The annual Presidents and Governors Forum (PGF) gathered 107 Section and Branch presidents, Region governors and Society directors from around the world to ASCE headquarters in Reston, Virginia. This Leader Training Committee-sponsored event provided opportunities for attendees to learn about ASCE resources, network with other ASCE leaders and develop skills that will benefit their Sections and Branches.
The program began, Sunday, with an icebreaker, followed by several sessions, including an “Introduction to your Presidency,” “How to Utilize your Governors,” “An Introduction to Region 10,” “Leadership in the Century of Disruption” by ASCE Distinguished Member Gerald Galloway, Ph.D., P.E., Hon.D.WRE, Dist.M.ASCE, “Legal Issues for Sections and Branches,” and the “Philadelphia Section Mentoring Program.”
ASCE President-Elect Kancheepuram Gunalan, Ph.D., P.E., D.GE, F.ASCE and Executive Director Tom Smith, CAE, ENV SP, F.ASCE shared their thoughts and experiences on Society activities, as well.
Monday continued with additional best-practices sessions on “Struggling Sections and Branches,” “Developing a State Infrastructure Report Card,” “Student Transition Strategies,” “Running a Successful Section/Branch,” and “Creating a Successful Website and the Effective Use of Social Media.”
“This is one of the best ASCE Events that I have had the opportunity to attend,” said Brad Williams, P.E., M.ASCE, Alabama Section president, who did a breakout session during the weekend, “Creating a Successful Website and Use of Constant Contact.”
“It was very well-organized and allowed the participants to get to see the ASCE headquarters and the Society leaders.”
Some of the attendees also attended breakout sessions on becoming a Region governor and learning about ASCE Institutes. The program continued with a roundtable discussion sharing measurable goals for their Sections and Branches, as well as resource breakouts from Society staff members and a competitive game of JeopardASCE. Closing remarks were made by President-Elect Elect Jean-Louis Briaud, Ph.D., P.E., D.GE, Dist.M.ASCE.
After two solid days spent with ASCE, attendees left with new knowledge that will be useful in their upcoming year as a Section or Branch leader.
Presenter Kazi Hassan, P.E., M.ASCE, president of the Philadelphia Section, said, “Before this weekend, I felt like I knew enough about ASCE with my 14+ years, but I learned a lot at PGF.”
For more information about the PGF, visit the Leader Training Committee’s website.
– Submitted by Greg Kuklinski, P.E., M.ASCE, Lehigh Valley Section, Leader Training Committee
