The heavy lifting of 2017 will make for a much lighter load in 2018.
That’s the hope, as the ASCE Board of Direction approved six goal statements for the Society during its final quarterly meeting of the year, Oct. 7-8, in New Orleans.
“When we go out to the public, we can say this is what we do. This is what ASCE does. This is what civil engineers do,” said ASCE’s 2018 President Kristina Swallow, P.E., ENV SP, F.ASCE. “It makes it easy for us to develop programs and services, aligned with our goals, which align with our Mission, and ultimately help to achieve our Vision.”
The six goals are:
• Civil engineers develop and apply innovative, state-of-the-art practices and technologies
• All infrastructure is safe, efficient, and sustainable
• ASCE advances the educational and professional standards for civil engineers
• The public values civil engineers’ essential role in society
• An ever-growing number of civil engineers are members of, and engage in, ASCE
• ASCE excels in strategic and operational effectiveness
Following review of the goals and accompanying strategies and measures from a group of Society stakeholders, the Board expects to release its new strategic plan next March.
“It was really exciting today,” Swallow said. “I like that the goals are very clear. They’re outcome-based, so it helps drive us to the future. They articulate well what we’re looking to achieve.”
New Board members
If procedure can be a form of dance, the Board performed a ballet. As their successors looked on, 2017 Board members voted to approve the goals in one of their last acts.
The new Board members, installed during the annual business meeting on October 10, are Kwame A. Agyare, P.E., MBA, ENV SP, M.ASCE, Region 9 director; Marsha Anderson Bomar, AICP, ENV SP, F.ASCE, Technical Region director; Anthony L. Cioffi, P.E., M.ASCE, Region 1 director; Roger M. Millar Jr., P.E., F.ASCE, At-Large director; and Peter M. Moore, P.E., F.ASCE, Region 5 director.
“I love being engaged in my organization,” Anderson Bomar said. “If I’m going to be part of an organization, I don’t want to just write a check and go away. I want to make a difference. That’s why I raised my hand and said I want to do this.”
The Board also bid farewell to 2017 Past-President Mark W. Woodson, P.E., L.S., D.WRE, ENV SP, F.ASCE; Leonard Cilli, A.M.ASCE, Region 1 director; James R. Harris, Ph.D., P.E., F.SEI, NAE, F.ASCE, Technical Region director; Jay H. Higgins, P.E., F.ASCE, Region 9 director; Vilas S. Mujumdar, D.P.A., P.E., F.SEI, Dist.M.ASCE, At-Large director; and Melissa S. Wheeler, M.ASCE, Region 5 director.
They each offered the Board words of gratitude and advice. Wheeler was moved to read a heartwarming poem about her time as director: “It has been a tremendous honor to serve on the Board / Extending my ASCE family has been the greatest reward.” Read her poem in full.
Other notes
The Task Committee on Governance Structure recommended a modified Board structure. The BOD elected to stay with the current structure.
Additionally, the Board adopted the Public Policy Committee’s recommendation on a new policy, PS 349 Sediment Management for Erosion Control, Channel Maintenance and Coastal Protection, which pledges ASCE’s support for “the beneficial management of sediments and dredged materials.”
The new policy, developed by the Energy, Environment and Water Policy Committee, combines two previous policies which were rescinded. The Board also adopted revisions to PS 526 Public Private Partnerships, addressing ASCE’s criteria used to assess public-private partnership (P3) project delivery methods.
The potential for acceleration in sea level rise is real. Coastal cities in the US and around the world are facing increasing threat for sustainability in all aspects of civil engineering dealing with infrastructure located on or near the coast. Storm damage mitigation and adaptation alternatives should be raised to a much higher level of importance in the ASCE organization.