Region 1 Spring Assembly – Saratoga Springs
“Is Equal Always Fair?”
By: Sarah Dinwoodie
The Region 1 Fall Assembly was held in
Saratoga Springs, NY from September 28-30 th . It
was great to see familiar faces and reacquaint
myself with the structure of ASCE National. We
gathered in the hotel conference room at
7:30am Saturday morning and started the
assembly off with the usual business – approving
minutes, hearing from the treasurer, and
revisiting ASCE’s vision, mission and goals to help
remind us why we are all here.
Director of Region 1, Anthony Cioffi
discussed some recent ASCE Initiatives including
“Dream Big”, infrastructure report card, and
Canon 8. “Dream Big” was extremely successful
and surprisingly profitable for ASCE. Director
Cioffi also summarized the recent Board of
Directors meeting where 6 new goals and 44
strategies were developed. The goals included
the creation of new committees for revenue
generation, governing documents (re-branding
“Raise the Bar”), Raise the Bar, and student
competitions.
The assemblies usually combine
presentations from various speakers, a
presentation from a local student chapter, and
breakout sessions to brainstorm ways to
improve Region 1.
The Bigger Picture
For those of you who may not know,
ASCE is made up of 75 Sections (NH being one),
158 Branches (no branches in NH), and 105
Younger Member Groups (UNH).
During the assemblies we get the
opportunity, as representatives of our respective
chapter to meet the Governors who represent
our region. New Hampshire is part of Region 1,
which also includes Massachusetts, Connecticut,
New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont
and now provinces in Canada.
Photo Credit: http://regions.asce.org/region1/about
Map of ASCE Region 1
ASCE Canon 8 and Climate Change: Diversity,
Equity, and Inclusion in Civil Engineering
Dr. Yvette E. Pearson, Ph.D, P.E.F, gave a
presentation on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
and how that relates to ASCE Canon 8.
Dr. Pearson discussed the necessary
components of an inclusive work place including
having a diverse workforce, creating a culture
and climate of inclusion, and practicing equity.
Diverse workforce - Having a functional, diverse
workforce requires creating a sustainable model,
not just increase numbers.
Culture and Climate of Inclusion - Employ people
because of their experience and what they bring
to the table, not just boxes they check (female,
minority, disabled, etc.)
Equity - Be fair. This differs from equality.
What really hit home, was when Dr.
Pearson included stories and examples that