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Welcome to the ASCE Houston Branch Newsletter of upcoming events, articles, jobs and more from our membership.  

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President's Message

Hello ASCE Houston Members!

I hope everyone has been enjoying their summer and recovering well from Hurricane Beryl. The damage caused by the hurricane and the subsequent power outage emphasize the need for infrastructure advocacy at all levels. If you would like to join the Houston Branch’s advocacy effort and become active with our government relations committee, please send me an email.

At the end of June, the ASCE Houston Branch, along with the Society of Women Engineers and the Women’s Transportation Seminar, celebrated International Women in Engineering Day with a Panel Discussion. The attendees heard from Callie Bletsch (far left), MBCO Engineering Vice-President and Co-founder; Tina Peterson (Second from left), Executive Director of Harris County Flood Control District; Jessica Baker Daily (middle), CEO at Halff Associates; and Eliza Paul (second from right), Texas Department of Transportation Houston District Engineer; with myself (far right) as the moderator. It was great to hear their perspectives on career growth, mentorship, and future engineering challenges.

During our June Branch Meeting, I was able to sit in the audience as our Younger Member Forum led the meeting. They did such a great job! We heard from Kendric Jones, Waller County Precinct 3 Commissioner, as our keynote speaker. He was elected as the youngest county commissioner in the state partially due to a strong student voter turnout. Our YM Forum chairs are pictured below with the Commissioner and I.

After the Branch’s July break, I can’t wait to get back to work and finish out my term strong. I am looking forward to our joint August Branch meeting with the Houston Contractor’s Association at Saint Arnold’s. The keynote speaker will be Houston City Councilmember Sallie Alcorn, so don’t forget to register. I can’t wait to see you there!

Thanks,

Alexa Nichols, P.E., CFM, ENV SP

President

[email protected]

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Calendar of Events

Webinar

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TX COPRI AUGUST 2024 QUARTERLY MEETING

 

August 13, 2024

12:00 PM to 1:30 PM

AECOM - Houston
19219 Katy Fwy - 1st Floor - Rio Grande Room, Houston, TX 77094

Register Now 

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ASCE/HCA AUGUST HOUSTON BRANCH IN-PERSON & VIRTUAL MEETING

 

August 22, 2024

11:00 PM to 1:00 PM

Saint Arnold Brewing Company
2000 Lyons Ave, Houston, TX 77020

August Houston Branch Meeting

Register Now 

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Articles

August 2024 Keynote Speaker

Sallie Alcom

At-Large Position 5

Sallie Alcorn was first elected in December 2019 and is currently serving her second term on Houston City Council. As an at-large council member, she works on broad policy issues – city finances, public safety, flood mitigation, transportation, mobility, environment, and parks and greenspace.

In her first term, Sallie advocated for outcome-based budgeting, a form of budgeting which ties spending to public priorities and departmental performance measures. She pushed for efficiencies and measures to address the city’s structural deficit including retiree health benefit reforms and funding for deferred maintenance of city facilities. In 2020, she launched the city’s first annual budget survey, YOUR TWO CENTS, aimed at increasing resident engagement and input in the city’s budgeting process. She now serves as chair of the city’s Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee.

Sallie previously chaired the Regulatory and Neighborhood Affairs Committee, where she led the charge to revise and strengthen Houston’s animal welfare and noise ordinances. She has brought attention to problems and delays at city permitting and remains committed to streamlining processes to shorten permit wait times. Sallie also initiated the city’s first-ever food waste drop off/composting pilot program to give Houstonians the option to divert waste from municipal landfill.

Sallie represents the city on regional issues as chair of the Houston-Galveston Area Council board and as a board member on the region’s Transportation Policy Council.

Prior to running for office, Sallie was a longtime City Hall staffer. She served three council members and also worked in the city’s flood recovery office. As chief of staff to the chair of the budget and fiscal affairs committee, Sallie learned to navigate the city’s complex budget. She helped develop the city’s comprehensive financial policies and orchestrated five years of budget hearings. She was heavily involved in initial Harvey recovery efforts and obtained grant funding to advance green stormwater infrastructure initiatives. She assembled and managed a task force to tackle redevelopment and flooding policies, spearheaded the city’s Adopt-A-Drain Program, and worked with council members to identify neighborhood drainage projects.

Sallie has a long history of serving her community. She has worked with offenders as a volunteer facilitator for Bridges to Life, a restorative justice prison program aimed at reducing recidivism rates. She is on the advisory board of the San Jose Clinic and the Houston Maritime Center and Museum. Sallie previously served on the boards of Holocaust Museum Houston and the Houston READ Commission. Sallie has chaired events and raised funds for the Holocaust Museum, the Women’s Fund, the Children’s Museum, the READ Commission, and the Contemporary Arts Museum. She also served for many years as a parent volunteer at her children’s schools. Sallie is a longtime member of St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church.

CECON 2024: Registration Now Open

The Texas Civil Engineering Conference (CECON™) offers a snapshot of the best in Texas civil engineering, while providing unique opportunities to learn and build relationships across the state and beyond, contributing to the industry’s technical diversity as never before. With the upcoming 2025 ASCE Infrastructure Report Card it is only fitting that for this year’s CECON program we showcase, celebrate, and highlight the engineering communities’ work and accomplishments over the last four years within most infrastructure foundations that has contributed to continual improvement and betterment of our state’s infrastructure, covering including transit, aviation, water, energy, and many others.

TOP 4 REASONS TO ATTEND CECON:

Register online for CECON 2024 here.

YM Volleyball Fundraiser Save The Date!

YM Summer Event: River Float

For more info & to RSVP: https://www.texasce.org/resources/younger-members/

August 2024 Membership Report

Currently, adjusted assignments to the Houston Branch include 3,266 members. 86% of all renewals elected to pay their Texas Section Dues. Thank you for your ASCE participation and keep up the good work!

Who do I contact with Membership questions?

 Houston Branch Membership Co-Chair:  Abigail Borders

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 281-703-1475

Houston Branch Membership Co-Chair:  Ashlyn Ortiz

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 713-337-7461

National Membership Contact - [email protected] or call 800-548-2723

Membership Information - http://www.asce.org/membership/

Online Application - https://join.asce.org/default.aspx

Renew Your Membership - http://www.asce.org/renewal

August 2024 Treasurer's Report

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