ASME Thanks its Volunteers, Launches New Program for ASME Group Leaders

ASME volunteers, like those shown here at the recent ASME Group Leadership Development Conference in Orlando, Fla., are responsible for organizing programs and activities that benefit ASME’s general membership.

Since April has been designated National Volunteer Month in the United States, ASME would like to take this opportunity to thank the thousands of members throughout the world who generously devote their time and expertise in support of the Society and its programs and activities. As an organization whose success depends upon the dedicated service of its committed volunteers, ASME truly values the contributions of these volunteers who champion the Society’s current endeavors and ensure its future vitality.

The work of ASME volunteers benefits the Society’s general membership, making possible not only major events such as the International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (IMECE), the Annual Meeting and the Society’s new Engineering Festival (E-Fest) program, but also local ASME activities including section meetings, dinners, workshops, and technical tours. ASME’s volunteers are also the driving force behind the development of the Society’s internationally recognized codes and standards.

“ASME owes a debt of gratitude to its volunteers throughout the world, without whose tireless service we would not be able to function as a world-class engineering organization,” said Phil Hamilton, interim executive director of ASME. “The celebration of National Volunteer Month seems like the ideal time for ASME staff to thank the Society’s many volunteers — who are truly the lifeblood of the organization — and recognize them for their help and support of ASME’s activities, programs and mission. It is because of them that, after nearly 140 years, ASME continues to thrive and maintain its standing as a leader within the engineering world. It is important that our volunteers know that we value their vital contributions to ASME and the engineering profession.”

(Left to right) Samson Shepherd, Kushi Sellahennedige, Tran Mah-Paulson, Nishant Trivedi, Johnny Murrell, Caecilia Gotama (currently a member of the ASME Board of Governors) and Daniel Kearney, with Clare Bruff, senior manager, ASME Executive Operations.

Extra Caption: Former, current and future Early Career Leadership Intern Program to Serve Engineering (ECLIPSE) interns at the 2018 ASME Group Leadership Development Conference

To that end, ASME recently launched a new conference program that is intended to provide guidance and assistance for leaders of ASME’s various groups. Nearly 200 Society volunteers convened last month for the first ASME Group Leadership Development Conference (GLDC), during which members of ASME’s Group Engagement Committee and staff from the Group Pathways and Support (GPS) provided volunteers at the group level with advice on how to ensure the success of their respective ASME groups. The conference also provided attendees — who were leaders from ASME sections, technical divisions and research committees — with a venue where they could meet and network with their colleagues and peers.

The event, which was held March 2-4 in Orlando, Fla., was devised as a place where group leaders could feel engaged with each other and ASME, become better informed about the workings of the Society, and better understand their role within the organization and how they can help move their groups and the organization forward.

The conference kicked off with a forum where attendees learned about the Society’s strategic planning efforts, followed by sessions that focused on best practices for ASME group operations, assessing and increasing the success of technical divisions and sections, and ways that ASME sections, divisions and committees could improve diversity within their membership. Volunteers who attended the GLDC also had the chance to ask representatives from ASME staff about the reorganization of the Society’s group structure that has been taking place over the past few years and find out how these changes within the Society will affect their respective groups.

(Left to right) ASME President-Elect Said Jahanmir, Elena Gerstmann, deputy, Executive Operations, and Jeff Patterson, chief operating officer of ASME, discussed ASME’s strategic plan during a special forum at the 2018 GLDC in Orlando, Fla.

Speakers taking part in the conference included Said Jahanmir, president-elect of ASME; John Mulvihill, chair of the Group Engagement Committee; Richard Marboe, senior vice president of the Technical Events and Content Sector; Paul Stevenson, senior vice president of the Student and Early Career Development Sector; Jeff Patterson, chief operating officer of ASME; Elena Gerstmann, deputy, Executive Operations, ASME; Timothy Graves, managing director, Technical Conferences and Events; and Elio Manes, director, Group Pathways and Support, among others.

To learn more about the 2018 ASME Group Leadership Development Conference program, visit http://go.asme.org/gps, or contact Ty Booker, Group Pathways and Support, by e-mail at gps@asme.org.

(Photos by Wil Haywood, ASME Public Information)