The International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association’s (IBTTA) Young Professionals Council not only supports the next generation of the transportation industry but also serves as a bridge between seasoned professionals and their early-career counterparts.

The Young Professionals Council was formed as the industry faced two related challenges: fewer young people entering the field and an existing workforce beginning to retire.

“The mission was to build a community that would really enable the young professional and also bridge that gap between the generations of IBTTA innovators and integrators,” said Carley McClintock, chair of IBTTA’s Young Professionals Council.

Many young professionals breaking into the transportation industry struggle to find networking opportunities and aren’t regularly attending conferences where they can meet others in the field.

IBTTA’s Young Professionals Council supports members in finding engagement opportunities and encourages members of the organization to bring their younger staff and interns to industry events.

“I think that’s the biggest thing, just getting them to attend industry events in person and having the funding for that,” McClintock said. “And the council helps address that by constantly working with IBTTA to get messages across to members that it’s really important to send the young professionals.”

The council helps young professionals feel more comfortable entering the industry by creating approachable spaces for networking, learning and engagement.

Young Professionals Council members also are encouraged to join other subcommittees to interface with the membership at large and have opportunities to engage with industry leadership.

By embracing these opportunities, council members gain the experience and visibility needed to step into leadership roles.

Sophia Currier, a member of the Young Professionals Council, dove into speaking by participating in a panel at an IBTTA conference. After that experience, she became more involved and was selected as chief meeting organizer for the association’s Global Tolling Summit, which was held last month in Montreal.

“Being so young, I was kind of surprised, but it was a great experience, and I’ve been able to grow throughout the various opportunities the YPC had given me, and then now to this high leadership role within the conference,” she said. “I think that has been one really pivotal moment, but it has stemmed from all of the little things that have built up over the years.”

Kalie Jakovics, a member of the Young Professionals Council, said the program encouraged her to build relationships that led to her launching Toll Talk, a podcast featuring the tolling and transportation industry.

“Not only did I build relationships throughout the group, but the people in the group have encouraged me to join and apply for panels for speaking engagements, which I have had the opportunity to do, and I may not have gone for it without those relationships and that support system,” she said.

Those opportunities ultimately gave Jakovics the confidence to launch the podcast.

Preparing for the Future

Early-career professionals involved in the council are not just gaining networking opportunities; they are helping shape the future of IBTTA itself.

Within the association, Currier has been selected for an opportunity to help shape its future workforce development plans, as IBTTA values the input of those the initiative will support—young professionals.

“I think that was a great opportunity that we received because they do value young people’s voices to be heard,” Currier said.

The Young Professionals Council also supports its members in growing their understanding of the industry. The council plans to launch virtual events that will discuss more technical topics and promote conversations that conference attendees may be more hesitant to have at large-scale events.

“When you’re at these conferences, it’s easy to attend sessions but it’s not always easy to have deeper in-depth technical conversations about certain topics and ask questions freely,” McClintock said.

Each month, the council selects a different topic—which ranges from more leadership-based to technical—and invites organization members with relevant experience to share deeper insight into their work in the industry.

Another opportunity for IBTTA members is the association’s Leadership Academy. This week-long course is created to support mid-level managers and private-sector organizations that serve the toll industry by building leadership skills, improving cross-functional collaboration and honing their strategic planning skills. Applications for the 2027 session are open until Oct. 16.

Bridging the Divide

IBTTA’s Young Professionals Council and the association at large are investing in the long-term health of the industry by bridging the divide between early-career professionals and more seasoned career veterans.

Through their suite of programs, including their mentorship program, young professionals have the opportunity to learn skills from their more experienced counterparts.

“The younger generations can continue to learn and grow from the more seasoned professionals, because eventually they’re going to age out,” Jakovics said. “So, they do need to invest that time and connecting those two groups with education, mentorship, leadership opportunities and so on.”

That connection is especially important in an industry where experience is often built over decades. Seasoned professionals bring institutional knowledge, technical expertise and perspective on how the tolling and transportation sectors have evolved. Young professionals bring new ideas, different communication habits and insight into what the next generation needs to feel connected to the field.

The Young Professionals Council pushed especially hard for the implementation of the mentorship program beginning in 2019 and saw it through to execution this year. It helps the younger generation hone their skills and connects more experienced colleagues with fresh ideas, McClintock said.

The council also works to engage with the next generation entering the industry by finding interns and college students where they are, including LinkedIn and other social media platforms.

“We make a point to engage with interns, celebrate their accomplishments and encourage them to stay connected through our Discord community, social media channels and newsletter,” Jakovics said. “These platforms help them continue learning, explore career development opportunities and find new ways to get involved.”

That effort will continue at IBTTA’s 94th Annual Conference in Arlington, Texas, next month, where young professionals are expected to attend, speak, moderate sessions and contribute fresh ideas to the broader tolling and transportation conversation.

For the council, those opportunities support a larger goal: ensuring early-career professionals are not only welcomed into the industry but given a meaningful role in shaping its future.