Articles

Hello ASCE Dallas Branch Members:

 Happy September! Each year, September 15 marks the beginning of National Hispanic Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the contributions, legacies and cultures of Hispanic American citizens who come from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. Our Branch, and profession, has and continues to be shaped by our Hispanic colleagues, and I’m incredibly appreciative of their perspective and leadership – we're better because of it.

Polls are Open! As Past President Nancy Cline, P.E. presented at our August Branch Meeting, the Nominating Committee has recommended the following slate of officers for this year’s election.

·         President: Fadi Faraj, P.E.

·         President Elect: Patrick Williams, P.E.

·         Vice President: Surya Bhandari, P.E.

·         Past President: Reece Taylor, P.E.

·         Technical Director: Amanda Koif, P.E.

·         Branch Director: Brayden Hoffman, E.I.T.

·         Secretary: Farwa Sultan, P.E.

·         Treasurer: Nalah Williams, E.I.T.

 If you are a subscribing member of our Branch, please take a moment right now to cast your votes. We sent an email to our membership on Friday, August 30^th, that included a link to vote. You can also vote “in-person” on Thursday, September 19^th, at the Embassy Suites Frisco Hotel & Convention Center, Comanche Conference Room, between 5:30 and 6:00 PM; the polls close at 6:00 PM.

 Not Your “Typical” Branch Meeting! We will not be having our “typical” Branch meeting this month. Instead, we have been encouraging our membership to register to attend CECON2024 in Frisco, Texas; please note registration for CECON2024 is now closed.

 However, per our bylaws, we must host a Branch meeting to close the election of our 2024-2025 officers. As such, we will host a “non-typical” Branch meeting for the sole purpose of allowing members, who so choose, to vote “in-person” in a conference room at the CECON2024 venue; the meeting date, time and location are described above. As a reminder, you do not need to attend this meeting if you vote on-line. Also note, you do not need to be registered for CECON to attend our Branch meeting to cast your votes “in-person.”

 Seeking Volunteers!  If you are interested in getting involved in our Branch, please contact us. We have many volunteer opportunities available, including Committee Chair positions within our Board of Directors. Now is the time, because we must fill these positions before our Annual Meeting in October.

 Centennial Celebration Update! This month, with the help of Branch Past President, and Texas Section President Elect, Dr. Mark Boyd, P.E., we’re going to focus our attention to the civil engineering projects, and the engineers that delivered them, during our eighth decade of our Brach’s existence, from 1994 to 2003. While Dr. Boyd will not be able to share at a Branch meeting (because we are not hosting one this month,) he has agreed to try “sneak” it into one of his speaking responsibilities at CECON2024 - I’m interested and excited to see when and how he accomplishes this task. If you’re attending CECON2024, pay particular attention to Dr. Boyd’s speaking sessions within the program.

 Save the Date! If you haven’t already, please mark your calendar to attend our Centennial Celebration and 2024 Awards Ceremony scheduled for the evening of Friday, October 18^th, 2024, at the Stonebriar Country Club in Frisco, Texas. This will be a special event celebrating our 100 years of existence and honoring our 2024 Engineer of the Year and Young Engineer of the Year, Ms. Julie Jones, P.E. and Ms. Amanda Koif, P.E. This event will also serve as our Annual Meeting, and we’re excited to have ASCE President Marsia Geldert-Murphey, P.E., F. ASCE join and help us install our 2024-2025 Branch officers.

As a reminder, you can find all this information, and more, on our website and social media accounts; you can find us on LinkedIn, Facebook, X and Instagram. If you are not already following us on social media, I invite you to do so.

Please do not hesitate to contact me with your ideas, questions, and feedback. I am here to serve you and the Dallas Branch to the best of my abilities. If you are looking for ways to get involved, I’d love to speak with you. Together, we are “Honoring our Past, Celebrating our Present and Engineering our Future.”

My best!

 Reece E. Taylor, P.E., M. ASCE

ASCE Dallas Branch | President ’23-‘24