A Message from ASCE-Pittsburgh President-Elect Sam Shamsi
On the evening of September 22, as I was celebrating ASCE-Pittsburgh’s 100th Anniversary at the beautiful Hotel Manco in downtown Pittsburgh, my mind was contemplating a safe time to depart for another important ASCE event in Reston, Virginia. I wanted to have sufficient time to rest but not miss a 10 A.M. round-table discussion on the potential challenges faced by incoming Section Presidents. I ended up resting for five hours before a 5 AM departure for ASCE PGF 2018.
On September 23-24, 2018, 103 Section and Branch Presidents, Region Governors and Society Directors from across the country and abroad attended the annual Presidents and Governors Forum (PGF) in Reston, VA at ASCE Headquarters. This event was organized and moderated by the Leader Training Committee (LTC) and provided opportunities for attendees to learn about ASCE resources, network with other ASCE leaders, and gain useful training that would benefit their Sections and Branches.
The purpose of the PGF is to provide a venue for current Section/Branch President-Elects and Region Leaders to gain the knowledge to effectively and efficiently run their local units. The conference provides an opportunity for attendees to network and brainstorm with each other, gain leadership skills, learn about ASCE resources from other ASCE volunteers and staff and discuss Best Practices to take back to your Section/Branch. Networking receptions were held on both Saturday and Sunday, with a group dinner on Sunday attended by most of the conference attendees.
On Sunday, topics included an Introduction to your Presidency and How to Utilize your Governors; an Introduction to Region 10; Roundtable Discussions on Section and Branch Challenges; and How to Be A Great Leader at Work and in ASCE. Seasoned ASCE leaders spoke about their experiences with Social Media and Student Transition Activities in their Section and Branch. President Kristina Swallow, President-Elect Robin Kemper, and Executive Director Tom Smith also shared their thoughts and experiences. Monday continued with additional Best Practice sessions on Struggling Sections and Branches, Developing a State Infrastructure Report Card, Attracting Younger Members through Diversity Programs, Student Transition, and Successful Section and Branch Operations. The program continued with a presentation on Legal issues for Sections and Branches and an update on Dream Big, followed by a competitive game of JeopardASCE. Closing remarks were made by President-Elect Elect Kancheepuram Gunalan (Guna).
My favorite part of the meeting was a guided tour of rather modest Headquarters building. I downloaded the GroupMe Social Media App for event announcements but was eventually annoyed by the large number of notifications as other members were joining or leaving the group. I showed our hot off the press 100th Anniversary “Engineering Pittsburgh” book to organizers and attendees and was asked to submit a report for the section/Branch Best Practices Guide. After two solid days spent with ASCE, I left with some new knowledge that will help me next year as the ASCE-Pittsburgh Section President. I gained a better understanding of the National resources available to the Section. I think this meeting should be mandatory for all incoming Branch and Section Presidents and Region Governors.
ASCE President, Kristina L. Swallow, P.E., ENV SP, F.ASCE was in Pittsburgh on the night of September 22 to join our 100th Anniversary celebrations. Like me, she too had to be in ASCE Headquarters next morning for PGF 2018. I arrived before her despite the fact she took a flight whereas I drove. I promise I was not speeding!
For more information about the PGF, please visit LTC’s new website.
Sam Shamsi, PhD, PE, F.ASCE
President-Elect 2018
ASCE-Pittsburgh
