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Great Women in History - Women on the Move!
Secretary Nicole Majeski, DelDOT
Chief Angela Strong, US Coast Guard
Jeanna Ashby, Norfolk Southern Railroad
Chanel Riviere-Francis, Aviator
Joanne Arellano, P.E., PTOE, PTP
Traffic Engineer, WTS Delaware – Student Outreach Committee Chair
Joanne Arellano has over 16 years of experience in preparing traffic studies for various development and roadway improvement projects. She has a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Rutgers University, is a registered professional engineer, is a certified Professional Traffic Operations Engineer, and is a Professional Transportation Planner. She is a Traffic Engineer at JMT (Johnson, Mirmiran, & Thompson). She is a member of WTS Delaware and serves as the Student Outreach Committee Chair.
Jeanna Ashby, Locomotive Engineer
My name is Jeanna Ashby. I am a wife and a mother to two girls. I started working for Norfolk Southern Railroad in 2007 as a train conductor and went to Engine School in 2015. After a year of training, I earned my license as a Locomotive Engineer. I currently work at the Baltimore yard but sometimes travel to Enola and Harrisburg to take trains or run coal trains back to Baltimore.
Trinity Evans, Miss Juneteenth Delaware
Trinity Alexis Evans, 17 years old, is our current reigning Miss Juneteenth Delaware 2022. Trinity is a senior honor roll student at William Penn High School, where she serves as a student leader and majors in Visual and Performing Arts - participating in the Concert Choir, Gospel Choir, Wind Ensemble and Penn Players. She serves in her church – Simpson United Methodist Church in Wilmington, Delaware, singing in the Women’s Choir and the HT Harmon Youth and Young Adult Choir, where she often leads songs. Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, Trinity has been a dedicated member of the worship and media teams, working with her teams to render online worship services to Simpson UMC members and the online community at large. She is also in the 2023 Debutante Program for the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Zeta Omega chapter. Thus far, Trinity has been accepted to 9 colleges and universities - 5 of which are HBCUs (historically black colleges and universities). She desires to major in musical theater or computer science, with a minor in dance.
Earnie Harber, Women on Motorcycles, Safety
A State of Delaware employee for 33 years, and grandmother of 4. Earnie is a Senior Applications Support Specialist in the Enterprise Operations Unit. She holds an associate degree in Computer Information Systems and Networking, from Delaware Technical and Community College, a bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, a master’s degree in Human Resources Management and Public Administration from Wilmington University. For the past 13 years, Earnie has been a Certified Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) Rider Coach, teaching basic motorcycle riding and motorcycle riding and safety techniques to novice riders. She has also judged several Blue and Gold Pageants for the Miss Delaware Organization.
Nicole Majeski, Secretary of the Delaware Department of Transportation
Nicole Majeski was sworn in as the 11th Secretary of the Delaware Department of Transportation on January 13, 2021. As Secretary, she leads an organization responsible for 90% of the state’s transportation network, including the Division of Motor Vehicles and the Delaware Transit Corporation. Oversees the development and implementation of a six-year capital program of over $4 billion and ensures compliance with U.S. Department of Transportation. In addition, she works with the state’s counties, municipalities and towns to coordinate land use planning and transportation infrastructure needs throughout the state. With an annual budget of nearly $1 billion and a dedicated workforce of over 2,500 employees, Nicole oversees one of the largest departments in state government.
As Secretary, Nicole represents Delaware as a member of the Eastern Transportation Coalition, the Northeast Corridor Commission, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and the Northeast Association of State Transportation Officials.
Prior to becoming Secretary, Nicole served as Deputy Secretary of DelDOT where she assisted in overseeing daily operations, managed policy and legislative initiatives, constituent relations, employee development and the audit section.
Before joining the state, Nicole worked for New Castle County Government for seven years, serving as chief of staff to then County Executive Chris Coons. She is a graduate of the University of Delaware and a Council of State Government Toll Fellow. Nicole and her husband Ari Messinger have two sons and reside in Middletown.
Chanel Riviere-Francis
Chanel has always been a Global Citizen. To those who know her best, it was no surprise that she chose to follow her passion for travel and aviation. At age 11, she was appointed as a Student Ambassador to represent the United States of America for the People-to-People Ambassador Program, where she traveled for six weeks to London and Paris.
At age 13, she had a discovery flight and fell in love with the sky. Is currently an 18-year-old freshman at Purdue University Global. At the age of 17, she was awarded the Air Force JROTC Flight Academy Scholarship and earned her Private Pilot’s License at Purdue University. In the program, she completed her certification in 7 weeks with 48.5 total flight hours. During the fall semester of high school, she passed the FAA written exam for Instrument Rating.
Chanel is also active with memberships social related organizations. In the New Castle County Chapter of the Jack and Jill of America and served as Teen President, and other leadership positions. With the American Red Cross, she earned her Lifeguard and Babysitting certifications. She was a Former Girl Scout, National Society of High School Scholars, Regalia Honor Society, and a volunteer for Delaware State Senator, Nicole Poore.
She’s received numerous awards including; the 2022 Delaware Aviation Hall of Fame youth award (age 17), the Community Service Award, and the Outstanding Youth Award.
In June 2022, Chanel graduated with Honors from Appoquinimink High School. She went on to attend Purdue University where is currently studying in the aviation program in pursuit of becoming a Commercial Airline Pilot.
Chief Angela Strong- United States Coast Guard
Chief Culinary Specialist Angela Strong joined the Coast Guard in 2003 and attended Culinary School in Petaluma, CA. She has been stationed aboard four ships and four land units. She has three children and is originally from South Carolina.
Andrea Trabelsi, AICP
Transportation Planner at Whitman, Requardt & Associates
Vice President, WTS Delaware
Andrea Trabelsi is a certified planner with over 15 years of planning, policy, and design experience. She has led groups of technical experts, elected officials, stakeholders, and the public in transportation, land use, and public health projects in Delaware and the Mid-Atlantic. Andrea has a bachelor’s degree in environmental design and master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Minnesota. She has also spent time exploring transportation and planning internationally.