Matthew Barnard, S.E.
SEAOSC President
This year has been an amazing year because of you. Thank you for allowing me this opportunity to serve as the President of this Association and represent you and our shared interests in Safer Cities through structural engineering.
Are you ready for our June 2nd Safer Cities and EiSE Awards Program (June 2nd, free event, 5 pm networking, 6 pm program start, register here) and our June 24th People Awards and Business Meeting (June 24th, free event, 5 pm networking, 6 pm program start, register here)? Let us get together to reflect on the past year and celebrate all that has been accomplished by you. Details about both June 2nd and June 24th events have been included at the end of this message.
Even with an entirely virtual program year, you, the SEAOSC Community have rallied around each other and our Association. Together, we have accomplished so much. It is impressive and we need to celebrate. To give you a sense of all that has been accomplished, see the following for the start of our “2020/2021 In Review”. We have provided a brief update on approximately half of the ongoing Initiatives within the Association. We will highlight the second half of the Initiatives in the June Newsletter.
Even with all that is being accomplished, there is so much more we can do together. When you receive your membership renewal, please make sure that you renew. This Association exists because of you and your continued membership is critical for us to provide the infrastructure to support this Community and advance structural engineering in Southern California. If you have any questions regarding your membership level or how to register, do not hesitate to contact me or the SEAOSC Office (seaosc@seaosc.org).
Special thanks to Optimum Seismic for their sustaining support of the Association during this year.
2020/2021 In Review
Our Committees are wrapping up their activities for this year. Papers are being completed and abstracts and presentations are starting to be worked on as we look towards the SEAOC Convention now only a few months away (https://2021.seaoc.org/). The Board and our Committee Chairs are also hard at work defining their goals and the related funding for next year. If you have an idea about what we need to accomplish next year, share it now! Want to get involved in what is next, the time to do it now! Email seaosc@seaosc.org and we can get you connected with fellow members who share your passion.
Our website update is almost ready. The various improvements are being championed by Communications and implemented by Co-Pilots and team. This is happening at the same time our transition to a “company” LinkedIn account has been fully implemented. Through the assistance of the Hoyt Group, we are enjoying the more frequent and improved communications from the Association through our Social Media. Join the conversation and follow SEAOSC on LinkedIn!
Our Legislative Action Committee has gone live! Big thanks to Jeff Ellis, Daniel Zepeda, and Luke Lombardi for taking the lead with this Committee. This committee is a quick response team that will allow us to maintain consistent messaging on policy and improve our interaction with our partners in our shared efforts to create Safer Cities through structural engineering. Key partners for us include the SEAOC Policy Committee and our local Legislative Offices who are increasingly engaging with SEAOSC through our Safer City events. On May 4th, approximately a dozen CA Legislative Offices joined for this quarter’s Policy Breakfast. We focused on AB 1329; Bill Text - AB-1329 Building codes: earthquakes: functional recovery standard. (ca.gov). This bill will provide the path for functional recovery to become a critical part of the California Building Code. SEAOC is a proud sponsor of this bill (SEAOC Talk February 2021 - SEAOC).
Our Board has made immense progress in moving forward critical initiatives to improve the Association. Here is a quick summary of approximately half of the 2020/2021Initiatives identified by the Board last summer and the progress that has been made:
- Diversity & Inclusivity: SEAOSC looked in the mirror last year and embraced that we needed to be better. With the leadership of Lorena Arce, the Diversity & Inclusivity Committee was born and has been challenging this Association to do the hard work needed to develop a more diverse and inclusive structural engineering industry and Association. Congratulations to our Diversity & Inclusivity Committee for all that you have accomplished. I am looking forward to the premiere of the short film “The Future” on June 24.
- WiSE into the Future: Last summer, the WiSE Committee embarked on a strategic planning effort to define what is next for the Committee. Through that effort, the Committee is positioned for the future with a clearer vision for the purpose, expectations, and needs of WiSE. In this spirit, WiSE is envisioned as a partner with Diversity & Inclusivity and as a standalone Committee focused on providing the support and safe space for women in structural engineering. It is a Committee open to all but with this specific focus and benefit to the Membership. One of this year’s great successes was the Leadership Symposium curated by WiSE. Fantastic job WiSE!
- Communications & Website: As described above, our website and our social media accounts needed help. Major steps to improve our website are currently underway. Additionally, the Board engaged the Hoyt Group to assist in our social medial presence. There is a lot of additional work still needed including updating our brand and graphic standards and improving the quantity and quality of our communications. We need individuals who are passionate about promoting the accomplishments of our fellow Members. Willing to be part of the team? Join the Communications Committee. Email seaosc@seaosc.org and ask for Maria. We will get you involved.
- Media: Last summer, the Board focused on developing both key messaging for the Association related to protecting our communities from the earthquake hazard. In August, a large group of members went through a training program to prepare us to be able to deliver that messaging whether on camera, over the radio, or to a reporter. We are preparing to refresh this messaging and continue building our team who are prepared for engaging with the media. Interested? Email seaosc@seaosc.org, ask for Maria, and we will get you involved.
- Student Chapters: Our students are the future of the Association. For the first time, the four student chapters within SEAOSC (Cal Poly SLO, UCLA, CSUF, and Cal Poly Pomona) are actively collaborating with each other and with the SEAOSC leadership. The leadership of each chapter is meeting on a frequent basis with both myself and Michael Falcone. The Chapters are now having joint events. We are looking forward to expanding upon this success in 2021/2022. Thank you, Michael, for all that you have done to make this happen. Interested in expanding our team of Student Chapters or becoming engaged with one of the Chapters, we need you. Contact seaosc@seaosc.org and ask for Michael.
- Events 2.1: The Board embraced that it was time to reinvent our events to reflect that we are a regional organization and to realize the full potential of our Signature Events. An evolution of our events was starting to happen and then we had to embrace that the year was going to be something different than we ever predicted. We went 100% virtual and re-invented almost everything. No dinner meetings. No member appreciation event. No holiday dinner. No awards banquet. Instead of just folding shop, the entire Association adapted. The Leadership Symposium curated by WiSE was a big success and reached people far beyond our normal reach. Our Education Committee has delivered great webinar content. Our virtual Award Program for the 2020 Safer Cities and EiSE Awards last Sept was a huge success. The student scholarship night and career fair engaged students from the entire region and the presentation of the Student Scholarships was one of the highlights of the year. As things re-open, the time is now for us to revisit our events for the years going forward. Do you have thoughts on how to adjust our events going forward, contact seaosc@seaosc.org and ask for Patti.
- Support Services: Over the past couple of years, the Board has worked to better understand the scope of management services being provided by Co-Pilots. The adjustment in title of Dianne from Executive Director to Association Manager reflected our alignment of what services had been contracted and successfully provided by Co-Pilots. This year, the Board explored what we expect from our management services. We will share details about how we envision these services being provided as part of my June President’s Message.
Next month, I will share updates about our Initiatives related to NCSEA/SEAOC Engagement, Past President’s Advisory Council, Financial Contingency, Sponsor / Member Value Enhancement and Engagement, Response Plan, External Partners, Operations 2.0, and the SEAOSC Foundation.
Let’s Celebrate You
We have two great celebrations scheduled for June. Both are free to attend. Both will have a mixture of live and taped content so we can keep the programs focused and on schedule.
Join us on June 2nd to our partners and friends who are making our cities safer when we announce our 2021 Safer Cities Awards. An announcement celebrating the 2021 honorees will be released in the coming days. After we celebrate our Safer Cities Awards, join us as we celebrate your Excellence in Structural Engineering (EiSE) with the 2021 EiSE Awards. Be inspired. Be awed. Be proud of your fellow SEAOSC Members for their excellence in structural engineering. Register now for this free event by visiting seaosc.org and going to the events page.
On June 24th, we will be honoring your fellow SEAOSC Members with our 2021 People Awards including our nominees for the SEAOC College of Fellows, Honorary Member, Public Service Award, Engineer of the Year, and Young Engineer of the Year. We will also be celebrating our first Diversity & Inclusivity Award. What each of you do on behalf of our fellow SEAOSC Members is important. Together, let us celebrate those who have gone beyond the call of duty. Register now for this free event by visiting seaosc.org and going to the events page.
June 24th will not just be our 2021 People Awards. We are also proud to premiere the short film “The Future” that shares the stories of three emerging talents in the Structural Engineering Community. Sponsored by our Diversity & Inclusivity Committee, this short film engages and inspires. Do not miss this special event.
Lastly, June 24th will be our Annual Business Meeting. I will proudly hand over the leadership of your Association to the remarkable Kelsey. I cannot say enough wonderful things about all that Kelsey has been doing on our collective behalf. She has set us this Association for an exciting 2021/2022 as we emerge from Covid and again are able to engage with each other in person. Thank you, Kelsey. Thank you to the team of Committee Chairs and Committee Members that are doing the hard work as volunteers in advancing our Association and our industry. Thank you to the Board; your engagement and commitment to the betterment of this Association are unparalleled. Thank you to our Ex Comm; I cannot adequately express my appreciation for your investment in each of our Members and our Association through all that you do each day on behalf of SEAOSC.
