SHPE - Fall 2008 - (Page 4)

PRESIDENT’S LETTER NATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Diana L. Gomez ❚ California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS) Vice President Manuel Hernández ❚ Raytheon Company Secretary Yulianna Porras ❚ Bureau of Reclamation Treasurer Annette Jimenez ❚ IRS Headquarters (Retired) National Undergraduate Representative Alejandra Hernandez ❚ University of Florida Vice National Undergraduate Representative Francisco Rivera ❚ University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez National Graduate Representative Enrique Arce-Larreta ❚ University of Utah VICE PRESIDENTS Region I Vice President Kathleen Gonzales ❚ PG&E Region II Vice President Ricardo Carlos ❚ IBM Corporation Region III Vice President Ismael Mendoza ❚ Colorado Electronic Product Design Region IV Vice President Dora Maria Abreu ❚ Pershing LLC Region V Vice President Michael E. Gutierrez ❚ Lockheed Martin Corporation Region VI Vice President Adriana S. Ocampo-Senior ❚ The Boeing Company Region VII Vice President Concepción Jiménez-González ❚ GlaxoSmithKline NATIONAL STAFF Chief Executive Officer Enrique Gomez ❚ Enrique.Gomez@shpe.org Director of Operations Hector Acosta ❚ Hector.Acosta@shpe.org Events Coordinator Alli Sadighpour ❚ Alli.Sadighpour@shpe.org Meeting Planner Assistant Beatriz Garcia ❚ Beatriz.Garcia@shpe.org IT Administrator Frank Barragan ❚ Frank.Barragan@shpe.org Membership Lead Valerie Valenzuela ❚ Valerie.Valenzuela@shpe.org Professional Development Officer Fred Muñoz ❚ Fred.Munoz@shpe.org Executive Assistant Lourdes Romero Arce ❚ Lourdes.Arce@shpe.org Receptionist Violeta Lopez ❚ Receptionist@shpe.org Bookkeeper Marilyn Cruz ❚ Bookkeeper@shpe.org SALES Director of External Affairs Rafaela Schwan ❚ Rafaela.Schwan@shpe.org Corporate Affairs Manager Carmen Peralta ❚ Carmen.Peralta@shpe.org Sales Associate Stacy Dees ❚ Stacy.Dees@shpe.org Director of Programs ❚ Rafaela Schwan Rafaela.Schwan@shpe.org Assistant Director of Programs ❚ Gary Cruz Gary.Cruz@shpe.org Higher Education Coordinator ❚ Berenice Rodriguez Berenice.Rodriguez@shpe.org K-12 Coordinator ❚ Luis H. Mendoza-Natividad Luis.Mendoza@shpe.org Administrative Assistant ❚ Karina Jaime Karina.Jaime@shpe.org SHPE, magazine of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, is published quarterly, four times per year. Annual subscription rates; SHPE members, included in dues; non-members, $20. Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers 5400 E. Olympic Blvd., Suite 210 Los Angeles, CA 90022 © Copyright 2008 by SHPE Magazine For information regarding the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers: (323) 725-3970 For subscription request, editorial inquiries and information: shpemag@shpe.org or telephone (949) 673-7925 For advertising rates and information: John Goodrich, telephone (434) 244-9776 john.goodrich@shpe.org AHETEMS FOUNDATION Visit our website at http://www.shpe.org n the last five years, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers has experienced tremendous growth. As I begin my sixth and final year as your president, it has been my great honor to be a part of that growth. The goals, initiatives and action items that your National Board of Directors have implemented have given us much of which to be proud. From 235 student and professional chapters, we have grown to 306. From 28 Industrial PartnerSHPE Council members, we have 54 corporate partners. Our tremendously successful SHPE Jr. chapter program, nonexistent in 2003, reports 26 thriving chapters. The Society currently operates with a $4.5 million annual budget and our non-profit arm, AHETEMS, today enjoys the strength that $1.5 million allows. Did this growth magically happen? Of course not. The leadership of the Society has made monumental decisions in order to experience this type of growth. We invested in training for our students and professionals as well as in our staff and “reached across the aisle” to achieve common goals. What has been key for us as a board is the foundation of trust that we have built. We’ve changed our mission, expanded programs from kindergarten to executive level and built strong relationships with our stakeholders. Moving the SHPE Conference to the fall timeframe was probably the most far reaching decision. The impact of that move has now set the foundation for the next level of Society growth. The Society is also transitioning to a new business model with our chief executive officer, Enrique Gomez, acquiring many responsibilities that were once in the domain of the executive board. It is an operational structure that will accommodate the rapid growth and development that are in SHPE’s future. A large part of the board retreat this summer (see page 28 for related article) was spent analyzing the shifting roles and responsibilities of those who work with the Society as paid staff and volunteer leaders. The discussion was valuable, one that will allow the organization to be more efficiently led and its plans, more efficiently implemented. New initiatives and an improved support system to execute those new initiatives will allow SHPE to reach an unprecedented number of student and professional members across the United States. The Hispanic American population continues to grow faster than any other group in the nation. Some demographers have analyzed immigration and birth rates and concluded that America is experiencing a selective “younging.” This trend will affect everything from labor force needs to political agendas. Hispanics now account for about one in four children under the age of five in the United States, according to the U.S. Census Bureau estimates released last May. In five years, a quarter of 5 to 9 year olds will be Hispanic. As you can well imagine, SHPE has a critical role to play in the education and career paths of these youths. It is with careful strategic planning and targeted programs that we can greatly influence these future generations. At one point during our board retreat, IBM’s Jesus Mantas asked us to consider “crazy” ideas for the Society. The depth and breadth of those ideas were astonishing — from a Hispanic engineer being the main character on a Saturday morning cartoon series to the Society carrying such prestige as an organization that engineers would have to be nominated to gain entry. It is the creativity of people such as Jesus Mantas and other SHPE leaders that makes me confident that our ambitious vision is attainable. These novel ideas and voices will propel SHPE to even greater heights. We are in the process of finalizing our programs. You’ll be hearing more about them in the coming months. In the meantime, allow me to ask you for your continued support of SHPE’s mission to transform lives through education and career opportunities. In this time of change, your support is essential. Together, I’m confident we can fulfill SHPE’s mission to be The Source for Quality Hispanic Engineers and Technical Talent. Diana Gomez President I 4 SHPE ❘ Fall 2008 http://www.shpe.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of SHPE - Fall 2008

SHPE - Fall 2008 Contents President's Letter From the Vice President Calendar of Events National Board of Directors The Great '08: Chapter Leaders Learn to Spread 'SHPE Fever' Browser National Retreat Provides a Redefinition An Engineer and a Politician Capitalizing on Engineering Talent Grupos de Afinidad A Focused Approach to Getting the Job You Really Want SHPE Conference 2008 IPC Update Programs & Services Keeping Warm with 'Yuper' Familia Spirit Promise of Spring Recruit, Engage and Retain Regional Student Representatives Regional Roundup Advertisers Index

SHPE - Fall 2008

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