Fellow SEAINT Subscribers:
Voting commenced on Monday, June 15 in the 2010 ASCE Election. At the end of the first week of voting, only 1,004 ASCE members had cast their ballots. This is only 1% of the electorate. If members do not bother to vote for their future leaders, they should not complain about the future direction of ASCE. With hotly contested races, and with quick and reliable online voting now readily available, there is simply no excuse to avoid exercising your privilege this year. There are two strong candidates for ASCE President-Elect in this election. I personally know and like them both, but I am writing on behalf of Kathy Caldwell.
I have had the pleasure of recently serving with Kathy on the ASCE Executive Committee, Board of Direction, and Strategic Planning Committee. Based on this experience, I know that she will be a terrific ASCE Presidential Officer. Four traits stand out:
(1) Values – She consistently does the right thing, even if it occasionally goes against the grain.
(2) Leadership – She listens, thinks, and then speaks … in that order.
(3) Passion – If anyone has ever had more ASCE blood in their veins, I have yet to meet them.
(4) Fun – She makes even the most tedious ASCE service enjoyable for everyone around her.
So, what does this have to do with a structural engineering listserv? Kathy is the only candidate that is a structural engineer. Her husband is also a structural engineer. She has been endorsed by ASCE's Structural Engineering Institute as well as its Engineering Mechanics Institute. She has also been endorsed by a long list of structural engineers all over the country. For example, some of here supporters are Jack Breen (TX), Neil Hawkins (IL), Ron Cook (FL), Ron Welsh (TX), Paul Moyer (MA), Mark Stemmer (OH), Stan Caldwell (TX), Mike Wenning (IN), John Silva (CA), and Basile Rabbat (IL). Beyond that, Kathy thinks like a structural engineer. For example, she believes that too much ASCE decision-making is "top-down" and she wants the Institutes to have much more input, especially on policy decisions. As another example, when the Board of Direction was asked to establish a new 501c6 corporation so that ASCE would be able to immediately endorse and eventually fund individual Washington politicians, she joined seven other Directors in voting NO. In doing so, she helped to preserve the stature of ASCE as a learned professional society.
You can learn more by visiting her campaign website at:
http://kathyjcaldwell.com/
You can listen to her recent audio interview podcast at:
http://content.asce.org/files/other/ASCEElection_CALDWELL_V2a.mp3
Last but not least, you can vote for her at:
http://content.asce.org/Board%20Elections/2010/index.html
I believe that Kathy will be an excellent steward of ASCE over the next three years. I have formally endorsed her candidacy and look forward to voting for her. If you need any further information, such as additional examples of the traits described above, just call me at your convenience.
Please vote for Kathy Caldwell and forward this email to your colleagues for their consideration.
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DISCLAIMER: While Kathy Caldwell and I share the same excellent surname, we are related only by friendship.
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Best regards,
Stan R. Caldwell, P.E., SECB, F.ASCE, F.AEI
Chair, ASCE Technical Region, 10/05-11/08
Member, ASCE Board of Direction, 10/05-11/08
Member, ASCE Executive Committee, 11/07-11/08