidates and come back and vote when ballots are posted by October 30th, 2020.

My name is Dayana Tavares and I am thankful for the opportunity to run for the Secretary-Treasurer position with Oregon ITE. Although my involvement with ITE started this year, I have dedicated six years of my academic life volunteering as a researcher, teaching assistant, and engineering intern. I have a Construction Management Associate degree from Portland Community College and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering degree from Brazil. While attending Portland State University as a Civil Engineering exchange student, I had the opportunity to volunteer for the design of a pedestrian bridge for the community of Molalla, OR. I joined the DKS Associates team as a Transportation Engineering Assistant in 2019 and since then I have been honored to contribute to many design and planning projects. Prior to joining DKS, I worked at Portland Community College and had the opportunity to serve the community as a Project Management Assistant.
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In my free time I like to go on trips with my husband, enjoy reading a good book, and work on home improvement projects. I am looking forward to supporting ITE, to serving the needs of our community, and helping shape the future of transportation.

Hello all! My name is Molly McCormick, and I am excited to have this opportunity to run for Oregon ITE’s Secretary-Treasurer position.

For the past four years, I have served as the Oregon Section’s scribe. This role has been a professional highlight for me, allowing me to stay informed and support the great events that the Section provides to professionals in Oregon and beyond. I have enjoyed supporting the Oregon Section events, including set up for many luncheons, handling swag bags and all printed materials for the 2018 Quad Conference, and most notably, crafting musically-inclined questions for the last four Traffic Bowls (often choosing songs that I would call “classics” but which no college student seems to have heard of). In addition, the scribe position has allowed me to be the news-sharing conduit between Oregon ITE and the Western District for their newsletters. I was honored to receive the Western District’s Windiest and Wisest Scribe Award in 2018 for providing valuable Section reports and photos to WesternITE. 

I have been working at Kittelson & Associates, Inc. for the last five years, with a wide range of projects primarily focused on planning, operations, and safety. Outside of the office, and when conditions are more favorable, I enjoy traveling to new cities and taking regular trips to see my family in Wisconsin. In these times of social distancing, I have substituted these activities for long walks in my SE Portland neighborhood and trying new dinner recipes.

I am thankful to several of my coworkers who pointed out ITE my first year in Portland, showcasing the educational experiences, ability to give back to the transportation community, and the wonderful people who make up the membership. From my first Traffic Bowl attendance in 2015, I knew this group in Oregon was something worth being part of. As Secretary-Treasurer, I would love nothing more than to support the Oregon Section to continue to welcome newcomers, encourage students, and celebrate our transportation-loving nerdiness through awesome events. As we further experience the impacts of COVID, I want to keep streamlining our virtual meetings, explore new formats for virtual social events, and take advantage of this time to strengthen connections with Section membership outside of the Portland Metro area. Although this time is unique and often frustrating, I think there are many lessons to be learned that we, as a Section, can utilize in the future: from identifying the best livestreaming applications for broad audience reach of future in-person meetings to virtual engagement with students that does not necessitate professionals driving for hours. I look forward to continuing to support the Section as we move forward.

Cheers and see you virtually at our upcoming events!