Summary

The WTS Puget Sound Chapter on Tuesday named King County Council Chair Claudia Balducci its 2022 Woman of the Year.

Story

The WTS Puget Sound Chapter on Tuesday named King County Council Chair Claudia Balducci its 2022 Woman of the Year. The WTS Puget Sound Chapter, one of the most visible and valued forums for discussing transportation trends and projects and highlighting women in transportation leadership, annually honors an outstanding woman who is a leader and role model in the transportation industry, a historically male-dominated field. Balducci was honored for her contributions toward advancing women in transportation and advancing the reputation and credibility of women in transportation.

“I am so honored to be recognized by WTS Puget Sound Seattle Chapter, especially since I have benefitted from the mentorship and guidance of strong women leaders in the transportation field,” Balducci said. “Thank you to WTS for this generous award and for all they do in mentoring and lifting the next generation of women transportation professionals. When women are part of designing and implementing our transit system, it works better for everyone, and I am committed to doing my part to support the next generation of women leaders in transportation.”

Beginning with her tenure on the Bellevue City Council, Balducci has championed a more robust regional transportation system, fighting to bring light rail to the Eastside, advocating for more active transportation infrastructure, and ensuring King County residents have access to fast, frequent, reliable transit options. On the King County Council, Balducci led groundbreaking work on the Mobility Framework, a community-created plan to inform how Metro allocates transit service, invests resources, and updates policies in an equitable, sustainable way. In addition, she recently secured funding for the RapidRide K Line, which will span from Totem Lake in Kirkland to Eastgate in Bellevue.

As Chair of the Sound Transit System Expansion Committee, she oversees the unprecedented build-out of the transit system, including light rail expansion and bus rapid transit. She currently serves as the President of the Puget Sound Regional Council, which is charged with regional transportation planning and distributes over $240 million in transportation funding each year.

The award was presented at the WTS annual gala on May 3, which raises funds for eight scholarships that WTS provides at the high school, technical school, undergraduate, and graduate levels to women pursuing an education or career in a transportation-related field. For more information on the available scholarships, visit https://www.wtsinternational.org/chapters/puget-sound-seattle/scholarships.