2018 TBP Convention Professional Development Presenters
Thursday and Friday's presenters of professional development sessions are listed below with title of their session, session summary, and short bio. The tentative professional development schedule can be found here.
| Jason Abellada (FL Alpha '04) — Nonverbal Communication This session covers the fundamentals of nonverbal communication. Learn how to apply your nonverbal skills during interviews, meetings, presentations, and other professional/personal interactions. Jason is an industrial controls programmer and a REALTOR®. He has 14+ years of experience in industrial control systems engineering and information technology. He is Tampa Bay Alumni Chapter president and holds a degree in computer engineering from the University of Florida. |
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| 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 a member of the National Association of Parliamentarians. He has 14+ years of experience in industrial control systems engineering and information technology. |
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| Rachel Alexander (CA Upsilon '15) — How to Target Your Resume Rachel has a passion for helping students transition from college into the professional world. During the recession, she went through three layoffs and each time marketed herself for a different position by highlighting transferable skills. She transitioned from working as a space planner home builder to a drafter/estimater to an engineering technician with an architectural engineering consulting firm. Rachel returned to school for her B.S. in civil engineering and now works as a civil engineer for a government agency. Through this session, she will share examples of resumes and entry level positions. She will cover how to highlight your experience and skills to align with a job description. |
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Bill Acorn, P.E. (AZ Alpha '71) — Forensic Analysis of Design & Construction... |
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| William Cleveland (MS Alpha '10) — Personal Finance for New Grads Learn how small decisions you make now can set yourself up for big wins later in life. This session provides an overview of both day-to-day budgeting and how to start making long-term retirement plans. William is a human factors systems engineer at Honeywell Aerospace creating avionics for pilots. His bachelor's degrees are in aerospace engineering and computer engineering from Mississippi State University. He serves as an Engineering Futures Facilitator, is the recipient of both a TBP Fellowship & Scholarship, and is a past collegiate chapter president. |
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| Noelle Cochran, P.E. (CO Alpha '86) —Professional Engineer Licensure: Why and How to Get Licensed Obtaining your professional engineer's license is a bit like obtaining your driver's license. You need to gain the appropriate training and experience, learn the rules and regulations, pass a test, and obtain your license. This session will discuss why engineers should get a P.E. license and how to perform within the P.E. obligations. Noelle is VP and senior engineer at AECOM where she specializes in engineering & design for environmental remediation projects. She holds P.E. licenses in five states and is a past president of NSPE-Colorado. |
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| Katy Colbry, Ph.D. (MI Alpha '99) —Equity and Inclusion & Other EF Sessions Katy is the Assistant Dean for graduate student services in the COE and Chief Advisor to the Michigan Alpha Chapter at Michigan State University. The first session (9:30am) will be the very popular "Equity, Inclusion & Ethics in Engineering" EF session. The second session (12:30pm) will be a new pilot titled "Mastering Complex Conversations," which examines the leadership and listening skills that are essential to effective communication. |
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| 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 Ltd. 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). |
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| Scott Eckersall (CA Iota '96) — Tech Startup Survival Guide Ever thought of leading or joining a tech startup? Hear tried and true startup survival strategies from an industry veteran software engineer and founder with 18 years in the tech startup world. Find out whether the startup world is right for you, how to survive, thrive, and make it a career! Scott has 25 years of experience in the GIS industry. He's been instrumental in the launch and long-term success of three startups over the past two decades. He is a TBP Engineering Futures facilitator. |
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| Lt. Hamilton Gubanc — The Reactor is Critical: common misconceptions and leadership stories from a lieutenant at sea Lieutenant Hamilton Gubanc has a bachelor's of science in mechanical engineering and nuclear engineering from the Pennsylvania State University. He has served on the USS Momsen and the USS George Washington in management positions including Reactor Mechanical Division Officer and Assistant Reactor Maintenance Officer. He has deployed from both the west and east coasts, taken a ship through a nuclear availability, and performed an emergent dry docking in Dubai. |
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| Curt Gomulinski (MI Epsilon '01) — Tau Beta Pi 101 Do you have questions about Tau Beta Pi? Who makes up the Executive Council and what do they do? What is an advisory board? Just how big is this organization? Meet Executive Director Curt Gomulinski to learn more about Tau Beta Pi, and bring any additional questions to ask. |
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| Teresa Hutton (WI Beta '91) — Effective Teams Begin with Effective Team Members It's likely that you'll be a team member, either at work or outside of work. Effective teams demonstrate trust, communicate well, help others to succeed, and accept responsibility. But you can't have effective teams without effective team members! We'll explore habits you can cultivate to become an effective team member of a winning team and learn about the two pillars that support empowerment. Teresa is an official member of the Milwaukee Alumni Chapter, has a master's degree in EE, and has worked on engineering teams at GM, Motorola, and Rockwell Automation. |
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| Jan Keiser, P.E., J.D. (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. |
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| Jon Leydens, Ph.D. & Juan Lucena, Ph.D. — Humanitarian Engineering Interest in humanitarian engineering programs has grown substantially since its emergence in the early 21st century. This talk will focus on three pillars of humanitarian engineering: sustainability, community, & social justice. Dr. Leydens is an associate professor of engineering education research at the Colorado School of Mines. Dr. Lucena is professor and director of humanitarian engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. |
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| 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. |
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| Will Lindquist, Ph.D. (KS Alpha '02) — People Styles This presentation is based on the popular book People Styles at Work, which presents a number of different behavioral styles exhibited by people in the workplace. To a large extent, these styles influence (or at least indicate) the way people think, communicate, and act. An understanding of these styles will help you interact more easily, avoid miscommunication, and become a more effective leader. This interactive presentation will provide several practical tips for working with a wide variety of people styles and enable attendees to identify their own style using live audience polling. Dr. Lindquist is an assistant professor of civil engineering at William Jewell College and a TBP District 9 Director. |
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| George Miyata (WA Delta '10) — Igniting Your Career As a Tau Bate you have excelled in school, so how do you continue that excellence in the workforce? In this session, you will learn how to stand out in the beginning of your career, how to impress in an interview, and the right things to do to get noticed by management and your peers. Learn the importance of identifying and working with a mentor(s) and how to identify your inner motivations and desires and to align your career with who you are and who you want to be. George is a project manager at Northrop Grumman Corp. and a District 12 Director since 2012. |
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| Anthony Montoya, P.E. (NM Gamma '02) — Empowerment Managing Conflict This session will focus on topics such as conflict analysis, time management, and delegation. This presentation is for new and experienced managers as well as those who aspire to become managers in their career. The session will also include topics such as managerial leadership, team development, and employee motivation. Anthony is president of the Albuquerque Alumni Chapter and is chief engineer of the engineering & planning division at the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority. Mr. Montoya has a B.S. in electrical engineering from New Mexico Tech. He continued at the University of New Mexico and completed his MBA with a concentration in finance. |
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| Stephanie Opalinski — Communicating the Value of YOU Graduate school application tips and tricks – this presentation will cover not only tips on submitting a "good" graduate school application but what to consider when you are considering graduate school. For example: location, funding offers, rankings, important facts/stats like # of female faculty... Target audience would be those considering graduate school. Stephanie is the senior manager of graduate engineering program recruitment at the University of Pittsburgh. |
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| Russ Pierce (WA Alpha '70) — Lead, Follow, or Get Out the Way To be successful in your career, be it in the private sector or the public sector, you must be an effective leader. In this interactive session, we will explore what leadership is, whether leaders are born or made, the three leadership styles, the differences between leadership and management, and how you can develop the skills you will need to become an effective leader. Russ serves as an Engineering Futures Facilitator and is a past TBP Executive Councillor. He has more than 25 years of hands-on technical leadership experience and taught undergraduate and graduate level business classes for the University of Phoenix until 2014. |
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| Sandy B. Pitzak (CO Beta '00) — Big Issues Discussion Come to this cross-disciplinary, multi-generational sharing of ideas on some of the big issues the world is facing today. Our perspective as engineers is important to the discussion, and we want to hear your opinions! This is an interactive session, and everyone will be asked to participate. Sandy completed her bachelor's and master's degrees in aerospace engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder. She is an independent aerospace subcontractor at Tomorrow's Enterprise, LLC. She is the Chief Advisor to the CO Beta Chapter and was selected as the 2016 Outstanding Advisor. Sandy also serves as the liaison to CO Beta for the Front Range Alumni Chapter. How to Instructions |
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| Kurt Rouser, Ph.D. (OH Eta '11) — Consider Serving as a Chapter Advisor This session is for you, whether you are approaching graduation, already an alumnus, or even a current chapter advisor seeking to re-engage your student chapter. Kurt will share his motivation and experience from revitalizing student chapters at the U.S. Air Force Academy and Oklahoma State University. He retired from 25 years in the Air Force in 2016 and has since been an assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at OSU. |
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| 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. |
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| Sally J. Steadman, Ph.D. (WY Alpha '69) — Graduate Fellowships Sally is Tau Beta Pi Director of Fellowships 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! |
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| Jill Tietjen, P.E. (VA Alpha '76) — Navigating Your Career Jill will talk about what she wishes she had known when she graduated from college, her seven steps to personal and leadership success, and life lessons she has gleaned over the course of her life and 40+ year career. Tietjen is president & CEO of Technically Speaking, an electrical engineer, and a member of the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame. She co-authored the book: "Her Story: A Timeline of the Women Who Changed America." Jill was also a TBP Distinguished Alumna in 2004. |
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| Steve Watkins, Ph.D. (MO Beta '83) — Science & Tech. Perspective on Public Policy Engineers need to have a role in public policy especially on issues related to science & technology. This presentation will describe an engineer's year as a congressional fellow and how engineers can contribute effectively to the development of policy. Dr. Watkins is an electrical engineering professor and TBP chapter advisor. He served on the personal staff for a U.S. Congressman as an IEEE-USA Congressional Fellow. |
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| George Youssef (NJ Gamma '01) — How to Climb the Corporate Ladder George graduated cum laude from the New Jersey Institute of Technology with a B.S. in electrical engineering and was a former TBP chapter president. He started working at General Electric in 2002, and has held five different roles within GE Power. He began as a global field engineer installing new power plants and maintaining existing ones while serving in more than 10 countries and 20 U.S. states. He then moved to managing field engineers' resources globally, followed by a one-year assignment to Dubai, UAE, to build a training center. After that, he spent 7 years working as a service manager supporting fossil/nuclear customers in the NYC Metro area. Currently, George is the service director for boiler services for the Western U.S. located in Irvine, CA. He is a TBP Executive Councillor. |
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