PRESIDENT ’ S LETTER
As President of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Heads Association ( ECEDHA ), I am proud of the great strides our organization has made in leading the path for the advancement of ECE while providing a strong platform for our members to collaborate and support each other during these unprecedented times .
ECEDHA ’ s commitment to diversity has been at the forefront of our efforts , with dedicated programs designed to support underrepresented minority groups in our field . The iREDEFINE program , now in its sixth year , continues to offer targeted workshops and networking opportunities for women and underrepresented minority graduate students who are considering a career in academia . ECEDHA has also partnered with the Inclusive Engineering Consortium ( IEC ) to host focused workshops on equitable partnerships and to encourage cross-university collaboration with minority serving institutions .
These past few years have highlighted the value of connecting with those that share similar experiences by learning from best practices , discussing challenges , and leveraging new ideas as we continue to push forward . I encourage all our members to get involved in the many peer-to-peer connection opportunities that ECEDHA provides .
A highlight of the upcoming year will be the opportunity to come together once again at the 2024 ECEDHA Annual Conference and ECExpo as we celebrate our 40 th Anniversary . This year ’ s program will be held at the El Conquistador Tucson in Tucson , Arizona . The conference will provide a truly special experience featuring an outstanding lineup of educational sessions coupled with ample opportunity to reconnect with your fellow ECEDHA members .
This membership brochure provides an overview of the latest association initiatives and benefits . We invite you to learn more about our latest initiatives and to see for yourself how ECEDHA has emerged as a driving force in bringing together ECE community leaders to share knowledge and advance our institutions forward .
We look forward to serving you and your institution in the 2023-2024 academic year with your continued support and engagement .
Warmest Personal Regards ,
Michael Devetsikiotis , Professor , Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering , University of New Mexico President , ECEDHA
ECEDHA DIVERSITY PLEDGE
The Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Heads Association ( ECEDHA ) stands united in its pursuit and support of diversity , equity , inclusion , and social justice . We pledge solidarity with communities of color and other marginalized groups who have experienced discrimination . We will demonstrate our commitment through actions .
Specifically , we will ensure that our board , committees , panels , and rosters of invited speakers include diverse representation . In our programming and operations , we will include perspectives of people from all disciplinary , personal , and cultural backgrounds . We will foster a welcoming environment that encourages the participation and pathways to ECEDHA leadership for those from groups that were traditionally marginalized . We will include , invite , and involve those with non-privileged identities based on but not limited to gender , race , ethnicity , country of origin , sexual orientation , ability , religion , age , family status , veteran status , economic status , and political views . Our programming will be inclusive and will not shy away from uncomfortable conversations .