Dr. Mae Jemison, the first black woman to go into space and NASA’s first Science Mission Specialist is confirmed as a keynote speaker for the 2013 annual conference of WTS International, the association for the professional advancement of women in transportation.

Jemison joins Gloria Steinem, the iconic leader of the women's liberation movement in the late 1960s and 1970s, who will also be addressing conference attendees in the spring.

“We are honored to have Ms. Jemison speak to our members and partners at the Annual Conference this year. She epitomizes WTS International’s goal of attracting, retaining, and advancing women in transportation,” said Margaret Mullins, WTS Managing Director.

The Annual Conference, being held this year in Philadelphia, PA, May 15 to 17, is WTS International’s flagship event. It attracts more than 500 corporate and governmental industry leaders worldwide, including executives, CEOs, government administrators and leading engineering authorities.

Attendees at the conference gather to network, discuss the state of the world’s transportation infrastructure, strategize on advancing professionally through glass ceilings, and explore the local city’s successful municipal and private transportation and traffic projects. For the full duration of this year’s Philadelphia conference, private corporations, public agencies and government officials invested in every transportation mode will exhibit, present, learn and network.

Jemison, the first woman of color in the world to go into space, served six years as a NASA astronaut. She flew aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, STS-47 Spacelab J(apan) mission in September 1992 and was NASA’s first Science Mission Specialist performing experiments in material science, life science and human adaptation to weightlessness.

She is founder of the technology consulting firm, The Jemison Group Inc. that integrates the critical impact of socio-cultural issues when designing and implementing technologies, such as their projects on using satellite technology for health care delivery in West Africa and solar dish Stirling engines for electricity generation in developing countries.