Media Contact
Marcia Ferranto
President and CEO, WTS International
mferranto@wtsinternational.org
202-955-5085
Marcia Ferranto is responsible for the overall administration,
management, and operations of WTS International and WTS
Foundation. Her responsibilities include the oversight of business
operations, planning and evaluation, international programs and
events, policy development and implementation, fiscal management,
and the growth plan for WTS. Involved in nonprofit executive
management for more than 10 years, Marcia also served as the
Executive Director of the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation in Delaware.
Among her accomplishments with the Foundation, Marcia refocused the organization’s
mission and vision to an educational establishment, spearheaded a new master plan, and
managed more than 300 staff and volunteers. Marcia also held posts with the Delaware Art
Museum, including Acting Director, Chief Financial Officer and Director of Finance and
Human Resources, and ran two of her own accounting and payroll firms. Marcia received
her Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Widener University in Chester, PA, and
is also a 2006 graduate of the Museum Leadership Institute (MLI), Getty Leadership
Institute. She is Chairman of the Board for Sandy Spring Museum in Sandy Spring,
Maryland, a member of ASAE, and of the American Association of Museums. Marcia has
also been a guest speaker at the New York University, Masters Program, Steinhardt School
of Education, Department of Art & Art Professions. Marcia resides in Washington, DC,
and Chicago, IL, with her husband, Larry.
Topic Expertise / Story Ideas
 The future of the transportation industry in the U.S. and around the globe.
 Demographics of professional talent supporting the nation’s infrastructure.
 The case for developing interest in science, technology, engineering and math among children
in general and girls specifically.
 Job and career opportunities and future prospects for transportation industry experts.
 Challenges of women at the skilled expert and executive management levels in transportation.
© Copyright 2013, WTS International. All Rights Reserved. (p) 202-955-5085.
Industry Fact Sheet: Women in Transportation
 There’s a dearth of qualified people with expertise in STEM disciplines.
 By 2018, there will be 1.4 million computing job openings in the United States, but
only 29% of those jobs will be filled by U.S. graduates.
 40 states produce fewer computing graduates than needed to fill projected openings in
their states.
 The number of girls studying computing has declined 13 percent in the past 10 years.
 Women and information technology by the numbers:
http://www.ncwit.org/pdf/BytheNumbers09.pdf
 Women only make up 6% of today's pilots.
 Women are underrepresented in the workforce in technology areas—there are more
than 60 million women in the labor force today, yet women make up only 8% of
engineers, 18% of engineering technicians, and 30% of natural scientists.
 People with an associate's degree in a STEM field earn more than those with a
bachelor's degree in education or liberal arts, according to data released Feb. 23, 2012,
by the United States Census Bureau: An adult with an associate's degree in engineering
earned an average of $4,800 monthly in 2009; someone with a bachelor's degree in
education earned an average of $3,800.
 Men vastly outnumber women in STEM fields. Nearly 90 percent of all engineering
degrees are owned by men. In the physical sciences, math, and computer science, the
difference is less pronounced, but men still outnumber women about 3 to 1.
 There are signs that women are slowly closing the gap: Among people age 25 to 39,
women hold about 1 in 5 engineering degrees; between the ages of 40 and 65, they
hold only 1 in 10.
© Copyright 2013, WTS International. All Rights Reserved. (p) 202-955-5085.
WTS Mission
Building the future of transportation through the global advancement of women.
WTS Vision
WTS promotes lifelong careers in transportation—attracting, retaining, and
advancing women in transportation. It is recognized worldwide as a network of
transportation subject matter experts.
Attraction
By the year 2015, there will be thousands vacancies in the transportation
industry for qualified professionals, and while women account for more
than half of the world’s workforce, they are a very small minority in
transportation disciplines.
Retention
Women employed in technology and engineering leave their mid-level
positions at much faster rates than men. Losing professionals at this
career point is a threat to the future of world economies and commerce,
which are reliant on superior transportation infrastructure and
technological advances.
Advancement
Successful companies and agencies are those with equal distribution of
women and men in executive roles and board positions.
© Copyright 2013, WTS International. All Rights Reserved. (p) 202-955-5085.
WTS Fact Sheet
 WTS is an international organization dedicated to building the future of transportation
through the global advancement of women..
 Founded in 1977 when there was no federal funding for women-focused
associations—but there was funding was available for educational programs for
women—WTS was created as “Women’s Transportation Seminar.”
 As of January 2012, WTS boasts more than 5,000 members—both men and women—
worldwide.
 WTS helps women find opportunity and recognition in the transportation industry
through its professional activities, networking opportunities, and unparalleled access to
industry and government leaders.
 In 2009, the WTS Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, was created to further the
mission of WTS and has provided more than $1,000,000 in scholarships to deserving
women throughout the transportation industry, supporting the next generation of
transportation professionals.
 Transportation YOU was created as the joint initiative of WTS International and the
U.S. Department of Transportation. This was launched with the 2010 signing of a
memorandum of understanding by US Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood.
 WTS provides unprecedented access to the highest levels of the transportation industry
(in fact, many WTS members are top leaders in the industry).
© Copyright 2013, WTS International. All Rights Reserved. (p) 202-955-5085.