s 2012 comes to a close, all of us can look back at the many great experiences we had as SME members and volunteer leaders. I would like to take this opportunity to say a special thank you to all of my fellow volunteer leaders and SME staff that provided their guidance and personal time to help this year’s Member Council lead the member engage- ment activities of the Society.
The Council is responsible for assisting SME in recogniz- ing and meeting the needs of its membership in this rap- idly changing environment, building on the long-term SME strategic goals, strengthening member participation in SME activities, and formulating recommendations relative to Society membership recruitment, retention and engagement; both as they are found in chapters and local communities, and as they are realized in the international Technical Communities. Eight Member Council members are elected by the mem- bership to serve alternating two-year terms. The remaining three members are appointed by the SME President to serve a one-year term. One of these 11 members is appointed by the SME President to serve a one-year term as Member Council chair. I was honored to fulfill this role as the 2012 Member Council chair. This leadership position gave me the opportu- nity to engage with passionate members and industry leaders to understand the needs of our members, which ultimately advances and improves SME.
As chair of the Member Council, I have met and interacted with many SME members, especially during one of SME’s greatest events—its Annual Conference. I encourage all mem- ber leaders to attend and ensure that your up-and-coming leaders are also attending. This is an excellent conference with substantial technical content with several leadership tracks as well. It’s also your opportunity to meet the leadership of the Society face-to-face in a relaxed setting. While I can
attest that the content is wonderful, I would be remiss if I did not mention that there’s also an element of fun to the Annual Conference, including barbeques (Nashville 2010), go-cart racing (Seattle 2011) and bowling (Cleveland 2012). Another recommendation I would like to share is to regu- larly visit and login to www.sme.org for updates or to set up a daily digest for information on what’s going on nationally with SME. Once you log in, you’ll be able to utilize one of the new methods I feel will help SME stay relevant for many years to come, which is its new members-only platform. Through this new platform, you can set up your member profile and start building your SME network. This has been an effective tool for me as a leader to get feedback from other members on their ideas and opinions from multiple discussion topics, which are all posted on the discussions forums; nonmembers do not have access to this members-only area.
One topic in particular that I am passionate about has been improving on our Technical Community Network (TCN). I recently presented a plan I am calling TCN 2.0 to the SME Board of Directors in Cleveland. The TCN is a great way for members to receive/share technical ideas and information in their area of interest in manufacturing. With all good things, however, there are always areas where we can make improve- ments. If you have any suggestions on how we can improve the TCN, I would like to hear from you—you can easily start a discussion once you login to www.sme.org or connect with me through your member profile. Again, I thank you for all that you do for the Society, and most
notably, for continuing to be an SME member. I also appreciate the opportunity to serve as the 2012 Member Council chair—it has been a great experience. I encourage everyone to get more involved in the Society, if you haven’t already. To do so, please visit www.sme.org/volunteers or email membership@sme.org.