June 2021
In this issue…
NSPE-VA Welcomes Catie Cox, Membership Director
Expanded Chapter Boundaries for All Members
NSPE-VA’s Outlook Account
Virginia Among Strongest Building Codes, Report Says
Register for the 2021 Virtual PECon
Women in Engineering Event to Explore Gender and Racial Equity
2021–22 Call for Volunteers
NSPE-VA Welcomes Catie Cox, Membership Director
We are excited to announce a new partner for member and chapter development, Catie Cox. NSPE’s Member Engagement staff worked with us to connect with PENC, our colleagues in North Carolina, to share their experiences transitioning to volunteer oversight of key performance indicators. Both state chapters made these changes around 2017. Our Board of Directors recognized the need to improve our membership outreach and benefits. Catie will continue to serve both PENC and NSPE-VA as Membership Director. Our goal is to reinvigorate our three (3) chapters, Tidewater, Lynchburg, and Northern Virginia. First, we will assign each member by zip code, to one of these chapters. We will engage with chapter leadership to schedule social events, like Northern Virginia Chapter’s Washington Nationals baseball game, and hold “lunch and learn” web-based events each quarter. Each of these events would be sponsored by a chapter and provide 1 Professional Development Hour (PDH). Lunch and learn events will include 10 minutes for a technical “spotlight showcase”, where engineers from a local firm share news and a challenging project accomplishment that would be of interest to fellow PE’s.
Expanded Chapter Boundaries for All Members
Years ago, NSPE-VA had about 30 chapters, and today we have three (3) active chapters, Tidewater, Lynchburg, and Northern Virginia. The chapter boundaries are defined by zip code, and we are currently expanding these active chapter boundaries to encompass all zip codes. In other words, each member will be assigned to one of these three active chapters based on their mailing address when they join or renew with NSPE. In general, the Lynchburg Chapter will be from the Virginia / Tennessee border east to about Lawrenceville (east of South Hill), and up to Mineral and west to include Charlottesville and Staunton. Tidewater Chapter includes areas east of Lawrenceville, up to Lake Anna, including Richmond and surrounding counties, east to King George County and the Potomac River, over to the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean. Eastern Shore is also in Tidewater Chapter. Northern Virginia picks up at King George County (Dahlgren), goes west to a point between Staunton and Harrisonburg, and all points north of that line.
We apologize for an e-mail you may have received when our Microsoft outlook e-mail address was compromised in late May. We deactivated the old e-mail address and will no longer be sending messages to members as a group directly from the outlook account. Instead, we will take advantage of a benefit NSPE provides to member societies to set up Community Groups. We beefed up our network firewall protection and continue to be vigilant on security and password protocol.
Virginia Among Strongest Building Codes, Report Says
Haunted by the two deadly crashes of Boeing 737 MAX jets and his agency’s role in approving the plane, veteran Federal
In a ranking of the strongest building codes among states along the hurricane coastline, from Texas to Maine, Virginia ranks second out of 18 states, according to a new report. The 2021 edition of the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety report Rating the States evaluates building codes and the administration of code provisions every three years. Florida ranks first and South Carolina third.
The report says, “Virginia has an exemplary code adoption and enforcement program. The addition of continuing education requirements for general and roofing contractors can further enhance the commonwealth’s model statewide code adoption and enforcement program.”
Stay up to date on legislative issues through the NSPE Advocacy Center.
Register for the 2021 Virtual PECon
Registration is now open for NSPE’s Virtual Professional Engineers Conference 2021 (August 3–5). The early bird registration rate deadline is July 15.
Attendees will have access to up to 14 unique and insightful PDH sessions (live and on-demand sessions) and will have the opportunity to collaborate with peers and experts from across the country through morning “coffee chats” and Mastermind sessions. In the Mastermind sessions, attendees will address their most pressing professional issues and tap into the knowledge, experience, and advice of their peers and PE experts to help workshop solutions. There will also be virtual engineering facility tours and a celebration of PE Day (August 4).
PECon at a Glance
- Bridging the Gap to Leadership: Connecting the Skills You Have with the Skills You Need (Shelley Row, P.E., CSP, Leadership and Decision-Making Expert)
- Florida International University Bridge Failure, A Study in Ethics (Susan Sprague, P.E., F.NSPE, Senior Associate, and Eric Tappert, P.E., Consultant)
- AI and the Evolving Role of the “Traditional” Engineer: An Engineer’s Perspective from NASA to Infrastructure and Beyond (Kimberly Johnson, P.E., Founding Principal)
- Reaching New Heights in Engineering (Alan Mallory, P.E., PMP, Speaker, Author, and Performance Coach)
Registration Options
A Day Pass for NSPE members is $99 until July 15 and $149 after July 15. The pass provides access to four PDH sessions, networking morning “coffee chat” roundtables of your choice each day, and evening post-session discussions.
The All Access Pass for NSPE members is $249 until July 15 and $299 after July 15. This pass provides access to 14 PDH sessions, access to daily networking morning “coffee chat” roundtables, and evening post session discussions.
Student members can register for a Day Pass or the All Access Pass for free until July 15. The rate for both passes is $50 after July 15. Nonmembers can join NSPE for $299 and receive member pricing.
Women in Engineering Event to Explore Gender and Racial Equity
DiscoverE and the Congressional Women in STEM Caucus will co-host an event on June 23, in celebration of International Women in Engineering Day . The event will include a lively panel discussion exploring the factors that attract girls to engineering, why women persist in the field, and the role you can play in achieving gender and racial equity in engineering and technology.
NSPE Government Relations staff coordinated the participation of the Women in STEM Caucus for the event. The Women in STEM Caucus seeks to bring public and congressional awareness to policies, programs, and initiatives that support women in STEM fields, and develops the next generation of women leaders. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ), Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), and Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-IN) serve as caucus co-chairs.
NSPE recognizes the benefits of a diverse population of licensed engineers in shaping the future of engineering. Diverse backgrounds foster unique contributions and capabilities and create an inclusive community ultimately leading to a more creative, effective and technically respected community.
NSPE needs your knowledge, expertise, and time to help the Society carry out its vision and mission and meet the goals of the strategic plan . Volunteer positions begin in mid-August and end at the 2022 Professional Engineers Conference.
There are three types of volunteer opportunities:
- Level 1 (Highest Engagement)–Standing Boards and Committees
Often includes attending at least one in-person meeting. Most meetings held via video conference. Terms may be up to three years. - Level 2 (Intermediate Engagement)–Ad Hoc Committees and Task Forces
Activities primarily include online correspondence and video conference meetings. - Level 3 (Lowest Engagement)–Ad Hoc Volunteer
Volunteer on a project-by-project basis.