November 2024

Our Mission: Build Leaders and Lead Collaboration among Government and Industry to Develop

Multi Disciplined Solutions to National Security

and Infrastructure Challenges

2025 SAME Strategic Plan

From the President:

Hello SAME NoVA Post Members!

November is a busy month for SAME, for our country, and our families. Between going to the ballot box, honoring our Veterans, and celebrating Thanksgiving, it is a month of reflection.

Our Annual Fall Festival on November 7^th is something I look forward to each year. With a goal to connect our seasoned professionals with our Young Professionals as well as students from our GMU College Chapter, it can be exciting to see the connections made and hear the conversations.

Our 2024 Leadership and Mentoring Program is coming to a close. One more meeting in November and the cohort will be graduating on Friday, December 7^th! All DC and NoVA Post members are invited to attend this yearly event. Now, we are gearing up for the next class! Please see information below for the application for our 2025 LMP class and consider applying. Or, if you know of someone in your firm that would benefit from the leadership training, share it with them and encourage them to apply!

SCHOLARSHIPS! This is the beginning of our connection to the next generation of Architects / Engineers / and Construction workforce. Our annual scholarship applications are open! Everything is on our website, so please send it out to students you know that are interested in pursuing a STEM career.

As you plan your busy Holiday season, we have several events planned. In addition to the LMP Graduation, please join us for an update from MWAA on December 5^th from Louis Lee, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, their Design Department Manager, and we have our joint event with the DC Post for the annual Wreaths Across America in Arlington Cemetery on Saturday December 15^th.

We always strive to give you value in your membership. So, one last request for this month - PLEASE fill out the Member Survey you will receive this month. We use the responses from this survey to look at our upcoming year or two of programs. We want to make sure we are providing something for everyone, so everyone’s response is valuable. If you have any suggestions, please let us know -- we are always looking for ways to improve!

As we go into the Holiday Season, I would like to say that the NoVA Post is thankful for YOU and your continued support of our Post!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Julie

Julie Smiley 😊

SAME Northern Virginia | Post President

exp Federal Inc. | Proposal Manager

julie.smiley@expfederal.com

Upcoming Events:

We would like to say

a Special

THANK YOU!!

to our Fall Festival Sponsors!!

December Lunch - MWAA

Join us Thursday December 5^th for a special presentation from Louis Lee, AIA, LEED BD+C, the Design Department Manager from Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority (MWAA). Mr. Lee will be sharing insights about MWAA’s facilities, their environmental goals, and how their procurement methods for AEC projects align with federal regulations

SAME DC & NoVA Posts LMP Applications Are Open!

The Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) Washington DC and Northern Virginia Posts are excited to announce the application process is open for the 2025 Leadership and Mentoring Program (LMP).

The program is a unique opportunity for Young Professionals, Junior Officers, and Non-Commissioned Officers to be mentored by SAME Fellows and senior leaders from government and private sector while developing their leadership skills through focused educational sessions.

The program includes monthly meetings with these industry leaders to discuss various topics regarding leadership and professional growth. A select group will be chosen to participate in the program, based on applications submitted, and can earn up to 20 PDHs over the course of the year.

Applications are Due: Friday, December 6

SAME NoVa Post Contacts:

Ed Chamberlayne, PhD, PE, F.SAME
SMSgt Brad Wilson

PROGRAM AGREEMENT

ONLINE APPLICATION FORM

LMP Graduate Dinner

Our final event for the 2024 Leadership & Mentoring Program will be the Graduation Dinner for the participants. All SAME Members are invited to join us for the celebration dinner on Friday December 6^th at Maggiano’s.

Registration will open soon.

Information & Registration

Scholarship Applications

Our STEM applications for the 2025-2026 Academic year are open!

DEADLINE is March 1^st, 2025

Please send the link below to a High School senior, college undergraduate or graduate students whose home of residence is in the Northern Virginia region.

Check out our website or click below for the link to the Scholarship Application.

Questions? Contact Carlos Flores-Garay

APPLICATION

Mathcounts 2025 Competitions

SAME participates in STEM activities at local schools. MATHCOUNTS is an organization that SAME has supported for years. This year’s chapter level competition will take place on Saturday, February 8, 2025, and the state competition will take place on Saturday, March 15, 2025. As in past years, the competitions will be held at Saint Anselm's Abbey School. We will be providing additional information as the competition dates approach.

So far this year, eleven schools have signed up, and they are expected to bring more than 100 students to the chapter level competition, so we are asking as many of you as possible to come out and assist us in administering this competition. Please let us know if you are available for either of those dates. In addition, we ask that you consider reaching out to others that may be interested in volunteering.

If you are interested in volunteering to support DC Mathcounts, please contact Ed Chamberlayne, PhD, PE, F.SAME.

For more information about MATHCOUNTS, please check out their website.

Wreaths Across America

Join the DC and NoVA Post as we support the national Wreaths Across America Program at the Arlington National Cemetery on Saturday December 14^th from 8 am – noon. More details and meeting location will be posted here soon.

Contact Monica Manthey, for more information.

Read more about Wreaths Across America at Arlington National Cemetery:

MORE INFORMATION

Recaps:

Resilience

Cyber Security Forum Webinar

On 31 October the SAME NOVA post hosted a 2 hour free Webinar for our members to celebrate November's Resiliency theme of Cyber Security. We were fortunate to have a panel of experts, led by Lucian Niemeyer, CEO of Building Cyber Security, discussing current trends in building cyber security. Lucian’s co-presenters, Wanda Lenkewich of Chinook Systems, Tom Barley from the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Daryl Haegley of the U.S. Air Force, and Lori Jackson of White Raven Security, contributed insights on engineering best practices and federal cyber safety standards, aiming to address the unique challenges and solutions at the forefront of building cybersecurity.

In the presentation, Lucian and his colleagues outlined critical learning objectives focused on the increasing cybersecurity risks faced by connected and automated building systems. They emphasized the need for adopting emerging cyber engineering and construction practices to enhance building safety. Attendees were encouraged to consider the value of incorporating cyber expertise into construction to protect building systems and to evaluate new cybersecurity performance frameworks that support federal guidelines. Lucian’s co-presenters contributed insights on engineering best practices and federal cyber safety standards, aiming to address the unique challenges and solutions at the forefront of building cybersecurity.

The presentation recording and slides will be posted to our Presentation page shortly.

Presentations