ASME’s New President Said Jahanmir Discusses Goals for FY19 at President’s Dinner
ASME’s New President Said Jahanmir Discusses Goals for FY19 at President’s Dinner
June 15, 2018
During his inaugural address at the ASME Annual Meeting President’s Dinner on June 5 in Vancouver, Canada, ASME’s new President Said Jahanmir discussed his goals for his yearlong term, which include increasing the number of active members, especially early career engineers and students, and motivating staff and volunteers to develop genuine collaboration and partnerships.
Cultivating an active and motivated membership base is essential to ensure the continued success of the Society — and appealing to the rising generation of engineers is necessary for that to happen, Dr. Jahanmir said. “We must attract and retain students and early career engineers and capture their energy, creativity and passion,” he said. In order to do this, he continued, “we need to have a clear value proposition that includes new programs and services. We should provide what members, and particularly younger members, need for their professional growth, for example professional development and leadership training.”
In addition, Jahanmir said, “it is also imperative that we strive for increased diversity and inclusion, not only in ASME, but also in our profession — keeping in mind that diversity is a major contributor to our success as engineers and to finding innovative solutions.”
On the subject of volunteer and staff collaboration, Jahanmir noted that “the ASME structure and culture have always been based on a close partnership between staff and volunteers. We need to nurture this relationship and make it more seamless.”
As his address drew to a close, Jahanmir expressed optimism for ASME’s future. “I am convinced that we have a great path for future,” he said. “I look forward to the opportunity of serving as your president and setting the stage for this great Society to achieve its true potential and serve humanity by improving the quality of life worldwide.”
Earlier in the program, ASME’s new Immediate Past President Charla Wise reflected on high points of the term over which she had just presided, including the continued implementation of ASME’s new strategy, the creation of the new Group Engagement Committee, the selection of Thomas Costabile as ASME’s new executive director, and the adoption of the new Integrated Operating Plan, which set budgets and targets for ASME staff and volunteers of the segments, divisions, councils and sections.
“We have just begun the evolution of ASME,” Wise said. “A year ago, I said that my theme for this year would be ‘Continuity, as we move forward, together.’ I have said it many times and continue to believe it. This is the answer to ensuring a healthy and robust organization. That’s the beauty of ASME’s strategy that the Board has been working on for several years. It brings us continuity as we look to the future. It helps us move forward toward achieving our mission by having clear goals. It brings us all together.”
Wise challenged the ASME members in the audience to “DARE to create the future”: D — Disseminate ASME’s technical knowledge and solutions; A — Advance and apply engineering knowledge for improving the quality of life; R — Recognize each other’s accomplishments and achievements; and E — Excite the next generation engineers. “We must DARE to create the future because we are leading the charge and we have the knowledge, expertise and commitment to make this world a better place,” Wise said.
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