2027-2028 Board of Directors Nominees

Hello fellow members of the Intelligent Transportation Society of Georgia (ITSGA). My name is Challa Bonja with Metro Trafix, and I am honored to be nominated for the 2027–2028 ITSGA Board of Directors. It has been a privilege to serve this organization and its members over the past several years, particularly through my long-standing involvement on the Technical Committee for our Annual Meetings. I have also contributed as a Technical Committee member for the 2022 Southeastern ITS Summit in Atlanta and the 2026 Southeastern ITS Summit in Charlotte, NC.

I have been an active and continuous member of ITSGA for more than a decade. Beyond ITSGA, I have served for the past four years on the board of our sister organization, the Georgia Section of ITE, including two years on the Southern District ITE Board. During this time, I have taken on several leadership roles, including Webinar Committee Chair, and have served on multiple standing committees such as the Technical Committee and Safety Committee. I have also been deeply involved in planning and delivering technical content for the Summer Seminar and Winter Workshops, helping identify speakers, shape program content, and coordinate activities that make these events valuable to our members.

Throughout my service, I have been a strong advocate for our younger professionals, recognizing that their engagement is essential for the continued strength, innovation, and legacy of our transportation community.

While the activities listed above reflect my contributions, I firmly believe that ITSGA has given me far more in professional development, networking, and meaningful opportunities than I could ever list here. Service is my passion, and it is especially rewarding to give back to an organization that has enriched so many of us.

Our industry is in a transformative era, and Georgia continues to be a national leader in shaping the future of transportation. Collaboration and knowledge-sharing are more important than ever. If elected, I will work diligently to support ITSGA’s mission by fostering strong technical programs, promoting best practices, and strengthening the unique role our chapter plays in advancing the profession.

Alongside my fellow board members, I will remain committed to upholding our chapter’s vision, goals, and objectives. I will also continue to champion leadership and networking opportunities, particularly for emerging professionals, so that our members can benefit as greatly as I have over the past 10+ years.

Thank you for this opportunity to serve. If privileged to be elected, I look forward to continuing to support our member organizations and advancing the mission of ITSGA.

As a Traffic Engineer with Keck & Wood, I have built a career that parallels the principles of the ITS GA Mission. With eight years of practical experience, I see firsthand how my experience has grown to span traffic signal operations, traffic studies, and traffic signal design, with work supporting major statewide initiatives including the GDOT SigOps Program and the Statewide Signal Design Project.

Through my professional efforts, I have contributed to improving the safety, efficiency, and reliability of transportation networks across Georgia. And throughout my personal involvement with ITS GA, I have already learned so much via the Programs Committee and Social Committee, as well as technical planning committees for the ITS Smart Summit, ITS Southeast Summit, and the ITS GA Annual Conference. These experiences have allowed me to collaborate with transportation professionals across Georgia while contributing to the growth and success of the organization.

As a professional who is passionate about incorporating more intelligence into the transportation network around Georgia, I want to be more integrated with our association to make a difference. In addition to advancing the ITS GA mission, if selected to serve on the Board of Directors, I will focus my efforts on the following initiatives:

• Expand opportunities for member engagement and volunteer participation within ITS GA. – We invest our time to support this incredible organization, but how can we make it even easier to get more members to take part in shaping what we do, and how we are seen among other professional organizations. Most of all, how can our efforts better impact the transportation public.
• Strengthen mentorship and leadership development opportunities for young professionals and students – Every successful professional has something in common; they did not travel their career path alone! Between past charitable mentors and giving leaders, current generations of ITS leaders have greatly benefitted. I would like to explore how we can enhance these traditions for the next generation.
• Enhance technical programming and industry collaboration through conferences, summits, and knowledge-sharing events – ITS Georgia already has a strong base of industry & learning collaboration opportunities, but we can always make them stronger and add more value to the attendees!

Of course, none of these initiatives can be completed easily by an individual, but as a team we can accomplish so much more! I look forward to being part of an exciting team where I can work hard to help others get the results they want.

I’m Joe Gillis and I’d appreciate your support in the upcoming election for the ITS Georgia Board.  A little about me.  I have been in the Atlanta metro area since 2007, and I’ve been active in the chapter for much of that time. I am married, my wife, Debbie, is a nurse and my 22 YO son, Harrison, attends North Georgia. It has been a pleasure working with many of you in our profession as a consultant and as a local transportation organization volunteer in this organization as well as the ITE Georgia Section. I am a Project Manager and Transportation Engineer with Arcadis. My civil engineering degrees are from Auburn, and I also have a MS in Software Engineering from Kennesaw State.

Why do I want to serve on the Board?  I believe I have a depth of knowledge and experience in the ITS field, and I enjoy working with each of you as we look to expand the scope and use of ITS tools in the State of Georgia.  During my almost 20 years in Georgia, I have seen the emphasis shift from cameras, DMS, and detection to AI, Connected Vehicles and Data Analytics.  I have always strived to stay current on the newest technology and think about how we can we as consultants, local and state agencies, and vendors can benefit and work together on solutions. My interest is and has always been to volunteer and help where needed.  I look forward to being the Technical Co-Chair of the 2027 ITS GA annual meeting at Calloway Gardens and serving the chapter in that capacity.  As a board member I know there would be many other opportunities to serve with you. Again, I would appreciate your support.

I have been in the traffic industry for over 20 years, managing sales territories and distributor programs all over the US and internationally for construction traffic control, non-invasive data collection, and now traffic control distribution. It has been my pleasure to serve as a contributing member in multiple trade group organizations in that time including ITS, ITE, APWA, ATSSA, and AASHTO. I have had the honor of serving in various roles for ITS-GA such as conference committees and sponsorships, mostly since 2019. I would appreciate the opportunity to serve our community further as one your ITS-GA board members to help develop, organize, and manage our organizational goals and events. As a nearly life-long Georgia resident, I have a vested interest in the progress of our transportation systems and infrastructure.

• I intend to promote proven and new ITS concepts through increased industry participation and sponsorship of our monthly meetings.
• I have a goal to help expose ITS-GA to non-participating public agencies throughout Georgia by promoting our events and initiatives during the course of my usual networking efforts.

Kelly has been working in the transportation engineering industry for 25 years for both private and public sectors, including Cobb County DOT for 13 years and Arcadis for the past 2 years. She has been on the ITS Georgia Board of Direction since 2025, assisting with the monthly meeting programs and keeping our website up to date each month. One of Kelly’s passions is supporting nonprofit organizations, especially in the transportation industry, and she has set aside time specifically for this in her personal life. In particular, she wants to improve communications and coordination between other organizations, expanding our network & knowledge base, and assist with registration & website content for our 2027 Annual Meeting. If elected to continue as a Director on the ITS Georgia Board, Kelly will also continue to encourage others to volunteer and help make ITS Georgia the best professional organization to be a part of!

Greg Ramsey is the Director of Public Works and Engineering for the City of Peachtree Corners, Georgia & the Chief Engineering Officer for the City’s Curiosity Lab CAV/ITS testing facilities.  He manages municipal operations and maintenance of all the city’s infrastructure & oversees engineering, land development, stormwater, regulatory compliance, municipal solid waste, right of ways, traffic & transportation. Greg is a current member of the ITS Georgia Board of Direction. He is also the co-author of an unrenowned BBQ Blog and the Assistant to the Travelling Secretary for a fastpitch softball club team.  Greg is a Georgia Tech graduate, licensed Professional Engineer and has logged over 29 years in the transportation industry.

Michael has over 23 years of experience providing transportation engineering and technology focused consulting services for Kimley-Horn. Originally from Michigan, Michael graduated from Michigan State University and has spent the entirety of his career at Kimley-Horn. Michael has spent time in five different offices located throughout the United States including Colorado, Texas, Wisconsin, Illinois, and has been in Georgia for the past six plus years. Michael currently leads Kimley-Horn’s transportation planning, traffic operations, and technology team in our Atlanta Midtown office and is managing numerous software and technology design and deployment projects throughout Georgia.

Focus Areas and Priorities:

• Continuing to support and promote ITS GA initiatives with and for our student chapters.
• Focus on attracting and retaining new members/firms, especially the next generation of transportation technology professionals.
• Leverage my involvement in other ITS chapters throughout the US to support more ITS chapter collaboration between our partners in other states.