Dr. Lorenzo Smith graduated from the University of Illinois, in 1991, earning his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering.  He worked at Ford Motor Company and completed his Masters at Wayne State University in 1993 and completed is Ph.D. from Michigan State in 1999 while working at General Motors.  Dr. Smith then joined Oakland University as a Mechanical Engineering Professor and became associate dean of the School of Engineering and Computer Science in 2010.  Among his many accomplishments, Dr. Smith served on the board of directors of DAPCEP, one of the nation’s premier non-profit organizations for promoting STEM careers for under-represented pre-college students.

Now, as Dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science at California State University – Sacramento, Dr. Smith is working to establishing a revised strategic plan, develop  stronger relationships with local industry, and secure additional resources for his college, all in close consultation with the faculty.

Dr. Smith will be discussing opportunities for industry partnerships with the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

As has become a recent tradition, Past Presidents of the Sierra Chapter will be gathering on May 20 at the Arden Hilton in Sacramento.  This is one of my favorite ACEC events, primarily because I know a lot of the Past Presidents and get to catch up with those who no longer participate regularly in Chapter events.  It is hard to believe that in just one short month, I will be amongst the ranks of those Past Presidents.  A few years back it took a little coercing from some of those Past Presidents to convince me to “go through the chairs” of the Chapter.  I remember asking them “what is the toughest part about being Chapter President?”  Their response, almost to a person, was “the monthly President’s Message”.  I have to laugh, because I shared this dread of the monthly message.  But, in retrospect, it wasn’t so bad…..in fact, I enjoyed putting down on paper my thoughts about what was happening in this great Chapter we have.  Ok, I didn’t mind the actual writing of the message, it was just that nagging deadline hanging over my head that made me suffer.**

But, I digress.  What are the takeaways from this past year and where do we go from here?  I think the monthly meeting attendance issue is a big one.  We need to get more people engaged at the Chapter level.  A couple of months ago, I challenged members to bring a “newbie” to the next meeting.  We did see some new faces, which was great.  We need to build on that.  We need to get younger professionals involved.  We need to reach out to existing member firms and encourage their regular involvement.  engaged at the Chapter level.  But, perhaps most importantly, we need to bring in some compelling speakers to attract more members and boost attendance.  Why not shoot for the moon?  The Governor loves ACEC, right?  Kevin Johnson?  The Rolling Stones?  You get my point.  I plan to stay involved at the Board level (if Harvey wants me) and help push things forward.  I want to help get attendance up at our meetings.

Well, it is time for this month’s challenge.  I challenge all of you to bring a young professional along to the Past President’s meeting on May 20.  If you are a young professional, bring a younger one.  What better way to get a young professional interested in ACEC than to have them rub elbows with the salty old dogs that have been heads of the Chapter over the past decade (or longer).  So, again, I challenge all members, to bring a new face to this, the final meeting of the year.  Oh, and don’t forget to put the annual Summer Social on your calendar, just 10 days later on May 30.  This one is a blast, and spouses are encouraged to come!

I look forward to closing out my term with a bang.  Come join me, won’t you?

Cheers,

Tom

**Editor’s Note:

I take great joy in providing that nagging deadline. You’re welcome.