Today I am pleased to hand over the reins of the TRB Committee on Traffic Flow Theory and Characteristics (AHB45) to Dr. Soyoung Ahn who assumes the chair position. I am confident that Sue will take the committee to the next level of excellence. Special thanks from the bottom of my heart to the many dedicated members and friends for your support and tremendous volunteer commitment over the past 6 years. I'd also like to thank my predecessors Prof. Nathan Gartner and Prof. Hani Mahmassani for their support and advice. It's been an honor and a pleasure to serve in this role as committee chair. Together we have accomplished much--we've processed nearly 1000 papers and over 4000 reviews, held 6 committee meetings, a 50th anniversary celebration, several fantastic summer meetings (including one in Portland), 30 lectern sessions, 16 poster sessions, and have published nearly 200 high quality papers in the Transportation Research Record. We've seen some new exciting topics emerge, and some further developments of long-standing subjects in our field. I am particularly gratified to see the high level of activity in our subcommittees and especially among our young members and friends. Moving forward, please think about how you can be a mentor for the next generation of scholars, professionals and leaders. TRB is a very special organization, and I particularly want to thank Rich Cunard and all of the TRB staff who support what we do. I look forward to continuing to work with all of you in the coming years. Thank you again for your support and friendship.