President’s Report

 Last month, the BSCES Board voted to create the BSCES Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) Committee.  It is my great privilege to chair this newly formed committee and my hope that it will continue in future years to serve the important function of promoting the diversity of our profession.  This is not a charitable endeavor.  The realization of this goal benefits all of us and the public at-large by ensuring that the civil engineering profession welcomes the best and brightest of all communities to its fold.

I recall with some misgivings my own personal inattention to earlier efforts at creating an active Diversity Task Force.  I was inattentive to the profound inequity and ongoing impacts of systemic racism and failed to become engaged in the task force or to speak out to support its activities.  The events of the past year have convinced me (and others) of the need for continued work and active dialog to foster a more diverse and inclusive society.

Included in this month’s newsletter is an article about the DE&I Committee, which was written by committee member, Karen Kelley.  Please take the time to read this insightful and heartfelt description of the committee and its mission.  Our first planned event, scheduled for April 29, will call on BSCES members to help us in developing a strategy for concrete activities that support the mission of the committee.

While building on the work of the prior members of the Diversity Task Force, this year’s committee has been active in redefining the mission.  The broad themes of that mission are to promote the development of an inclusive work culture, to attract underrepresented communities to engineering as a career, and to raise awareness of the impact of design decisions on all members of the community.  My presence on the committee, as BSCES president, and that of three former presidents demonstrates the commitment of BSCES leaders to the goal of forming a committee that will be a sustaining and active force.  I am grateful for the efforts of all member volunteers serving on the committee and welcome others to join us in this critical task.  Email me at president@bsces.org if you wish to do so.

Mark your calendar. This year’s BSCES awards celebration is scheduled for the evening of June 17th.  We have two exciting keynote speakers that will discuss the arrival of offshore wind power to New England.  Keynote speakers are Stephen Pike, CEO of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and Lars Thaaning Pedersen, CEO of Vineyard Wind.  This is a not-to-be-missed event that will celebrate BSCES award winners and highlight the business opportunities of what some are calling the Saudi Arabia of wind power.

In closing, I’d like to recognize and thank EarthSoft, Inc. for their support as a BSCES Society Sponsor and the sponsor of this issue of BSCESNews. Please be sure to read the article entitled “Automated Reporting in EQuIS” by Nicole McCabe, corporate communications specialist for EarthSoft.