1. Dan Lambert
2008 Chair Central Savannah River LS,
2010-2012 Chair Virtual LS

2.  Programming
 Keys to successful groups
 Summary
 Questions, comments, problems?

3.  Great Programming
o People usually come because the topic sounds interesting
 Personal Invitations
o People usually come because they have been invited

4.  Steal from others
o Other professional societies in area
o Other successful AIChE Local sections
• South Texas (http://sts.aiche.org/)
• Chicago (http://www.aiche-chicago.org/)
• Virtual (http://virtual.aiche.org/)
o AIChE webinar (http://www.aiche.org/resources/webinars)
o Speakers Corner (http://www.aiche.org/community/local-
sections/resources-local-section-leaders/speakers-corner)
o AIChE Divisions and Forums
(http://www.aiche.org/community/divisions-forums)
 What ideas can you share?

5.  There are about 400 chemical engineers working at
the Savannah River Site so nuclear is important to
us
 What is the biggest employer of ChEs in your area
 Invite their plant manager to talk
 Ask the to allow you to tour
 What companies are supportive of ChEs?

6.  We have close ties with ACS and ASME
 Hold a joint meeting
 Hold an end of year picnic

7.  If you meet 9 months and take off summers
 You might have 9 meetings
 Suggestion: 2 Plant tours
 Suggestion: 2 fun events (kickoff and award night)
 Suggestion: 2 joint meetings (ACS, ASME, NSPE)
 Suggestion: 3 technical meetings
o Student Night (Invite nearest student chapters)
o Fellows Night (Old Professional Night)
o Young Professional Night (Save the world night)

8.  Local Professional Sports
o Augusta Green Jackets in my area
 Picnic (good end of year family activity)
 Wine/Beer Tasting (good event to include spouse)
 Science Center/Aquarium/Museum tour (family)
 What ideas do you have?

9.  Learn from your successes
 Do you have traditions?
o Keep them if they work (Ditch them if they don’t)
 Try new things

10.  Select an outgoing, friendly
type who knows names and
faces and enjoys meeting
people
 He or she must habitually
arrive ten minutes before the
meeting is officially slated to
begin
 Nothing makes first-timers feel
more disenchanted than a cold
welcome in a place where they
expected a warm one

11.  Give responsibility for group health and vitality
 Meet at least every two months, takes minutes, and
reports to the group
 Change one-third of the steering-team members
every year
 Steering team structure:
1. Chair
2. Vice Chair
3. Past Chair
4. Secretary
5. Treasurer
6. Membership Care Coordinator
7. Social Activities Coordinator
8. Hospitality Coordinator
9. Recruitment Coordinator

12.  Beer, wine or soft drink does more than combat
thirst
o They facilitate fellowship
o Helps newcomers transition into an unfamiliar social
situation
o They know how to drink
o People like to eat
 It gives them something to do with their hands, their
minds, and themselves

13.  Most of the regulars know one another
 Newcomers do not
 Without nametags equals “We are not concerned
about helping new people feel at home”
 Provide permanent, printed nametags for
established attendees; peel-off tags for visitors

14.  Effective local sections are
fellowship groups that learn a
little science and engineering
 A warm, fun, fellowship climate
glues people together,
motivates them to come back

15.  Consider quarterly social activities
 This helps keep things fun
 Even engineers can have fun
 It can involve families not just ChEs

16.  Having a vice chair/chair/past chair gives continuity
o Model Bylaws for Local Section
 Always having the same chair doesn’t work
o Run out of new ideas
o Run out of friends to speak
o Run out of energy

17.  Need great speakers
 Need interesting subjects
 Topic doesn’t have to be technical
 Don’t focus too much on subgroups
o Academics
o Researchers
o Process Engineers
o Consultants
o Etc.

18.  Friendliness and caring, extended to them
personally, tops everyone’s preference list.
 People look for a caring place, not just knowledge
 Some long-term members fail to grasp the difference
between active acceptance and passive acceptance.
 What happens if long-timers feel positive about
visitors but never send them a signal to that effect?
o The visitors may never catch on
o Loving people in your head is not enough
 Members of healthy, growing sections reach out to
new people in overt ways that they see and feel

19.  Most new attendees never become involved
 How can we reverse this?
 Find a friend for each attendee

20.  Variety is good
 Topics don’t have to be technical
o The Ichthyologists (Boston) only have 1 ChE meeting a year
 Make things fun

21.  Every year, use some kind of survey tool
 Hand out the survey sheets
o Say, “We want everyone to complete his or her sheet
tonight.”
o I’ll set the timer for five minutes
o Be as honest as you can.
o Do not sign your name.
 Ken Blanchard said, “Feedback is the breakfast of
champions.”

22.  Leading Volunteers is challenging
 Engineers love challenges
 Therefore you will love leading volunteers
 The local section committee and career and
education operating council are here to support you
 Ask for help if you need it
o dan.lambert@srnl.doe.gov, 803-819-8466

23.  Questions, comments, problems?