Young Executive Leadership Council (YELC)

What is the YELC?

The American Road & Transportation Builders Association Young Executive Leadership Council (ARTBA-YELC) is a team of young professionals in the transportation construction industry that strive to advance the association’s goals and mission. The YELC is a logical way for graduates of the ARTBA Foundation’s "Young Executive Development Program" (YEDP) and other industry "rising stars" to assume greater leadership roles in the association.

Our Mission: To help advance young executive leaders in the transportation construction industry, and offer them a forum to articulate their perspectives on policy development and other ARTBA activities.

Eligibility and Structure: To be eligible to participate in the ARTBA-YELC, you must be an executive with an ARTBA member firm in good standing.

Why should I get involved in ARTBA-YELC?

• To help develop and advocate federal transportation policy positions that advance the industry’s interests in the Nation’s Capital and help your company’s future market share and business operations.

• To earn professional development hours.

• To network with your peers and develop relationships with key federal, state and local public officials who are important to your firm’s business.

• To provide ARTBA with an additional perspective on issues that matter to you.

• To support grassroots activities in the transportation construction industry during key times of debate on transportation issues taking place on Capitol Hill.

• To earn national recognition among industry peers and prepare for future leadership positions. The chairman of the YELC serves on the ARTBA Executive Committee and other YELC members serve on the ARTBA Board of Directors and on key policy committees.

• To promote workforce development.

Activities & Meetings:

• YELC members support ARTBA grassroots activities and provide a different perspective to key policy issues. YELC members represent the council on all ARTBA committees, task forces and divisions.

• In late 2007, the ARTBA Board of Directors endorsed a Long-Range Planning Committee recommendation to establish within the YELC "list serves" or other forums to help facilitate discussions on important industry and business issues among the respective ARTBA membership divisions. These groups will take shape in 2008.

• The YELC promotes and provides information on careers in the transportation industry and participates in events such as Construction Career Day. Members of the YELC—through ARTBA’s "It’s Our Future" Campaign—are also playing important roles in the development of messages, materials and programs to help attract personnel to careers in the industry.

• The council holds quarterly webinars and publishes a quarterly newsletter, "Technology Road," which showcases the industry’s use of cutting-edge technologies and new services.

• The YELC works with the ARTBA-TDF to identify applicants for the "Highway Worker Memorial Scholarship" program, which provides financial assistance to the children of highway workers who are killed or permanently disabled on the job.

• The council provides assistance for the ARTBA-TDF Globe Awards program, which recognizes industry excellence in environmental protection and mitigation in the design and construction of transportation improvement projects

• The council meets twice a year in conjunction with the ARTBA National Meeting and the ARTBA Federal Issues Program.

For more information, please contact Alison Black at ablack@artba.org or call 202-289-4434.