SHPE - Winter 2009 - (Page 28)

CONFERENCE 2008 STAR Awards Even in a cloudless sky, Arizona’s sunshine paled in comparison to the brilliance of SHPE Technical and Achievement Recognition (STAR) Award winners. Honoring the technical innovations and unselfish contributions to upholding the Society’s core values, all winners were featured in the Conference 2008 issue of SHPE magazine. Jeet Bindra Chevron Global Manufacturing Jaime Oaxaca Award Maximizing Value for Professional Members By Barry Cordero, Host Committee Co-Chairman The 2008 SHPE Conference demonstrated a monumental change in the value it provided to professional members, as this year’s Hosting Committee set out to stimulate professional membership through the Society’s flagship event. Increasing professional membership is a perennial goal of the Society, yet it struggles to transition student members after college graduation. Late last year, several motivated SHPE members discussed the types of programs that would attract existing professional members as well as new ones. A survey of current and previous members found that professionals were seeking a value-added program to which their companies would sponsor their attendance. Thanks to the feedback and hard work on behalf of the committee, this year’s attendees experienced workshops specifically designed to meet the needs of engineers at all levels and in all fields. Among the biggest successes were the PMI certification workshops provided by Mary McNally at Project Training Plus (www.projecttrainingplus.com). These workshops were such a hit that professionals lined up outside waiting for a seat to become available. Another significant change to the professional program was the new Business Proposal Competition. It challenged professional members to find a solution to a real world business/engineering problem, complete a formal business proposal and compete for the winning bid. This experience is difficult to find at any other conference. Such events connect aspiring entrepreneurs with the necessary skills to climb the corporate ladder and, combined with the Executive LeaderSHPE Institute, will be a potentially strong means of increasing the number of Latinos in executive positions. This conference proved that SHPE can reach out to professionals and give them what they need. A survey of the three workshops with the greatest attendance showed that more than 30 percent of attendees were non-members from our sponsor companies. Whether they were once SHPE student members or are new to SHPE, they found value at the conference, motivating them to attend and participate. Wanda Ronquillo IBM Junipero Serra Award Carlos Godoy Naval Undersea Warfare Center Hispanic in Technology Government Award The Professional Program subcommittee Heriberto Gonzalez, Melanie Weber, Erika Madrid and Andres Martin. (Not pictured Mary Ellen Ruiz.) Julio Navarro The Boeing Company Hispanic in Technology Corporate Award Grace Lieblein General Motors Corporate Achievement Award Mairim G. Ramos-Lebrón Northrop Grumman Corporation Promising Engineer Award Yamaris Soto Collazo Northrop Grumman Corporation Professional Role Model Award Neftali Ortiz Lockheed Martin Corporation Honorary Member Award Professional hands-on workshops left many wishing for more time. “It was a pleasure to have led such an amazing program,” said Andres Martin, Professional Program lead. “I believe that we have accomplished the unthinkable, the buzz is still in the air and spreading all over the nation. We couldn’t have done this without the assistance Mary Ellen Ruiz, Heriberto Gonzalez, Erika Madrid and Melanie Weber. They were professional at all times and executed their duties to the fullest.” By taking this lesson and continually applying it to future conferences and its organizational strategy, SHPE will not only increase its professional numbers but also the success of its members. ■ SHPE ❘ Winter 2009 28 Photos by Ken Krehbiel http://www.projecttrainingplus.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of SHPE - Winter 2009

SHPE - Winter 2009 Contents President's Letter Browser Calendar Professional Chapter Leaders - Providing the Right Resources at the Right Time Closing the Expectation Gap - Summit Addresses ‘Diploma to Nowhere’ Conference 2008 A Career Building Diversity in Engineering Education Graduate STEM Degrees Extend Technical Reach Programs & Services Inner Circle Employer Profile Regional Roundup Annual Report Advertisers Index

SHPE - Winter 2009

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