SHPE - Fall 2008 - (Page 8)

LEADERSHPE ❚ Photography by Manuel Herñandez Diana L. Gomez ❙ National President n more than 20 years of involvement with the Society, SHPE lifetime member Diana Gomez has served more than 12 years on the board of directors, the last five as national president. During this unprecedented third term as president, the chief of the Office of Traffic Management and a senior electrical engineer with Caltrans has led initiatives that have more than doubled SHPE’s scholarship program, professional development services, internships and corporate partnerships. In addition to increasing SHPE’s scholarship program, she strives to grow learning center programs for professional members at all levels and implement academic programs that improve the achievement of college and K-12 Hispanic students. Toward improving customer service, Gomez will work to enhance programs to make an even greater impact in the Hispanic community. I dent representative and established the Future Leader of SHPE Award in 2004. Porras next accepted an appointment as chairwoman of the National Student Affairs Committee, a position she held for three years. Among her major contributions to the committee was establishing a program to smoothly transition the nine national/regional student leaders and further develop their leadership skills. In 2004 and 2005, she received President’s Awards in recognition of her service and dedication to SHPE. As she completes an M.S. in environmental science and engineering, she currently serves as treasurer for the Colorado SHPE Professional Chapter. Kathleen Gonzales ❙ Region I Vice President ifetime member Kathleen Gonzales is completing her first term as Region I vice president. Currently an engineer with Pacific Gas and Electric, her SHPE involvement began at California State University, Fresno, where she served as secretary, vice president and regional leadership conference chairwoman. The following years she was elected to the positions of Region I student representative and then vice national student representative. As a new professional, she helped establish the South Central Valley SHPE Professional Chapter in California. Over the years, her participation on the organizing committees for various national and western regional conferences as well as co-chairwoman for the National Student Affairs Committee has granted her a vast knowledge of the organization. Well acquainted with the needs of students as well as those of young professionals, Gonzales strives to balance both in promoting professional activities, bolstering new and struggling chapters, improving communication among chapters and, ultimately, making the region stronger. L Manuel Hernández ❙ National Vice President urrently employed as a senior principal systems engineer, IPT lead and Six Sigma specialist with Raytheon, Manuel Hernández is the longest tenured officer on the national board. During his previous two terms as vice president, the SHPE lifetime member championed professional development by launching three programs that provide a continuum of training spanning from the entry and managerial levels right through to the executive level. Improving the value of professional membership will go a long way in providing members with the skills needed to close the “Executive Gap” for Hispanics in corporate America. As he completes an unprecedented third term, he is committed to enhancing and expanding the reach of these programs, maximizing benefits to all members, and increasing the value, effectiveness, efficiency and consistency of SHPE’s programs. C Ricardo Carlos ❙ Region II Vice President software engineer with IBM, Ricardo Carlos was re-elected to a second term as Region II vice president. During his previous term, the lifetime member focused on strengthening community outreach programs, sharing best practices among chapters and educating chapter leadership on available resources. In addition to establishing a Unified E-Week program, he also served as chairman for the Membership Value Proposition (MVP) Project, which developed strategies to recruit and retain members and increase SHPE’s visibility. Carlos will now strengthen the value of membership by collaborating with Region II chapters to ensure that member expectations are being met and exceeded. “My primary goal is to revive and strengthen all inactive and struggling chapters, and ensure that all chapters are actively serving their members and the community,” he said. “All programs, ranging from professional development to community outreach, will be reinforced to fulfill SHPE’s mission and ensure that all get the most from their membership.” A Annette Jimenez ❙ National Treasurer ifetime member Annette Jimenez was re-elected to a fourth term as the Society’s treasurer. Jimenez spent a 23-year career at the Internal Revenue Service, and she has continuously contributed to SHPE’s sustained growth and progress with regard to its financial stability, credibility, integrity and accountability. During previous terms, she obtained 501c tax exemption for the AHETEMS Foundation and developed the first set of financial policies. She is now working on a financial operations handbook. Ensuring that tax reporting is timely and correctly filed, she secured via appeal process $54,000 in IRS refunds which were incorrectly filed past payments prior to her first term. Under her supervision, SHPE’s investments have averaged more than $150,000 in growth. For her dedicated efforts, Jimenez received a President’s Award and the eastern regional conference’s Lifetime Achievement Award. “During this time of change and growth, it’s not how much funding you acquire,” she said, “but what you do with it that results in success.” L Ismael Mendoza ❙ Region III Vice President egion III veteran Ismael Mendoza is completing his second term as regional vice president. The SHPE lifetime member is currently employed with Colorado Electronic Product Design. Mendoza joined SHPE as a student at the Colorado School of Mines, where he served as student chapter president and Region III student representative. In the past, he has served as an advisor for the region’s fledging chapters and champion for SHPE’s national conferences in 2006 and 2007. He also collaborated with IBM to spearhead events related to Metro Denver’s La Familia Technology Week. Mendoza continues his endeavors to form professional chapters throughout the region as well as strengthen the communication between student and professional chapters. R Yuliana Porras ❙ National Secretary S HPE’s new national secretary is Yuliana Porras, a chemical engineer specializing in reverse osmosis membrane research with the Bureau of Reclamation. This lifetime member began her SHPE involvement in 1999 at the Colorado School of Mines, where she served as accounts manager, vice president and president of the student chapter. After a term as Region III student representative, she became national stu- 8 SHPE ❘ Fall 2008

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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