(ASCE YMG Kiewit ODOT Bend North Corridor Field Visit 2023-06-29 | Photo courtesy of Century West Engineering)
Engineers Find Opportunities with Local Organizations
Central Oregon’s community of engineers of all kinds are the people who help keep our world turning. The local community of engineers, from mechanical and industrial to aerospace, civil and everything in between, has been growing steadily for years. Now, there are more engineers in Central Oregon than ever before.
To assist this growing population and workforce, some local professional engineering organizations have popped up to provide a wide range of benefits to all engineers who they work with. Two organizations in particular have been doing some good for the local engineering community: the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), with its state society, the Professional Engineers of Oregon (PEO), and local Central Oregon Chapter of PEO, as well as the newcomer on the block, the Central Oregon Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and its Younger Member Group (YMG).
To learn more about these organizations and the opportunities they provide, we spoke to Tom Headley, a licensed professional engineer practicing civil engineering in Oregon and Washington. Headley has served as the PEO chapter president and state president, and now serves on the NSPE Board as the director of the Western and Pacific Region.
While Headley represents NSPE, he made a clear point in saying that engineering organizations are not in competition with one another; Headley doesn’t view the ASCE as a competitor, but a teammate who has the same goal and motivations as himself.
“The engineering industry—across all engineering disciplines—is full of opportunities beyond a good day’s work and a good salary,” Headley said. “Those opportunities include building camaraderie among industry peers, staying knowledgeable of relevant trends and technologies, and developing personal and professional leadership abilities.”
According to Headley, “The Central Oregon Chapter of PEO, was chartered in 2000 by the late
William ‘Bill’ Tye, founder of Tye Engineering & Surveying, and Charlie Rowles, founder of C.A. Rowles Engineering. ASCE and its YMG started in Bend in 2022 and have recently gained momentum in Central Oregon.”
The NSPE, including the PEO and their local Central Oregon chapter provide local engineers with opportunities to engage with their community, as well as earn Professional Development Hours, or PDH.
In the engineering industry, those who are professionally licensed in most states need to earn PDHs to maintain an active license. Aside from providing essential services like PDH opportunities, according to Headley, the NSPE, “exists to unify engineering professionals under a code of conduct, ethics, professionalism, and a standard of technical excellence in service to the public’s health, safety and welfare.”
He continued, explaining that PEO, “offers a unified voice for Oregon’s engineers to promote and protect licensure. Locally, PEO leads initiatives aimed at empowering the next generations engineers. These include the local chapter event of the national middle school math competition, MATHCOUNTS, the annual PEO High School Engineering Career Day, and the award of the annual Bill Tye Memorial Scholarship for local seniors headed to an engineering college in Oregon.”
The newer organization, ASCE, differs from the NSPE in that they have a focus on civil engineering, as opposed to engineers of all disciplines. They provide social events, professional support, technical growth, and leadership opportunities on the national, state and local levels. According to Headley, “the group has hosted happy hours, site tours and field visits, beach volleyball, and a summer kickball team. Involvement in ASCE is a great way to learn more about industry growth in the profession, make new friends, earn PDHs, and connect with other professionals across the state.”
ASCE’s Central Oregon YMG anticipates charting in the autumn of 2023, and it is actively recruiting leadership roles for the inaugural Chapter Board.
Headley also mentioned an important aspect of getting engineers into beneficial organizations like these ones,” oftentimes, young engineers might not know about these opportunities, as they are so focused on their work. It can be extremely beneficial for employers of these young engineers to share these opportunities to support the overall engineering community, as well as their employees’ professional development.”
Whether an engineer joins one organization, both, they are almost guaranteed a clearer path to a successful and happy future. Plus, our society benefits greatly from having professional engineers who are held to a code of ethics and professionalism.
