Young Leaders to Follow for 2024

ITE is proud to announce our fourth class of Young Leaders to Follow with the selection of the Class of 2024. The ITE Young Leaders to Follow program was designed to recognize and highlight talented ITE members under the age of 35 who have already made a mark on ITE and the transportation industry and are leaders to follow in the years to come. ITE is pleased to introduce these young members to the greater ITE Community and to celebrate their accomplishments.

ITE is also proud to recognize our Young Member of the Year, Sam Harris, P.E. (M) who was selected from this group of awardees. Sam Harris is a recognized leader in the field of transportation engineering, particularly noted for his contributions to traffic safety and operational improvements across Georgia. His dedication is reflected in his leadership roles within ITE and his proactive involvement in various high-impact projects at the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT). He is also the Southern District Rising Star and the Council Leadership Team Young Member of the Year.

Young Member of the Year for 2024

Sam Harris, P.E. (M)
Assistant State Traffic Engineer
Georgia Department of Transportation
Southern District Rising Star
Council Leadership Team Young Member of the Year

Young Leaders to Follow for 2024

Shofiq Ahmed, P.E., PTOE (M)
Senior Traffic Engineer
AECOM

Afera Asif (M)
Project Manager
CREATECH ENGINEERS

Bryan Bartnik, P.E. (M)
Traffic Design Manager
Tennessee Department of Transportation

Claudio Figueroa, P.E., PTOE (M)
Transportation Engineer
Burgess & Niple, Inc.
Florida Puerto Rico District Rising Star

Kayla Fleskes-Lane (M)
Transportation Engineer
DKS Associates
Western District Rising Star

Nikhila Gunda (M)
Associate Researcher (Senior Transportation Planner)
University of Kansas Transportation Center
Missouri Valley District Rising Star

Mark Hearson, P.Eng., RSP1 (M)
Transportation Engineer
Stantec

Carrie Long, AICP (M)
Senior Planner
Toole Design
Mid-Colonial District Rising Star

Alex Magdaleno (M)
Transportation Engineering Technician
K Friese and Associates | Lochner

Scott Nelson, P.E., PTOE (M)
Transportation Engineer
Texas Department of Transportation
Texas District Rising Star

Cara O'Donnell, P.E., PTOE, RSP1 (M)
Traffic/ITS Engineer
IronStride Solutions
Mountain District Rising Star

Sunday Okafor (M)
Graduate Research Assistant
Alabama Transportation Institute

Destiny Piper, P.Eng. (M)
Transportation Engineer
KGS Group
ITE Canada Rising Star

Sofia Pollmann, P.E. (M)
Project Engineer
Toole Design

Shraddha Praharaj, Ph.D., EI (M)
Transportation Engineer
City of Frederick, MD, USA

Monica Shei, P.E., PTOE (M)
Transportation Engineer
Jacobs Engineering
Great Lakes District Rising Star

Hasnain Ali Syed (M)
Traffic Engineer
WSP USA
Northeastern District Rising Star

Khelen Upadhyay, P.Eng. (M)
Project Manager - Transportation and Special Projects
City of Delta, British Colombia, Canada

Sahan Wijayaratna (M)
Senior Manager, Strategic Frameworks
Transport for NSW
Australia and New Zealand Section Rising Star