Dear Members,

Wow!  2022 is off to quite a start. I don’t know about you, but my calendar is filled with some really exciting opportunities in the coming months. 2022 for SEAOSC started off strong with the SEAOSC Student Career Fair. I would like to thank all the firms who participated to make the event successful,  and allowed us to connect with over 200 students. If you haven’t done so yet, I would encourage you to check out the 2022 SEAOSC Program Year; it is not just a calendar of membership meetings but a true reflection of the initiatives our committees and board are undertaking.

SEAOSC does have a full schedule, and that is thanks to our dedicated members - volunteers with a passion to enhance our structural engineering community. All of the new programs on our agenda are brought to you by your peers, because it is a topic or resource that they are passionate about – events that our SEAOSC community can and will grow from. There are three new programs in particular that I would like to share with you:

• SEAOSC Mentorship Program - Thoughtfully fostered out of our Women in Structural Engineering committee, and in collaboration with the Young Members committee, the D&I committee, and some of our Student Chapters, the inaugural pilot program is being launched in Spring of 2022. This structured program will offer opportunities for one-on-one mentoring as well as small group mentoring. I am excited to participate as a mentor not only to support the future of the profession but because it will surely foster new authentic relationships and grow my professional network. I expect that it will give me some feedback and insight on how to be a better manager. And, I am hoping it will help improve communication and leadership skills. If you would like to learn more about the SEAOSC Mentorship Program, please reach out to our SEAOSC office.

• SEAOSC Public Speaking Workshop (March 19th) - Open to all members, this program is brought to you by our Young Member committee. The workshop is designed to give attendees the fundamentals of public speaking and effective communication for client interactions, new business development, and internal collaboration and presentations. These are valuable skills for all engineers as they work to advance in their career.  We are excited to offer this experience to our members at a reduced cost, thanks in part to grant support by the NCSEA Foundation.

• Education Summit (March 18th) - Our Education Committee and Sustainability Committee have teamed up to bring you a day-long education program focused on Sustainability in Structural Design. In both the public sector and in private development, the industry is looking towards the future, and that future is “green.” The technical summit will kick off with "Embodied Carbon 101", address the life-cycle impact our main building materials have on the environment, and explore some successful case studies right here in California. Become familiar with emerging trends so that you can better serve your clients and our community.

Please stay tuned to our weekly email announcements, for the latest in event news. With the current surge in COVID cases, our schedule has been fluid. The health and safety of our members and staff is our top priority and we continue to monitor and adjust our schedule.

I hope you all find at least one new SEAOSC event that peaks your interest, and I look forward to seeing you there!

Warmest Regards,

Kelsey Anne Parolini, S.E.
SEAOSC President, 2021-22