Hello SEAONC Members!
I will admit to procrastinating on writing this column for quite a while. I follow in the footsteps of a great writer (way to set the bar high, David!) and have to admit to being more comfortable with numbers and spreadsheets. I seriously debated whether it would be acceptable to have my President’s Message written in bullet points. But alas, here goes nothing.
I’m Lisa Cassedy, and if you hadn’t heard yet, I’m your new SEAONC President. I work as an Engineering Practice Leader at HOK’s San Francisco office, leading our team of structural engineers within a bigger office of architects, planners, interior designers, landscape architects, and MEP engineers. Many of you hopefully already know me, through my time on several committees (YMF pre-gray hair, Sustainability, Public Outreach, including Rebuilding Together, and Continuing Education), my time on the Board of Directors, or interacting at miscellaneous SEAONC events. I hope to get to know more of you in the year ahead.
Speaking of the year ahead, my main goal for the year is to support the great work of our committees and members. I want to make sure they know they have SEAONC’s backing and provide them resources and connections for success. I want our profession to be respected and possibly even more appreciated. We will continue to navigate interesting conversations about the use of AI and how it impacts our industry. We will continue to discuss the evolution of the Structural Engineering (SE) exam and advocate for changes that maintain its integrity while ensuring that passing it is possible. I want SEAONC to remain a place where these conversations can happen, and all voices are heard.
I will also admit that I am quite distracted by the World Cup right now. As someone who has played soccer for over 40 years, I love this competition. I love watching the Beautiful Game, viewing all the amazing goals and saves, and seeing all the passionate fans. I love seeing all the nations come together to celebrate their love of the sport and their teams. I enjoy witnessing all the different traditions. I know tying this together with my President’s message is a stretch but as SEAONC, let’s bring our disparate opinions together, appreciate that we’re all aiming to do the same thing, and build beautiful, safe structures.
I cannot end this message without mentioning the Venezuelan earthquakes. My heart goes out to the Venezuelan people and let us learn from this tragic event to improve our codes and design more resilient buildings.
I look forward to seeing many of you at our upcoming events.
Sincerely,
Lisa Cassedy, S.E.
lisa.cassedy@hok.com