Hello! My Name is Steve Manhart, and I am the host of this new blog, Midwestern-ITE. I am your incoming Midwestern District Director to the International Board of Direction for the Institute of Transportaiton Engineers (ITE). On January 1, 2007, I will be assuming the office held by Ken Voigt these last three years.

The Midwestern, formerly known as District 4, encompasses eleven central states of the US -- Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wisconsin. It also encompasses four sections of ITE -- the Illinois Section, the Missouri Valley Section (MOVITE), the North Central Section (NCITE), and the Wisconsin Section.

I intend to use this blog as a source of two-way communication. I look forward to dialog with you in the next three years on all matters of issues facing ITE today.

The Insitute of Transportaiton Engineers is a great organization. I have been a member of with ITE for nearly 15 years, but have been aware of it's importance to the transportation community for far longer. ITE provides us as transportation professionals with training and professional development opportunites, while working to keep us current with the state-of-the-practice applications and technology. ITE serves us well!

In the coming weeks and months, i will work to keep this blog active and up to date with current goings on in ITE. I invite you to participate by posting your thoughts and questions.

Thank you for this opportunity ot serve you in these next three years!

-- Steve