Sharin’ the Value! An Interview With SAME President Sharon Krock

Sharon Krock, SPWS, F.SAME, was sworn in as the 105th SAME National President at the 2024 JETC in Orlando, Fla. Before her most recent tenure as President-Elect, she served as SAME Vice President (2021-2023), where she led first the Regional Vice Presidents and then the Human Capital COIs. Professionally, she is a Principal with Schnabel Engineering and branch leader of the firm’s Greater Philadelphia office.

TME recently chatted with Krock about her personal journey within SAME, her instrumental role in the development of the 2030 SAME Strategic Plan, and how she sees the Society embracing her catchphrase of Sharin’ the Value.

TME: How did you first get involved with SAME, and with taking on national leadership roles?

KROCK: My first exposure to SAME was to attend a Philadelphia Post monthly meeting with my supervisor who had hired me, Jane Rowan (to whom I owe a lifetime of gratitude!). I was only a few years into my career at Schnabel Engineering. She encouraged me to get involved at an association, and suggested I attend several different events with her and choose what I most preferred and would make sense for the company. After sampling different organizations, I came to the easy decision that SAME was going to be what I started attending regularly.

I wish I could say that I did a lot of research, but I honestly chose SAME because at the meeting I went to, the people were the friendliest and they quickly opened up their circle when a new, unfamiliar face (me!) attempted to join the conversation. Thanks to the Philadelphia Post for being so welcoming. I strive now to be that inclusive to any new members or attendees because they may just choose to come back like I did.

As for taking on national leadership roles, I did not even consider that would be within my realm of opportunities. In fact, if you can believe it, 11 years into my SAME career I still had not even attended a national event. It was when I became an Elected Director on the Board of Direction as a Young Professional that served as my ticket to attend my first national event. I was floored to learn that there was so much more SAME was offering beyond my home Post. After my term ended, I was encouraged by past Regional Vice Presidents and Philadelphia Post members Rad Delaney and Jim DeGour to take on the role of Regional Vice President, where I learned even more from the Posts within the North Atlantic Region.

When Heather Wishart-Smith asked if I would be interested in pursuing a national leadership role, I was honored and surprised. Yet I was also about to be taking on a new role at Schnabel, so I was concerned I would not be able to put the energy into both positions. I deferred for a year to get my feet under me in my day job, then, with some additional coaching and encouragement from Heather and Mark Handley, I took the leap. Thanks to Heather, Mark, Charlie Perham, Cindy Lincicome, Rad, Buddy Barnes, Mike Blount, Jane Penny, John Mogge, and many others for their support and advice. I did not have the confidence in myself to consider a national leadership role without their prompting. The moral of the story: If someone suggests you should consider pushing your leadership comfort zone, you should listen! I am so grateful I did.

TME: As you have encouraged members to “Share the Value,” can you describe the importance behind this theme?

KROCK: To Share the Value is about encouraging others to join the fun. Just as Charlie last year inspired people to Find the Value within SAME and then Be the Value for others, I wanted to encourage everyone to take it a step further and multiply their engagement, both to existing members and those that have not yet joined. The more people and variety of talents and areas of expertise that we can bring to the SAME community, the better we will achieve our mission. Together, we can continue to drive partnerships between industry and government; deliver solutions to critical readiness and infrastructure challenges; and develop people to maintain the pipeline of STEM professionals to sustain our industry.

SAME members voluntarily give their time and energy to improve our levels of collaboration between government and industry. The more we share about what has been successful (or not) in the past, the more effective the next attempt will be. Increased efficiency saves our volunteers their precious time.

TME: You have participated in many Post events over the last few months (and taken many selfies!); how have you seen these events helping to share the value and support SAME’s national direction?

KROCK: Every Post has its own personality and strengths. I thoroughly enjoy witnessing the teamwork and innovative ways members engage with agencies and partners from all over the engineering community. So many amazing events and beneficial outcomes result from the hard work members do.

During Industry Days, agencies share their opportunities where they need the private sector’s help to accomplish projects, while member companies share their knowledge and capabilities to improve understanding of the technical capacity in the marketplace. Strong relationships make for easier coordination when concerns or challenges arise.

Small Business Forums highlight the agile ingenuity of small businesses and assist firms in hearing more about how to enter and be successful within the federal sector.

STEM outreach efforts, including our STEM/Engineering & Construction Camps, introduce youth to the vast opportunities for talent within STEM fields and provide them with mentors and resources to learn from as they progress through their education and enter the workforce.

Programs supporting career transition empower those seeking employment to find the perfect fit within companies searching for their next team member. Leader development training provides education, nurturing, and peer-to-peer encouragement for the next generation of leaders. Throughout the year, many awards and recognition events recognize the companies, agencies, and individuals that have gone above and beyond to elevate others.

These are some of the many ways I have seen members share the value they have created within SAME.

TME: As we begin implementation of the 2030 SAME Strategic Plan, which you were a key participant in developing, how do you see it preparing the Society for the needs of the future?

KROCK: I was honored to be a part of developing the 2030 SAME Strategic Plan with co-chairs Albert Romano and Brian Duffy, the Strategic Plan Working Group, and staff support by Kathy Off. It is designed to help prepare not only our Society, but our nation, to address both present-day challenges and future unknowns by building stronger partnerships between competent and resilient leaders who will help deliver solutions we cannot even imagine yet.

Our nation’s security and resiliency depend on all of us continuing to find the solutions for our critical issues in infrastructure, cybersecurity, future facilities, and resource limitations. All of us together are stronger, smarter, and more capable than any of us are alone. Developing the people to broaden our experiences and knowledge base and identify and prepare those who eventually will lead our military and private institutions is absolutely necessary. The three goals are interdependent at all levels, at all times.

TME: What has been your favorite aspect of being SAME National President?

KROCK: Unequivocally, the people. Having the opportunity to meet with friends from across the country and making many more along the way feeds my soul! Visiting Posts has allowed me to witness people performing in their element and on their own turf. Many of my SAME friends I originally met at national events, so I was used to only seeing them there. Traveling to Posts gives me the opportunity to observe where all the magic happens in between the large national events. Making connections between people/companies/agencies that would mutually benefit from knowing each other is so gratifying.

The level of enthusiasm, passion, and care that everyone dedicates to SAME is impressive, inspiring, and extraordinary. SAME has so much to offer; sometimes I could just burst because I want to share it all!

Another amazing benefit of being National President is getting the chance to recognize the remarkable efforts that our volunteers put forth every day. Being able to thank them personally and publicly for what they do brings so much pride to the members and is just a small token of appreciation for the level of effort they have contributed.

The positive impact that SAME provides to so many people on so many levels of the military, the government, within private industry, even academia, is endless—and the honor of being able to share that with everyone is the absolute best job ever.

Interview originally published in the January-February 2025 issue of The Military Engineer.