Matthew Barnard, S.E.
SEAOSC President
Thanksgiving is right around the corner! It is hard to believe that it is already that time of year. But in many ways, the timing could not be better. After a challenging 2020, it is good to take a moment and think about all that we are thankful for. Personally, I am thankful to be part of a community filled with passion and talent - our members that inspire us all.
We are making a difference together and that is worth being thankful for.
I wish I had the space here to highlight everything amazing that is going on within this Association. For today though, we will touch on two areas where together we are making significant progress: our Policy Initiative and our Student Chapters.
Policy Initiative and the Safer Cities Policy Breakfast Oct. 20th
Our Policy Initiative is founded on identifying what our communities need and what we as SEAOSC can do to be part of the solution to the challenges faced. A key element of our approach has been an annual policy breakfast series. On Oct. 20th, SEAOSC hosted our 2020 (virtual) Policy Breakfast with representatives from legislative offices throughout the State. We explored two questions during the breakfast:
- What issues has the pandemic revealed that need to be addressed about the built environment?
- What worked well during the pandemic that can be applied to future disasters?
The answers were insightful. We need to be able to quickly adapt the use of our buildings both inside and out. We need adequate and affordable housing. Technology infrastructure must be robust and able to handle shocks. Our communities can come together and tackle challenges.
The conversation has just started though. Our Board spent our Nov. Board meeting building upon these great insights and have started shaping a Policy and Legislative Platform. We are now planning a follow-up conversation with the legislative offices for late January.
Are you interested in being part of these conversations? Get involved in our Committees and in our Board. We lean on active members, whether they are involved in a technical committee or in communications, education, or professional practices. For more information about our committees, email the SEAOSC Office at seaosc@seaosc.org and we can connect you with the committee that aligns with your interests.
SEAOSC Student Chapters
We are excited about the potential of this next generation. Have you engaged with our Student Chapters? In the SEAOSC region, our chapters at UCLA, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly Pomona, and CSU Fullerton are up and running. Through the efforts of Michael Falcone, Dr. Henry Burton, and Garrett Mills, our Association is collaborating with our Student Chapters in ways we have always wanted. A couple highlights of this collaboration are:
- Joint events between the Chapters are being discussed by the different Chapter Presidents. Our Chapters are now sharing their newsletters and announcements with the expectation that we will have some joint events like resume reviews and interview preparation. Career Fair season is just around the corner!
- Speakers for Chapter meetings are being identified and shared. Multiple SEAOSC members have already been featured speakers. If you would like to be one of those speakers, message the SEAOSC Office at seaosc@seaosc.org with your interest.
Looking for one of these talented students to join your firm? UCLA will have their career fair around Jan. 14th and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo expects to have their career fair around Feb. 27th. SEAOSC will have our career fair on Feb. 3rd before our Student Scholarship Night. Details about the Feb. 3rd event will be posted shortly.
Get Involved. Help Us Plan the 2021/2022 Program Year
Getting involved in the Association is the best way to maximize the great value of being a SEAOSC Member. Everyone benefits by more of us actively contributing. There are plenty of opportunities coming up to get involved.
Consider joining the Board; we will be convening our nominating committee to identify candidates for the 2021/2022 Board. Interested in being part of this special team of your peers, let me know by emailing mbarnard@degenkolb.com.
If you have suggestions about how to shape our Association’s activities as we come out of the Pandemic, we want to work with you to convert those suggestions to reality. Reach out to us via an email to the SEAOSC Office at seaosc@seaosc.org to share your thoughts and interest.
