Matthew Barnard, S.E.
SEAOSC President
Happy New Year! Welcome to 2021.
These are exciting times for your Association. Between our upcoming Career Fair and Student Night, the Empowerment by Design Leadership Symposium on Feb. 24th and 25th, the work by our Committees, upcoming webinars, upcoming improvements to our website and social media platforms, and so much more, your Association is busy! Get involved; together we can make an even bigger difference for each other and our Community.
Career Fair and Student Night, Feb. 3rd
20 years ago, almost to the day, I started my career as a structural engineer. It feels like it was yesterday. It may be cliché, but time really flies. Do you remember when you were looking for your first job? The challenge of finding the right position with the right firm? I definitely remember the anxiety but also the excitement of starting the next chapter in my life.
On Feb. 3rd, you can help our next generation of passionate talented structural engineers as they seek the next chapter in their lives. Students are looking to be part of our community; join myself and your fellow Members in welcoming the students and sharing opportunities for full-time and intern positions during our 2021 Career Fair. Sponsorships are immediately available for a virtual table at the career fair. Sign up now! Attend the career fair, click here to register, and then join us in celebrating the remarkable new talent attending our Southern California universities during the Scholarship Awards. Thank you to the Young Members Committee for their hard work in pulling together the program for the Awards. Thank you to the Foundation for providing the scholarships.
Empowerment by Design Leadership Symposium Sponsored by CSI
Curated by the Women in Structural Engineering, the 2021 Leadership Symposium titled “Empowerment by Design” is open for registration now. The line-up of speakers and content is fantastic and touches on resilient management, diversity, mentorship, and more. This is an event that will benefit all whether you are just starting your career, a practicing engineer, a friend of the industry, etc. Through the generous support of CSI, we are able to keep the cost of attendance very reasonable. Get this two half-day event on your calendar now. To learn more, click here.
Other Highlights
1. Holiday Newsletter: Did you receive your hardcopy of the 2020 Holiday Newsletter? If not, make sure that your contact information on your SEAOSC member profile is current. Note that we typically sent the hardcopies to the home addresses on-file. Do you want to keep receiving a hardcopy newsletter once or twice a year? Let us know your feedback on the newsletter by contacting the Office at seaosc@seaosc.org.
2. DEI: The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee is meeting weekly. Big thanks to all involved including Lorena Arce as Chair; you are making a difference that benefits all. For the Members, look for a short film titled “The Future” to be released. We have agreed to support the filmmaker in this effort to highlight emerging young professionals in our industry. Interested in joining the effort, contact Lorena at larce@lindapter.com.
3. Nominations: Nominations for the 2021/2022 SEAOSC Board are being accepted now. The slate of nominees will be released mid-March. If you are interested in serving on the Board or would like to recommend a potential candidate, now is the time. Please contact Mehran Pourzanjani at mehran@saifulbouquet.com. Mehran has graciously accepted our request to serve as the chair of the 2021 Nominations Committee.
4. Policy and Legislative Platform: In January, the SEAOSC Board adopted a Policy and Legislative Platform. In the coming months, we will release the details of that platform. If you are interested in Policy and Legislation, we have an opportunity for you. Our Safer Cities Initiative will be engaging in outreach with various legislative partners to discuss our Platform. We are currently scheduling events with multiple legislative offices. If you would like to get involved, contact me at mbarnard@degenkolb.com.
5. ATC: SEAOSC appointed Michael Cochran to the Board of ATC for a second three-year term. We are looking forward to enhanced collaboration between ATC and SEAOSC.
6. Committee Needs: Committees are pushing to advance their efforts for 2020/2021. There are immediate opportunities to assist our Committees no matter your interest and experience. Join us. If you have an interest in a committee or just would like more information, do not hesitate to contact me at mbarnard@degenkolb.com.
7. Response Plan: SEAOSC is working on updating our Response Plan. While currently focused on the earthquakes, we also intend to broaden the plan to include the lessons learned from the pandemic. Look for future updates about the Response Plan in this newsletter.
8. SE Reference Needed: SEAOSC has been asked to interview a potential SE candidate and serve as one of their references for the SE exam. If you are interested in assisting with this effort, please contact myself at mbarnard@degenkolb.com.
9. SEAOSC/EERI/SEI Collaboration: SEAOSC has been contacted by our friends at EERI and SEI. We are talking about how the three organizations can better collaborate with each other and provide an enhanced value to our respective members and to the industry.
There is a lot happening in your Association. We need you. Maximize your membership and get involved however you can. We can do great things together.
