Our Mission
Our mission is to provide a forum for members and partners of the highway industry to promote a safe, efficient and sustainable transportation system through education, innovation and fellowship.
The Franklin Section typically meets the third Tuesday of every month (see Section Meetings for details) and membership averages 150 with the ASHE National averaging 6,500. You do not have to be a Professional Engineer to join ASHE. Our Section has representation from various agencies working to improve the transportation industry, as well as retired members providing their many years of valuable knowledge. The Franklin Section covers Erie, Crawford, Warren, Mercer, Forest and Venango Counties.
Message from our 2023-2024 President Darlene Stringos-Walker
Ch..Ch..Ch..Ch..Changes- Turn and Face the Strange (David Bowie 1972)
Our ASHE Franklin Chapter was one of the first sections chartered in September 1962 – about the same time as me. My how we have grown and changed with the times in our 60+ years. Not only in member numbers but also in purpose and outreach. Our “little” Franklin Section is really the engine that could. We have been fortunate to award approximately $10,000 in scholarships the past few years.
As a section – we are aware of trying to preserve our traditions by adapting to the present and planning for the future. Since we resumed in person meetings, we have found new locations to hold meetings due to previous locations closing. Thank goodness our Board Members are diligent about seeking out and vetting new locales. We had to embrace these changes in order to get back to our 10 events per year schedule.
Our Board Members are working to ensure that the changes we make are for the best. Last year, we had the Steak Cook Out at the Oil City Boat Club and had the Venison Dinner at the Wildcat Mansion. We also added the Trails to Ales venue to our regular rotation. This August we will be having a fun boat ride on the Lake Erie Victorian Princess. As you may know, and may appreciate, it takes lots of effort behind the scenes to plan 10 events a year. We try to make our meetings unique and fun, and our record attendance numbers reflect that! We want to bring our members a variety of meeting topics and locations. We appreciate the input of our members and will continue to try and improve. Remember – change is good!!!
Change can also be hard – we unfortunately lost two Past Presidents last year. This shows that as an organization we have to keep adding and evolving with new people and new places. Our membership numbers have remained steady over the last 5 years. But we have seen that new people come and bring forward new ideas. We want to keep that momentum and encourage you to bring a co-worker to a meeting to see for themselves, whether it is for PDH credits or just networking.
Special thanks to our Past President, Megan McDermott – she is a caring and comprehensive engineer who really pays attention to the details and respects our ASHE Franklin traditions. She is also one of the most gracious people when it comes to passing the torch. I strive to match that attention. Also, thanks to our Board Members and Committee Members….they step up and pitch in to help out with the scholarship and golf events making the logistical details easier. Remember, we are all volunteers here.
We look forward to our changes in 2023 -2024 and making our 61st year our most productive yet. We want you to enjoy the networking, business relationships, and friendships; learn something new, and especially have fun. See you at the next meeting!
President Darlene Stringos-Walker