2026 WTS San Francisco Bay Area Chapter Annual Scholarships & Awards Gala

Welcome to the 2026 WTS San Francisco Bay Area Chapter Annual Scholarships & Awards Gala!

The in-person event will be held on Thursday, May 21, 2026 at 5:00 PM at the Oakland Scottish Rite Center. This event will be held indoors.

We are so excited to congratulate our outstanding scholarship and award recipients of 2026 at this special event. Proceeds from the event go towards our chapter’s scholarship fund, supporting our future leaders. See you there!

Keynote Speaker: Dina El-Tawansy, Director of California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)

Dina was appointed on July 1, 2025, as the 35th Director of the California Department of Transportation, leading an agency with over 22,000 employees responsible for 50,000 highway lane miles, 20,000 bridges, major intercity rail services, and support for 200+ transit agencies. She previously served as the first woman Director of Caltrans District 4, overseeing Bay Area highways, toll bridges, and tunnels, and managing a $2 billion capital projects portfolio with 3,400 staff. Over nearly three decades at Caltrans, she has held leadership roles in project and program management and operations across the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Orange County, and Sacramento. Dina holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Cal Poly Pomona, an M.S. in Construction Management from Long Beach State, and is a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) and Project Management Professional (PMP).

For more information about ticket registration and event sponsorship opportunities, please contact Noor Hooshmand at Noor.Hooshmand@jacobs.com (registration) and Zahra Babaei at Zahra.Babaei@jacobs.com (sponsorship). 

Ticket Prices

• Student/Career Transition: $60 ($45 Early Bird)
• WTS SF Bay Area Chapter Member: $245 ($195 Early Bird)
• WTS SF Bay Area Chapter Public Agency Member: $190 ($145 Early Bird)
• Non-Member: $300 ($235 Early Bird)
• Star Supporter (Because you can and care about the WTS mission): $360

Early bird registration through Friday, May 1, 2026. Tickets will not be available for purchase at the door.

Ticket purchases for the event are transferable to other guests but not refundable.

If you require ADA accommodations for this event, please contact event organizers at Maggie Cheung (maggie.cheung@jacobs.com) by May 18, 2026 so we can best support your participation.

2026 WTS San Francisco Bay Area Chapter Annual Event Sponsorship Opportunities - Act now sponsorships are limited and always go fast!

 Travel Directions

The Oakland Scottish Rite Center is located at 1547 Lakeside Drive across the street from the Lake Chalet Seafood Bar & Grill in Oakland.

By BART

The closest BART stations are approximately 1 mile from the Scottish Rite at 19th Street, 12th Street and Lake Merritt.

By AC Transit

The Scottish Rite is accessible by a number of AC Transit bus lines, including the 14, 1T, 88, and NL lines. For more information, visit actransit.org.

Bike Parking

Bike parking is available in the Scottish Rite parking lot, as well as across the street at the Lake Chalet.

Vehicle Parking

Limited vehicle parking is available in the Scottish Rite's free lot behind the building (entrance on Madison Street). Additional public pay lots are available on Madison Street. Some on-street parking is also available on Lakeside Drive.

Trip Planner

For a complete guide to reaching the Scottish Rite on public transit, visit transit.511.org.