2023: Top 10 Stories Across SAME

A Uniquely Dynamic Year For SAME

10. SAME Transitions its Executive Director

In August, after a nine year tenure, Brig. Gen. Joseph Schroedel, P.E., F.SAME, USA (Ret.), handed the reins over to Maj. Gen. Mike Wehr, P.E, USA (Ret.) as the new Executive Director to carry on the strategic mission of SAME with new vision and leadership and build on its successes. This article highlights Joe’s strong influence over the advancement of the Society’s mission and the important responsibilities Mike will continue. Continue reading…

9. Celebrating SAME Members During Member Appreciation Week 2023

To honor our members and the contributions they make every day to the federal A/E/C industry at the local, regional, and national level, SAME held their first Member Appreciation Week to showcase the unique and talented men and women who work to develop leaders, promote industry-government cooperation, and strengthen our national security. Each day, SAME presented a daily email with a video message by a member highlighting a different benefit of SAME membership, SAME thanked members and spotlighted those reaching multi-year milestones, and held polls and raffles throughout the week. Continue reading…

8. Perham Sworn In as 104th SAME President

At the 2023 JETC, SAME welcomed Col. Charlie Perham, F.SAME, USAF (Ret.), as the 104th National President of SAME. Perham addressed an audience of more than 2,000 JETC attendees with his message of members continuing to build on the momentum that has been created over the last several years as the Society deftly focused its mission on strengthening industry-government engagement and developing leaders for the profession. Continue reading…

7. Guest Post: Lt. Leah Wiegers Inspires a New Generation of Students

This article highlights Lt. Leah Wiegers when she became a student mentor during the Future City Competition in Phoenix. Leah recounts her experience as a mentor and encourages others consider becoming a mentor. She believes that attending the event in the U.S. Air Force uniform helped the students understand the links between personal growth and development and all the opportunities the STEM programs have to offer. Continue reading…

6. 2023 Engineering & Construction Camps Recap

#6 is a wrap-up of the very successful Engineering & Construction Camps. Every summer talented young high school students attend STEM focused camps held by each of the armed services on their bases across the country. Campers embraced engineering challenges, broke creative boundaries, and pushed themselves to their limits! Relive some of the best activities, challenges, and competitions that made the 2023 season one for the books! Continue reading…

5. TME Looks Back: A Hispanic Engineer in CBI

In honor of Hispanic History Month, TME Looks Back turned its attention to the often forgotten China-Burma-India (CBI) theater of war during WW2. The article follows the experience of a hispanic soldier who found himself involved in one of the most ambitious engineering projects of the entire war, and paid the ultimate price in its pursuit. Continue reading…

4. Event Recap: 2023 SBC

Number 4 in our lineup wraps up the record-breaking 2023 Federal Small Business Conference held in San Antonio, Texas, from November 1-3. With over 5,000 attendees coming together for three days of networking, business opportunity briefings, and educational sessions to power the priorities of small businesses, large businesses, and federal agencies 2023’s SBC Conference was the most well attended in SAME’s history. Relive the top moments or find out what made this event THE event of the year! Continue reading…

3. BHM Fireside Chat with Brig. Gen. Antoinette Gant

To kick of the celebration of Black History Month, the third article in our top-ten list is a fireside chat where SAME National President Cindy Lincicome, F.SAME, sat down with Brig. Gen. Antoinette Gant, USA, Commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers South Pacific Division, the first African American female, active-duty engineer to be promoted to the rank of general officer. Check out this fascinating interview. Continue reading…

2. In Focus: We Must Go To Them

In 2021, three members of the SAME Leader Development Program Class of 2020-2021 researched the best ways to more effectively engage American Indian/ Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth in STEM for their capstone Utilization Project. The research they conducted led to a strategic construct, “we must go to them.” Four geographic and culturally diverse SAME Posts jumpstarted outreach efforts in their local AI/AN communities.

This fascinating article details illustrates how successful their pilot efforts were at introducing more AI/AN youth to STEM opportunities, and providing valuable lessons learned toward a future toolkit for STEM engagement that additional Posts will be able to follow. Continue reading…

1. 2022 SAME Foundation Donor Impact Report

In 2016, with a vision to strengthen and expand the philanthropic efforts of SAME and the lasting contributions of its members, partners, and stakeholders to the architecture, engineering, and construction fields in support of national security, the SAME Foundation was established.

Jump to 2023. Just seven years into its mission to foster engineering leadership for the nation, the SAME Foundation, with the help of its generous donors and sponsors, has increased its reach and influence and advanced its programs exponentially. Read the details on how SAME Foundation is making a lasting impact across the nation. Continue reading…

From your SAME National Leadership Team, we wish you all the best this holiday season. The energy and momentum of our Society as we look ahead to 2024 could not be higher. From the development of our next strategic plan ongoing this fall, to the growing investments the SAME Foundation is making in our programs, to the robust attendance we are seeing at our, we are firing on all cylinders and helping our 25,000 members find the value at every turn.

Col. Charlie Perham, F.SAME, USAF (Ret.), 104th SAME National President | 2023-2024