The SAME Academy of Fellows recognizes those members who have rendered dedicated and outstanding service to the Society, military engineering, and the A/E/C profession.
SAME has bestowed the title of Fellow on select members since 1972; however, it was in 1995 that an academy was founded to formally acknowledge these distinguished individuals for their dedication to SAME and the A/E/C profession.
The Academy of Fellows serves as the organizing body of Fellows within the Society, sets its strategic priorities and action plans, and serves to inform and inspire all members, including Fellows, to embrace the Fellows’ pledge and commitment to mentoring. Today, there are more than 800 members of the Academy of Fellows.
The first group of Distinguished Fellows was agreed upon by the SAME National Leadership Team in May 2018, chosen from the entire list of Fellows and using distinct criteria that demonstrated their continued dedication to the Society since becoming a Fellow. Additional members have been named Distinguished Fellows in the years since. Distinguished Fellows constitute the Advisory Committee to the Academy of Fellows leadership.
2018 Lt. Col. Wendell “Buddy” Barnes, P.E., F.SAME (Dist.), USA (Ret.) Capt. James Donahue, P.E., F.SAME (Dist.), USCG (Ret.) Col. Anthony Leketa, P.E., F.SAME (Dist.), USA (Ret.) Maj. Gen. Eugene Lupia, P.E., F.SAME (Dist.), USAF (Ret.) Linda McKnight, F.SAME (Dist.) Jane Penny, P.E., F.SAME (Dist.) Lt. Col. Scott Prosuch, F.SAME (Dist.), USA (Ret.) Harold Rosen, F.SAME (Dist.)
2019 Lt. Col. Bernard “Bud” Ossey, P.E., F.SAME (Dist.), USA (Ret.)
Each of SAME’s 18 regions has a Fellows Regional Point of Contact to ensure that Fellows throughout each region are kept abreast of happenings within the Academy of Fellows and to be able to solicit support for local, regional and national events.
Joshua McClure, Ph.D., P.E., CFM, PMP, F.SAME, Halff Associates, Inc.
Communications
E-mails pertaining to Fellows are sent via the SAME database. It is imperative that your record is up-to-date if you want to receive Fellows Communications. To update your record, you must login (top of the page) and then click on “Member Account” in the left menu.
Annual Fellows Events
Each year, the SAME Academy of Fellows sponsors and helps support a number of events including mentoring activity at the Joint Engineer Training Conference & Expo, luncheons in connection with other SAME national events, and nominations for Fellow, Golden Eagle Awards, and the Gerald C. Brown Mentoring Award.
Fellows Investiture Ceremony
The new Class of Fellows is invested into the Academy of Fellows each year during the AOF Luncheon at JETC. The ceremony includes presentation of the Gerald C. Brown Mentoring Award, which is given annually to an SAME Fellow for outstanding mentoring and support of the SAME mission.
How to Nominate a Fellow
Nomination Criteria and Form
The nomination process will kick off with an informative webinar in June TBD, 2025. It is now REQUIRED for all nominees and nominators to attend or review the recording of the webinar.
Prior to September 5: Nominees must submit intention to apply for Fellow to their Regional Fellows Point of Contact (RFPOC). Nomination packet must be at 50% complete stage as determined by the RFPOC. Nominees must work with their respective RFPOC on the process for submission and review at the regional level.
September 6: RFPOCs submit list of nominees to National Office. Any nominations received by National that were not on the list will not be accepted.
October 11: Complete draft of nomination packet due to RFPOC.
December 6: Completed Nominations Packages for SAME Fellow are due to the SAME National Office. We suggest that you do not wait until the deadline to ensure that your file uploads correctly.
Mid-February: AOF XC Review
End of February: Results provided to nominees/nominators.
Investiture will occur at 2025 JETC – more information on exact date to follow.
Step 1: Download Nomination Form above. The form is in a Word Document to make it easier for you to enter and edit answers prior to final submission. We recommend doing this prior to submitting your intentions with your RFPOC.
Step 2: Attach Endorsements. This is the last step before submission to your RFPOC for review.
Step 3: Turn your document with endorsements into a PDF. You can do this by scanning it or by using Adobe Acrobat.
Step 4:Upload your packet via the link below.
** If you have any questions on the nomination process and/or to confirm receipt of your nomination package, please contact Kathy Off. **
These events serve as a means for Fellows to come together during major SAME National events to discuss issues and network. Current and new Fellows are welcome to attend, network, and hear presentations on topics of interest to the Academy of Fellows. There is usually an RSVP option on event registrations for you to note your attendance. The event is only open to Fellows.
Academy of Fellows Townhall Meetings
AOF Townhall Meetings are a great way to get information in a virtual face-to-face manner. Fellows can hear directly from the Chair and Vice Chairs about different initiatives, upcoming events, and Society news that is relevant to Fellows. The format allows for questions, sharing of information, and direct communication with the AOF Executive Committee. Dates and times are distributed to RFPOCs for further distribution. This allows the AOF to utilize the established structure to test communication effectiveness.
SAME’s strategic plan calls for establishing a Society-wide strategy, to promote and advance a robust and integrated mentoring program encompassing all levels of the Society National Headquarters, Posts, and Individual Members. Building on our historic commitment to mentoring, the Academy of Fellows (AOF) is accepting the challenge to be a mentoring resource within SAME, and asking our members to actively join the rank of “Mentor” by increasing their engagement in SAME mentoring activities – both group and individual (one-on-one) – consistent with our Charge and Pledge.
Role of a Mentor
The AOF includes over 800 Fellows, each with the capacity to serve as a mentor to others. As a Fellow, you can share your knowledge, skills and expertise to shape the future by positively impacting the career paths of others through your mentoring engagement. By serving as a mentor to tomorrow’s leaders, you uphold the dignity and quality of the profession and advance the professionalism of SAME Members. As a mentor, you interact and communicate with mentees, on a consistent basis, both in-person or by other means, and serve them in many important roles, including:
Advocate
Arrange for the mentee to participate in high-visibility activities within your organization and in SAME-sponsored activities.
Encourage members to take a leadership role in SAME at the Post, Regional or National level. Show interest in their participation and become a resource for information.
Advisor
Communicate the formal and informal realities of career progression.
Recommend beneficial training opportunities (i.e. SAME-sponsored opportunities).
Recommend appropriate strategies for career direction, and act as a sounding board for ideas and career concerns.
Periodicly review mentee’s professional development plan.
Identify resources to help the mentee solve specific problems, then follow up to ensure that the referred resources were useful or engage in dialog to answer questions.
Coach
Clarify performance goals and developmental needs.
Demonstrate managerial, communications and technical skills.
Recommend specific behaviors for professional and individual development success.
Sponsor
Expand the mentee’s network of professional contacts, starting with introductions to colleagues at SAME events that you attend together.
Bring together different mentees who might mutually benefit by networking and collaborating with each other.
Connect mentees with appropriate educational or employment opportunities.
Help members pursue professional licensing or certification by providing access to resources.
Engage mentees in Post committee initiatives or other activities to provide a forum for peer group interaction.
National Mentor Opportunities
Engineering & Construction Camps – Actively engage in recruiting potential young professionals to volunteer and serve as mentors, squad leaders, logistical support, and other staff positions that ensures the camps continued success. Mentor recruitment activities are in high gear January – June. To learn more about camp mentor recruitment and how you can help, visit the main camps page. You can also contact Scott Prosuch and camp director for the US Air Force Academy camp.
Leader Development Program – Serve as a mentor to help shepherd the professional development of these promising professionals throughout the program year. In this role, you will provide individual professional guidance and support to advance their leadership skills. Mentors are typically recruited in April of each year. To learn more, visit the main LDP page. or contact Susan Thames, LDP Mentor POC.
Young Professionals Community of Interest – Foster the relationship that has been forged with the Young Professionals Community of Interest (COI). Support the joint activities at National events, as well as. networking lunches, co-hosted happy hours, professional development webinars, speed mentoring, and one-on-one connections at the Post level. To learn more about Young Professionals, visit the YP COI page, or contact James Buckingham, the YP Mentoring POC, or Philios Angelides, the AOF Mentoring POC.
Searching for a Mentor
Finding the right mentor can help you progress and elevate your career. With over 800 members, there is a Fellow who understands your position, functional area, and goals and aspiration. Mentoring topics will cover the full continuum of an individual’s career development path – from school, to college, to career start and progression to management and leadership roles. Whether you are active military, federal civilian, or private industry employee, or still in school or college, AOF can match you with a successful professional to help shape your skills, navigate your career path, and support you in accessing the resources necessary to advance. Please refer to the resource support template in SAME Mentoring Guide (appendix B) for further guidance in identifying opportunities for Fellow engagement in various forums.
Fellows can also be a great resource in mentoring SAME Posts to implement various initiatives or programs that have a mentoring focus – from developing candidates for Fellow recognition to organizing programs that support students, young professionals, and industry firms. Please reference the link to the Post Mentoring Dashboard template in SAME Mentoring Guide (appendix B) for additional information on this resource.
Presenter: Colonel Ray Kimball, Chief of Faculty Learning, Innovation, Collaboration, and Research and Director of the Center for Junior Officers, U.S. Military Academy at West Point
Join Col Kimball on a prerecorded discussion on why mentoring matters. Topics include whether or not mentoring is different for enlisted, officers, and industry; the difference between coaching and mentoring; whether or not supervisors can or should be mentors; peer mentoring; and cross-gender/cross-ethnicity mentoring. This is a valuable webinar for those looking for the perfect mentor and those wishing to be true leaders with the capacity to mentor others.
Give us your Feedback
Communicate your Post’s mentoring activities and relevant stories by completing this webform for our compilation of best practices and lessons learned.
Fellows Awards Program
The SAME Academy of Fellows presents three awards each year—the Golden Eagle Award for Contributions to National Security, the Golden Eagle Award for Contributions to the A/E/C Profession, and the Gerald C. Brown Mentoring Award.
Golden Eagle Award
The Academy of Fellows will honor two outstanding Americans: an SAME Fellow for outstanding contributions to the engineering profession; and a prominent leader for significant contributions to national security. The Golden Eagle Dinner is a prestigious event where all members of the government and military engineering, construction and architecture industries are encouraged to attend. Golden Eagle Award nominations are handled through the Academy of Fellows leadership.
SAME created a Mentoring Award in 2005 to recognize Fellows for outstanding mentoring efforts. In 2009, the award was renamed the Gerald C. Brown Mentoring Award in honor of Brig. Gen. Gerald C. “Jed” Brown, USA (Ret.), who chaired the Working Group that formalized organizing the Fellows into an Academy in 1994 and served as the first chair in 1995.
This award acknowledges those who go above and beyond, whose contributions at the Post and/or Regional level truly stand out. Nominations for this award will be accepted by the Regional Fellows Points of Contact, from Post Presidents and Fellows. These exceptional individuals will be recognized during signature Post, Regional, and Fellow events at annual national conferences, adding a new layer of distinction to our vibrant community.
I urge you to approach this honor of being invested as a Fellow not as a moment in time, or a professional ‘lifetime achievement award’ of sorts. Rather, I urge you to approach your new status as Fellow as the start of a new opportunity, a charge to be a role model, a charge to be a mentor, and a charge to share all you have learned with future leaders with whom much can be shared, and just as much learned.
Heather Wishart-Smith, P.E., PMP, LEED AP, F.SAME, F.ASCE, 2018 Gerald C. Brown Mentoring Awardee
