2016 Conv Professional Development

2016 TBP Convention Professional Development Presenters

Friday's presenters of professional development sessions are listed below with title of their session. Click here for the professional development schedule.

Jason A. Abellada (FL Alpha '04) — Intro to Body Language Engineers tend to focus more on verbal and written communications, yet approximately 60-80 percent of communication is nonverbal. This session covers the basics of body language and explains how we can use this knowledge to develop our professional and personal communication skills. Jason has more than 10 years of experience in water/ wastewater control systems engineering and information technology. He is Tampa Bay Alumni Chapter president and a member of the National Association of Parliamentarians. Jason holds a degree in computer engineering from the University of Florida.

Jason A. Abellada (FL Alpha '04) — Robert's Rules Who the heck is Robert and what are his Rules all about? This session is for anyone who has never used or has little experience with Robert's Rules of Order. If you want to learn more about how to effectively participate in the meetings of Convention, this is for you! Jason is Tampa Bay Alumni Chapter president and a member of the National Association of Parliamentarians.

Scott M. Busch (CO Beta '09) — Big Issues Discussion As Tau Bates, part of our mission is to give back to society, and having a technical background gives us a slightly different perspective on various issues. To that end, and in the spirit of liberal culture, come join with other TBP members for an interactive discussion of some of the Big Issues facing our world today. Scott completed his bachelor's & master's degrees in computer science from the University of Colorado Boulder. He works for Brocade Communications Systems as a senior embedded software developer. He is an advisor to the CO Beta Chapter, a participant in the Front Range Alumni Chapter, and frequently attends the District 12 Conferences.

Ed D'Avignon (NY Beta '88) — What the Career Office Didn't Tell You Ed will discuss what he looks for when screening resumes and interviewing candidates as a team leader and principal engineer with Broadcom Limited. He will give tips on how to avoid your resume being quickly rejected, what he looks for in a resume and during both phone and in person interviews. Many of the highlighted areas are not typically discussed by university career offices. Ed is TBP Director of Rituals and past Association vice president (1998-2002).

Ian J. Frank (NY Pi '09) — Chapter Fun for Any Budget Now that you are a chapter officer, do you find yourself wondering what to do next? You know there is more to Tau Beta Pi than initiations and membership, but are you having trouble making it happen? You don't need a lot of funding to make a great chapter project or event. Tau Beta Pi should be a lot of fun, and you can make it happen in your chapter, no matter what your budget is! Ian is a mechanical systems engineer at 3D Systems Corp. and has served as a District 14 Director for 5+ years.

Tricia E. Gomulinski (SD Alpha '98) — Connecting Your Community A shared purpose and the feeling of belonging contribute to the health and activity of a chapter. In this session, discover ways to strengthen and grow your chapter through reaching out, communicating, and drawing others in. Tricia served as a District 12 Director for 12 years in Colorado and was appointed TBP Director of Alumni Affairs in 2013, where she supports and works with our 40 active alumni chapters. She is currently a software engineer at Teledyne Brown Engineering.

Christina M. Harrison (TN Alpha '93) — Move Up the Ladder This session will help you understand what it takes to get promoted and generate ideas about how to manage your career. She will discuss skills to leverage your performance, image, and exposure to climb the corporate ladder. Christina works for Procter & Gamble in category management, is a TBP District Director, and former Engineering Futures Facilitator.

*Jan Keiser, P.E. (AK Alpha '76)* — Networking Through Conversation Professional development depends on networking; that is, developing relationships that can be leveraged in to future opportunities. But, there's a skill to doing this authentically so the relationships are mutually beneficial. Savvy professionals engage people in simple conversations and effective follow-up. But, how do you start a conversation that is interesting, enjoyable, and productive? How do you turn the conversation into an opportunity? In this session, Jan, an experienced engineering entrepreneur, will provide tips and techniques about starting conversations and conducting follow-up. Jan is a registered professional civil engineer and a construction attorney with over 30 years of experience with large, complex infrastructure projects.

Debra A. Kimberling (AZ Beta '81) — Why So Few Women in Engineering? Have you ever wondered why there are so few women in engineering? Is there really a gender wage gap? Will today's graduates be able to avoid the stereotypes to help build an equal engineering workplace? In this session, Debra will address the research, identify the invisible but very real hurdles women face in their careers, and present what you can do to support women in non-traditional fields. She has 30+ years of experience in industry, government, and academia and a master's in aerospace engineering.

Harry W. Lange (MI Zeta '75) — Managing Your Investments for Retirement Retirement may be 40 or 50 years away, but investing as soon as you start your career is critical. Learn tips from Harry's years of investing experience to help prepare yourself for a successful retirement as you move through the various stages of your career. Harry is a member of the TBP Trust Adivsory Committee.

Jeff Lee — Intro to Fusion 360: The Future of Making Things Interested in learning about Autodesk's newest cloud-based design platform? Stop by to hear about the Future of Making Things and participate in a hands-on workshop on how to model, sculpt, and render in Fusion 360. Jeff is an applications engineer at Autodesk with a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering (Georgia Tech) and a master's degree in mechanical engineering (University of California, Berkeley).

Bruce Lindvall, Ph.D. — Should I Go to Graduate School? After taking the GRE, learn the best ways to get into your top graduate schools from Bruce Lindvall, Assistant Dean for Graduate Studies, McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Northwestern University. Why go to graduate school and what is involved in the process? When I finish my undergraduate degree, Should I go to work or continue in M.S. or Ph.D. studies? How do I go about applying? Learn more from Dr. Lindvall, the 2016 DuPont Minorities in Engineering Award recipient.

Bruce Lindvall, Ph.D. — Using ASEE Profiles to Apply for Graduate Admissions The American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) offers profiles of the graduate study body at each accredited engineering school in the United States. You can learn about how many make-up each graduate student body—gender, full-time and part-time, ethnicity, and total number of M.S. or Ph.D. students by individual major.

Robert L. Markley (OH Delta '65) — Office Politics & Dealing with Headhunters Robert is a retired executive with international experience in managing companies and parts of companies. At his last job, he was an executive recruiter (headhunter) and he learned the business from the inside. Robert will discuss the two types of headhunters and how to deal with each. He will also discuss office politics and how it can accelerate or derail your career.

George K. Miyata (WA Delta '10) — Building up Your Chapter Officers Being an officer is difficult, but finding the next generation of officers that maintain positive chapter momentum is even harder. How do you identify good officer candidates and prepare them for the future? What is an effective mechanism for the transition of officers? Now that I am an officer, how can I effectively lead the chapter? These questions and others will be addressed in this session. George is a systems engineer at Northrop Grumman Corp. and District 12 Director since 2012.

Lt. Ben Mooney — The Nuclear Navy See the latest in nuclear technology in our U.S. Navy submarine and carrier fleet. The most imposing vessels in America's Navy rely on small-scale nuclear reactors to provide everything from basic propulsion to power generation. The safe operation of these complex nuclear plants depends upon an essential human element-skilled nuclear technicians, power plant operators, instructors, and subsystems specialists. He earned a bachelor's in mechanical engineering from the State University of New York's Maritime College. He completed the nuclear training pipeline in Charleston, SC, and has earned three Navy achievement medals.

Wayne B. Paugh (FL Gamma '93) — Uncommon Career Choices in Engineering Wayne serves as special assistant U.S. attorney in the major crimes division of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado in the Dept. of Justice. He works as a trial attorney on a wide range of issues, including customs law and intellectual property. Mr. Paugh earned his LL.M. in intellectual property law from the George Washington Univ. School of Law and his J.D. from the George Mason Univ. School of Law, with an IP emphasis. He also holds a master's in the management of technology from the Univ. of Miami, and bachelor's in mechanical engineering and arts from the Univ. of South Florida.

Russ Pierce (WA Alpha '70) — Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way! Are you a leader or a follower? To be an effective chapter officer and a successful engineer, you must be an effective leader. In this interactive session, we will explore the following: what leadership is; whether leaders are born or made; the differences between leadership and management; and the three principal leadership styles. Russ owns a consulting business, is a 20+ year Engineering Futures Facilitator, and chapter advisor.

Tiffany L. Porties — How to Effectively Finance Graduate School Education "How will I fund my graduate degree" is a common question and concern among prospective students. There are a variety of funding resources to consider such as: fellowships, graduate assistantships, and more. This workshop will discuss how to explore, identity, and take advantage of internal and external funding sources. Tiffany is the assistant director for the Michigan engineering graduate programs office. She has worked at UM for 15 years, primarily in the area of student affairs.

Khabeer Salaam (DC Alpha '14) — God was an Engineer; A Talk on Engineering Ethics A 'Pi Talk' about the magnitude of the extra duty and moral responsibility of being an engineer; also entitled "God was an Engineer" will be presented. Salaam graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering from Howard University, where he served as TBP chapter president. He has founded two non-profits, is a serial entrepreneur, and worked for the Dept. of Defense.

Thomas Schaub (NY Nu '93) — Engineering a Career in Cybersecurity Tom earned an M.S. in engineering from MIT. He has spent the majority of his career working in cybersecurity, including roles as information security consultant, administrator, engineer, manager, director, and – most recently – vice president, chief information security officer. Tom will draw upon his professional experience and insights and present cybersecurity as a viable field for graduates of engineering degree programs who may be considering non-traditional career pursuits. He serves as a TBP District 8 Director.

Sally J. Steadman, Ph.D. (WY Alpha '69) — Graduate Fellowships Sally is Tau Beta Pi Director of Fellowships and and adjunct professor at the University of South Alabama. Learn about graduate fellowships and how to get them. Get tips on completing applications from Dr. Steadman who has experience reviewing applications for NSF, NDSEG, TBP, and more. Bring your questions!