NSBE - March/April 2008 - (Page 165)

By Nosa Egharevba, NSBE National Alumni Extension Chair ThEAENichE N Sharing THe passion our incoming chair, Njema Frazier, Ph.D. I also send a personal thank you to every member of the National Executive Board and the World Headquarters staff for all of your help and support. And last but not least, I thank the members of the Alumni Executive Board: For those of you who have been doing this with me for a couple SBE family, it is an honor and a privilege to welcome you to sunny Orlando, Fla., for our 34th NSBE Annual National Convention. As we continue to expand the NSBE mission by “Igniting the Torch,” we also mark the 12th anniversary of the Technical Professionals Conference (TPC). Before I talk about the importance of the convention theme and how it pertains to us, the technical arm of the organization, let me take this time to say “Thank you” to the rank-andfile members and NSBE leaders who decided to expand the convention to include the TPC. This 12-year run has been remarkable, and I guarantee the conference is only going to get bigger and better. I hope you, my NSBE family, will continue to support and represent as only we can. The convention theme, “Igniting the Torch: Engineering in Action,” will give us a chance to show how powerful and successful we can be in transforming our industries and the world. The program that has been planned by TPC Chair Dakeesha Wright and her team is designed to enable us to share with each other our experiences and passion for our workplaces and for NSBE. Some of the TPC events being planned for you are: technical workshops, certification courses, Career Engineer Networking Suites, the AE Kickoff Breakfast, the Annual NSBE Alumni Extension Golf Classic and the Special Interest Groups (SIGs) Showcase. The SIGs showcase made its debut last year, and we want to keep improving on it. There will also be several forums to help answer any questions you have about the business side of NSBE. These include the Alumni Forum, the National Candidates Q&A and the Regional and National Meetings. The conference planning committee has also developed some new events, such as the NSBE 5K Run, Tech Expo and Business Plan Competition. Family, this will be my last communication with you in this magazine as your National Alumni chair, and I am very humbled to have served you all. I thank the talented and brilliant people I have been blessed to work with on the National and Regional AE boards. I wish nothing but great success and my undying support for www.nsbe.org “The convention theme, ‘Igniting the Torch: Engineering in Action,’ will give us a chance to show how powerful and successful we can be in transforming our industries and the world.” of years and for those who have been here for the past year, I have nothing but respect and love for your selfless dedication to our organization. I hope I represented you well. Although I am leaving the position of AE chair, I am not going anywhere, because I am a member of this organization for life. I will continue to serve NSBE by helping expand the pipeline and fulfill the mission locally and globally. I hope to see you all this week, as well as in May at the Alumni Summit in New Orleans. As always, much “NSBE Luv.” ■ • march/april 2008 • 165 http://www.nsbe.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NSBE - March/April 2008

NSBE - March/April 2008
Contents
The Flame of Change
What Is Your Smile Saying?
International News: Telecom Training In Nigeria
Get Involved, Get International!
NSBE International, History in Brief
Truth Power!
Is Government Work for You?
Partners for Positive Impact
Regional News: Region III Economic Overview
GM Flexes Its Green
NSBE Calendar
Hot…Not
A Well-Deserved Break
Goodness Ikeri of Caterpillar
Tonya Erwin of Toyota
Albert Rodriques of Lehman Brothers
Igniting the Torch
Finding Career Fair Success
The AE Niche
Working in Harm’s Way
Reality Check
AE Members on the Move
Advertisers Index

NSBE - March/April 2008