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President's Message

Emily Guglielmo, SE, PE, F.SEI

2023-2024 SEAOC President



As we celebrate the closing of another graduation season, I find myself reminiscing about my 20-year structural engineering career. I've had the privilege of learning from many SEAOC colleagues, each of whom has taught me unique, critically important life lessons. With that in mind, I'd like to briefly share my personal journey and offer some key lessons I've learned along the way.



My journey began in a Northern California high school. I initially thought I'd become a teacher, but my strengths in mathematics and science led to recommendations to pursue an engineering career. Without any engineers in the family, it was difficult for me to imagine this career path. Fortunately, I enrolled in a community college class, "Careers in Engineering and Technology." The focus of the class was to invite various practicing engineers to explain the pros and cons of their disciplines. When one civil engineer concluded his remarks, I was intrigued and asked for tips to prepare for this career path. Much to my dismay, he suggested the class that the boys focus on mathematics and science coursework, while girls should refine their organizational skills to support their male counterparts. This answer didn't sit well with me, and I decided to prove him wrong. I went home and changed all my college applications to a civil engineering major.


A few months later, I started at UCLA as a civil engineering undergraduate. I navigated through the initial courses and found my passion for structural analysis, dynamics, steel, and concrete courses. I initially pursued a joint BS/MS program but later decided to leave my comfort zone and apply to UC Berkeley for my Masters in structural engineering.


Upon graduation, I faced a tough decision. My husband was in veterinary school in Colorado. While my classmates were taking jobs at prestigious Bay Area firms, I moved to Colorado unsure of my options. I ultimately took a job at Martin/Martin, a firm with a great culture and outstanding opportunities. This decision paid off, resulting in exposure to a wide range of projects and teaching me the importance of self-advocacy. I sought mentors, scheduled my own continuing education, and fought to maintain my technical expertise while growing into project management roles.


Admittedly, I experienced moments of professional disconnect and dissatisfaction during my career. I later learned about the "smile" phenomenon associated with a mid-career satisfaction dip linked to increased responsibilities but limited control. In response, I adjusted my activities to align with my career goals, leading technical classes and strengthening my presentation skills.

Just as I was transitioning into project management, my husband was offered a residency opportunity in Boston. After relocating, I worked remotely from home, a novel arrangement at the time. I had two kids while living in Boston. For the first time in my career, I was unable to choose when to start work or when daycare would close due to a snowstorm. I started to hear the phrase "work-life balance" and tried somewhat unsuccessfully to balance it all. Imagine balancing a marble on an upside-down bowl—I was frantically trying to keep that marble in place. While I found fleeting moments of balance, more often than not, I was expending energy on an impossible balancing act rather than enjoying the good things in my life.


In response, I decided to adjust my mindset. Instead of seeking balance, I focused on being content and present in my choices. I learned that I can't have it all, and that’s okay. If I end the day satisfied with my choices and convinced that I’ve been present, then I’ve found my balance.


When my husband’s residency was over, we moved to San Francisco to be closer to family. I went to my boss with the news, and he asked me to consider opening an office in the Bay Area. While I never thought of myself as an entrepreneur, the opportunity offered an intriguing challenge. Fast forward 15 years, and I proudly lead an office with a steady workload and robust staff.


Despite the success of the Bay Area office, my biggest struggle in a small office was professional loneliness. While I have many peer Principals, none practice in California. To counter this solitude, I proactively sought opportunities to expand my professional network beyond my firm. As one example, I applied for a young professional scholarship to attend a national conference. At a dinner with other young professionals, I overheard a group organizing a run early the next morning. I had every reason not to join: I was tired, it was early, I wanted to attend an 8 am session, I only brought shorts, and it was 20 degrees. But I forced myself to say yes. During that run, I met a long-term advocate and mentor who has since helped me find my way into Codes and Standards committees.


Today, I continue to seek fulfillment by aligning my work with my true north, expanding my teaching and leadership roles. I embrace discomfort as a sign of growth and remain committed to lifelong learning and challenges.

As I reflect upon those past valuable lessons provided by my mentors and colleagues, I find myself compelled to do the same for the next generation of structural engineers. I hope you will find these lessons useful throughout your own personal journey.


Top 5 Lessons Learned:

  1. Advocate for Yourself:

Seek mentors, pursue lifelong learning, and fight for your technical expertise.

  1. Adapt and Adjust:

Align your daily activities with your career goals to navigate periods of dissatisfaction.

  1. Be Present in Your Choices:

Focus on being content with your decisions rather than striving for an impossible balance.

  1. Expand Your Network:

Engage with professional organizations and attend conferences to build a community.

  1. Embrace Discomfort:

Step out of your comfort zone and take on new challenges.

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to reflect upon a rich, fulfilling 20 years. I eagerly await the next decade’s opportunities and challenges.

SEAONC is Leading the Charge in President's Cup Sponsorship at the 2024 Convention!

Sponsor Your Team Today!

This year will see 5 teams competing for the President’s Cup – that’s right, our four SEAOC MOs and a team representing the Northwest Conference. We all love a bit of healthy competition, and the planning committee has something great in store for us. Along with the fifth team this year, we’re also offering each team a BONUS for fundraising. The event this year will be hosted in a hotel ballroom and will include a time component. For each $100 in sponsorship, your choice of sponsored team will receive a time deduction. Signage at the event will include your logo and we’ll be sure to thank all the sponsors! If you’d like to sponsor the event without tying your sponsorship to a specific team, we’ll gladly accept and apply it evenly across all 5 teams. 

 

This event will be held on Friday afternoon after the final technical event of the conference. We look forward to everyone’s participation whether that be actually competing, cheering on your team or good-natured heckling of the other teams. 

 

To sponsor, please contact us at SEAOC2024@seaoc.org, indicate in the subject “President’s Cup Sponsor” and we can connect with you to ensure your payment makes it to your team. 

 

Looking forward to Seeing you all at the Convention in September!


Melissa Vickery (Convention Chair)

Megan Vandervort (Convention Vice-Chair)

Lauren Posey (Presidents Cup Lead Planner)



SPONSOR YOUR TEAM

Registration for this year's SEAOC Convention + Northwest Conference is now open!


Hyatt Regency at the 

Oregon Convention Center

Portland, Oregon

Sept. 4-7, 2024


REGISTER NOW

This year's convention features:

  • 4+ Tracks of Technical and Professional Development Topics, Robust Pathways Program, AI Workshop
  • President's Cup, Business Lunch, Fellows Induction & SEE Awards
  • Thursday Dinner hosted by CSI & Friday Convention Dinner
  • Plus Much More!
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CONVENTION

Become A Convention Sponsor


Sponsorship opportunities are still available. Click the button below to learn more and sponsor today!


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Thank You to Our Convention Sponsors!


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Welcome Reception Sponsor

Friday Night Reception Sponsor


Wind Paper is Now Available!


SEAOC's Wind Committee is please to release Report Regarding Special Wind Regions and Basic Wind Speeds in Southern California. The report is a continuation of the committee's efforts to define the Basic Wind Speed in each of California’s Special Wind Regions so that engineers and building officials do not need to guess as to what wind speed to use.


Special Wind Regions are defined by the ASCE 7 standard, which is published by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Although many Special Wind Regions are located in remote areas with small populations, ASCE 7-22 includes a new Special Wind Region in Irvine, California that threatens to upend wind design in this highly populous region. The report provides recommended Basic Wind Speeds in the new Irvine Special Wind Region and eliminates a northern portion of the San Gabriel Special Wind Region.


The ultimate goal of this effort is The Committee hopes to incorporate the results of the studies into the online Hazard Tool maintained by the ASCE for the ASCE 7 standard.


If you are interested in participating with this ongoing effort, please contact Wind Committee Chair Gwenyth Searer at gsearer@wje.com.

SEAOC Seismology - Creativity and Innovation in Structural Engineering Seismic Design


Please help the SEAOC Seismology Committee with our white paper on Creativity and Innovation in Structural Engineering Seismic Design.

 

While it may not be noticeable in the daily activities of a structural engineer, it could be argued that innovation is ubiquitous in structural engineering. Table 12.2-1 in ASCE/SEI 7 contains over 80 different lateral force resisting systems and the list continues to grow. This number of prescriptive lateral systems is substantially larger than what was in the first SEAOC Blue Book. However, some claim that this list of systems is too limiting (NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions 2020 Edition) and engineers can go outside of these prescriptive requirements using an alternative means of compliance and peer review. These innovations can range from small tweaks to prescriptive lateral systems, such as using high strength reinforcement in concrete shear walls, to lateral systems completely undefined in ASCE 7, such as straw-bale houses. The Provisions Update Committee (PUC), which reviews technical code change proposals to the ASCE 7 standard, has a task committee further investigating this topic by exploring the possibility of allowing engineers to be more creative and innovative without triggering a full alternative means of compliance and peer review.

 

The SEAOC Seismology Committee is assisting the PUC on this topic by writing a paper looking historically at different innovative lateral systems. For each lateral system, that paper will address the following questions: (1) what were the motivations for this unconventional lateral system, (2) how was this lateral system validated for its performance, (3) how did the system get through the permitting process (or building code), (4) is the system public or proprietary and (5) what challenges were faced when using this innovative lateral system. The committee is looking for volunteers to champion an innovative lateral system of their choice for our paper. Please reach out to SEAOC Seismology Chair Rahul Sharma through email (rsharma@hohbach-lewin.com) if you are interested in participating.



Update on Collaboration with SESOC


Collaboration continues between SEAOC and the Structural Engineering Society of New Zealand (SESOC). Ongoing efforts include:


  • Connecting members from both organizations to discuss topics of mutual interest,
  • Shepherding joint papers or conference presentations that share topics of mutual interest with the membership of both organizations, and
  • Coordination of joint participation in conferences and conventions. As part of this we anticipate a contingent from SESOC joining us at the 2024 SEAOC Convention.

As part of the collaboration, SESOC has shared their most recent organization newsletter, found at: https://d2rjvl4n5h2b61.cloudfront.net/media/documents/Sesoc_-_newsletter_-_March_24.pdf   The newsletter includes, among other things, interesting discussion regarding review by local authorities of submitted project plans.


If you are interested in this collaboration or have topics of mutual interest to suggest for collaboration efforts, please contact Joyce Fuss or Kelly Cobeen.


UPDATES FROM THE MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS

SEAOSC - Structural Engineers Association of Southern California

SEAOSC

Technical Summit & President's Lunch

June 26, 2024 | 8:00 am - 1:30 pm

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SEAONC - Structural Engineers Association of Northern California

SEAONC

SE3 Speed Mentorship Event

July 23, 2024 | 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm


LEARN MORE
SEAOSD - Structural Engineers Association of San Diego

SEAOSD

Structural Engineering Excellence Awards Banquet

June 27, 2024 | 5:30 pm - 10:00 pm

LEARN MORE
SEAOCC - Structural Engineers Association of Central California

SEAOCC

Pub Trivia

September 10, 2024 | 5:30 - 9:00 pm

LEARN MORE
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