NSBE - November/December 2008 - (Page 54)

AE programs Address critical Goals By Kevin M. Briscoe W Thzaira Charles, P.E. “The goal for (this year) is to enhance the quality of our existing programs and encourage members and technical professionals to actively participate.” — National AE Programs Chair Thzaira Charles, P.E. hen Njema J. Frazier, Ph.D. assumed the chairmanship of the National Alumni Executive Board, she, with input from National Executive Board Chair Stevenson A. Dunn Jr., was determined to focus on four key areas: reducing the number of members not affiliated with a chapter; setting a new standard for conference participation; establishing viable funding sources to underwrite programs and activities, and, finally, strengthening current programs. “This can be the last year that flagship programs like Special Interest Groups (SIGs), Try-Math-A-Lon, Entrepreneurship and AWFE (A Walk for Education) are not given the time, resources and exposure that should be afforded them within the Society,” she said in a web message to AE members. Enter Thzaira Charles, P.E. Charles, a 10 1/2-year staff services engineer with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, is the 2008–09 National Alumni Extension Programs chair. In her new role, she is tasked with adding shape to the goals as outlined by Dr. Frazier and Dunn. “The goal for (this year) is to enhance the quality of our existing programs and encourage members and technical professionals to actively participate,” says Charles, 36. “Our programs are designed to impact our membership through professional or self-improvement and (by) providing mentorship and guidance to our collegiate and pre-college demographics.” Charles adds that she expects to achieve these goals by engaging AE members through conferences, ongoing open forums (“Village Calls”) and the regional AE boards: “Since they are the ones that serve as the conduit between the national board and the membership…I am working closely with (Regional Alumni Executive Boards) and, especially, the regional Alumni programs chairs to identify what the membership needs from NSBE and what support they need in order to be successful.” Programs for 2008–09 include a revamped version of the Chapter Development Program, enhanced professional development training, FaceTime, NSBEpreneur, SIGs, Try-Math-A-Lon and KidZone. In addition, the Alumni Extension will present awards to chapters and members who exemplify NSBE’s mission and will award scholarships to AE members pursuing graduate degrees. “(These) programs are important to the Alumni Executive Board because it is a way for us to impact our youth and collegiate members from a national level,” says Charles, “to create incubators where ideas and innovation can become reality.” Yet, programs at the AE level must remain relevant to both the predominant college-aged members and the technical professionals who make up the Alumni Extension. Charles says AE members are up to the task. “Who else but the Alumni Extension members are going to really know what it means to be a young African-American engineer entering the work force?” she asks. “And, more importantly, who is more qualified…to coach our collegiate members and graduating seniors in parlaying (NSBE membership) into skills that make our collegiate members…highly desirable…for internships, co-ops and entry-level employment?” Charles adds: “We remain relevant to our AE membership by trying to offer the right mix of programming that addresses the professional needs of our members, giving them a place to discuss technical issues and allowing them an opportunity to give back and bring more young people into the field of engineering.” ■ Kevin M. Briscoe is a communications officer for Amtrak and a former editor of NSBE Magazine. 54 • november/december 2008 • www.nsbe.org http://www.nsbe.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NSBE - November/December 2008

NSBE - November/December 2008
Contents
How We Got Over
Obama Wins!
LaTanjia Robinson of Aerojet
Membership News: You Did It Again!
Cash In Your GPA!
NSBE-AE Signs On
Growing from One Love
New York Renaissance
Toronto Welcomes NSBE Convention Planners
Regional Officer Reconnects in Ghana
Texas A&M - College Station, NSBE's Distinguished Chpater of the Year
Lifetime Members: 118 and Counting!
NSBE Midshipmen
Vision and Change
The AE Niche
Thinking Green
Blacks in Computer Science: The Secrets of Their Success
NSBE Calendar
AE Programs Address Critical Goals
AE Members on the Move
Making Games for the Masses
Advertisers Index

NSBE - November/December 2008