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Founded in 1920, in the interests of patriotism and national security, SAME has never wavered from a vow to support the needs of the United States and strengthen the architecture, engineering, and construction profession. As was stated in the inaugural issue of The Military Engineer a century ago: “this Society will serve no selfish purpose.” 

From strengthening industry-government to building and sustaining resilient communities, developing leader for the nation, enriching the STEM pipeline for the nation, and preparing servicemembers and veterans for the A/E/C industry, SAME is vital and enduring. And after 100 years, our role has never been more clear. Let’s help secure America’s future, together.

   Mission

 

Build leaders and lead collaboration among government and industry to develop multidisciplined solutions to national security infrastructure challenges.

 

   Vision

 

Serve our nation as the foremost integrator for leadership development and technical collaboration within the A/E/C profession.

 

   2025 Strategic Outcome

 

Set the industry standard for active membership that creates lasting impact at the local and national levels.

 

Heather Wishart-Smith“The 2025 SAME Strategic Plan builds off the key lines of effort that our members, partners, and stakeholders have shown they are passionate about, and, importantly, are critical areas where our contributions will directly secure America’s future.”

–Heather Wishart-Smith, P.E., PMP, LEED AP, F.SAME, F.ASCE, 101st SAME National President

 

Lt. Col. Wendell “Buddy” Barnes“The 2025 SAME Strategic Plan speaks to where we have come in achieving our vision of being recognized as the multidisciplined integrator of military, public, private, and academic infrastructure-related capabilities to produce viable solutions for national security. As we move through 2020 and beyond, we will serve as the foremost integrator for leadership development and technical collaboration within the A/E/C profession.”

–Lt. Col. Wendell “Buddy” Barnes, P.E., F.SAME, USA (Ret.), 100th SAME National President

 

  • Goal 1
  • Goal 2
  • Goal 3
  • Goal 4
  • Goal 5

Strengthen Industry-Government Engagement

Lead efforts to foster communication and build relationships among military, public, private, academic, and professional organizations; further collaboration to identify issues and develop solutions in support of national security.

  • Objective 1
    Ensure SAME’s Industry-Government Engagement Plan promotes multidisciplined industry-government collaboration and adds value to shared efforts to improve America’s infrastructure, with the Society recognized by all stakeholders as the platform for industry-government engagement.
    Read more.
  • Objective 2
    Develop Strategic Partnerships to identify focus areas, challenges, opportunities, and potential solutions, integrating mutual expertise to achieve greater results.
    Read more.
  • Objective 3
    Ensure SAME’s Communities of Interest serve Posts and national entities as subject matter experts, leveraging the Society’s broad technical diversity to advance knowledge, standards, and best practices.
    Read more.
  • Objective 4
    Develop a portfolio of professional communications to inform, educate, and reinforce SAME’s impact to the nation; provide a repository of industry-government engagement tools, resources, and lessons learned on the SAME national website.
    Read more.
  • Objective 5
    Promote inclusion of stakeholder interests at the Post, regional, and national levels through meetings, workshops, symposiums, and conferences.
    Read more.

 

 

Col. Miro Kurka“True industry-government engagement is not about providing access. It is about sharing knowledge and best practices, conducting joint training, building trust, and collaborating on issues to solve problems and reach consensus.”

–Col. Miro Kurka, P.E., PMP, F.SAME, USA (Ret.)

 

 

Build and Sustain Resilient Communities

Lead efforts to prepare communities to absorb, recover, and adapt from natural and man-made threats; fortify our nation’s resolve directly where people work and live.

  • Objective 1
    Leverage local, regional, national, and international partnerships to educate and train members and stakeholders on infrastructure risks, mitigation efforts, and joint response strategies to natural and man-made events.
    Read more.
  • Objective 2
    Utilize SAME’s multidisciplinary network to connect and educate stakeholders on new and existing technologies and to develop solutions to problems across critical infrastructure sectors.
    Read more.
  • Objective 3
    Promote partnerships and collaboration supporting the needs of military installations in pursuit of mission assurance and readiness (such as energy, water, and cyber security).
    Read more.
  • Objective 4
    Utilize SAME’s national relationships and local Posts to furnish vertical collaboration between all levels of government and private business.
    Read more.
  • Objective 5
    Lead collaboration to advocate for streamlined acquisition and implementation of resilience solutions.
    Read more.

 

 

Col. Joe Manous Jr.“While the range of vulnerable, critical sectors has expanded, the application of resilience principles remains equally applicable. It is the manner of application that varies.”

–Col. Joe Manous Jr., Ph.D., P.E., D.WRE, F.SAME, USA (Ret.)

 

Develop Leaders for the Profession

Lead efforts to enhance leadership development and cultivate the talent necessary to address the nation’s grand challenges; ensure the enduring stewardship of the A/E/C profession.

  • Objective 1
    Execute leader development programs at the Post, regional, and national levels and ensure their long-term viability.
    Read more.
  • Objective 2
    Promote a structured mentoring continuum, highlighting growth and leadership opportunities for members at all levels.
    Read more.
  • Objective 3
    Support and promote the SAME Foundation in fostering engineering leadership for the nation.
    Read more.
  • Objective 4
    Increase participation and partnerships with academic institutions and college students at the local, regional, and national levels.
    Read more.
  • Objective 5
    Utilize SAME Fellows to assist Posts in building engagement, identifying and developing volunteer leaders, and establishing succession plans.
    Read more.

 

 

Caroline RobertsLt. Col. Michael Darrow“We are at a crossroads in the United States with some of the toughest infrastructure challenges we have ever faced, along with significant geopolitical concerns around the world—the future of which are unpredictable. This all requires new ideas, innovation, collaboration, and leaders to pull teams together.”

–Caroline Roberts, GISP, and Lt. Col. Michael Darrow, P.E., PMP, F.SAME, USA (Ret.)

 

Enrich the STEM Pipeline for the Nation

Lead efforts to inspire, encourage, and enable youth to pursue STEM careers; help develop the technical capacity that our nation needs to remain globally competitive.

  • Objective 1
    Become a leader in STEM initiatives by leveraging national partnerships and connecting with locally relevant organizations focused on advancing STEM.
    Read more.
  • Objective 2
    Grow prospective members of the Society through K-12 outreach, scholarships, sponsorships, and engagement of college students.
    Read more.
  • Objective 3
    Grow participation in existing, and create new, Post and national STEM camps and initiatives; develop programs to motivate members to serve as mentors.
    Read more.
  • Objective 4
    Align students with mentors to enhance learning and long-term commitment that leads them into STEM professions.
    Read more.
  • Objective 5
    Enhance college outreach by collaborating nationally to help define the effective and unique role of Student Chapters.
    Read more.

 

 

“Many of us chose this field because we were exposed to it by someone else who worked in a STEM position. We have a great responsibility to pay it forward for the next generation.”

–Henry Dulaney, P.E., F.SAME

 

Prepare Service members and Veterans for the A/E/C Industry

Lead efforts to fully integrate military and government members into the A/E/C industry; support training, credentialing, and networking initiatives that build, maintain, and translate skills to meet current and future needs.

  • Objective 1
    Provide technical and joint training, industry best practices, and networking opportunities to servicemembers at the Post, regional, and national levels.
    Read more.
  • Objective 2
    Provide servicemembers and veterans access to the full spectrum of credentialing for licensed professionals, skilled labor certifications, and other A/E/C qualifications.
    Read more.
  • Objective 3
    Enable success during and after active service by eliminating barriers to participation and by partnering with organizations that promote the entirety of veteran well-being.
    Read more.
  • Objective 4
    Sponsor leader development, networking, mentoring, and job fair opportunities for transitioning servicemembers that connect them to trade labor unions, industry organizations, and other professional resources.
    Read more.
  • Objective 5
    Operationalize the Post sponsorship model, where SAME Posts coordinate to welcome servicemembers/civilians and their families upon transitioning to new locations.
    Read more.

 

 

“The values that servicemembers and veterans bring are immeasurable. Ensuring they are immersed in the full aspects of the profession is beneficial both to the individuals and the engineering community.”

–Chief Master Sgt. Adam Boubede, USAF

 

   Posts

 

With more than 100 Posts across the United States and internationally, SAME enables members to get connected on the local level in order to build enduring relationships among military, industry, government and academic organizations, as well as with other professional societies. Posts are the foundation of SAME’s efforts to lead collaboration in support of the resilience of our nation.
Read more.

 

“Member participation continues to grow as we share best practices and as we put into practice the lessons we are learning at the Post Leader Workshop to enable volunteer leaders to be more effective and save time.”

-Capt. Mike Blount, P.E., LEED AP, F.SAME, USN (Ret.), AECOM, 2016-2017 SAME National President

 

   Academy of Fellows

 

The SAME Academy of Fellows recognizes those members who have rendered dedicated and outstanding service to the Society, military engineering, and the A/E/C profession. SAME has bestowed the title of Fellow on select members since 1972; however in 1995 an academy was founded to formally acknowledge these distinguished individuals for their dedication to SAME and the A/E/C profession. Today, there are more than 800 members of the Academy of Fellows. Read more.

 

Capt. James Donahue“Investiture as a Fellow is a midpoint in your service, not a lifetime achievement.”

–Capt. James Donahue, P.E., F.SAME, USCG (Ret.)

 

   Young Professionals

 

The mission of the SAME Young Professionals Community of Interest (YP COI) is to be an advocate for and engage young professionals support for SAME’s Strategic Plan through outreach, training, networking and recognition. The charter detailing how the COI is organize can be found here. More resources are available on the Young Professionals web page.

 

Victoria Mechtly“When I look at the 2025 SAME Strategic Plan, I see Young Members. I see a focus on cultivating and guiding young professionals to be successful. I see efforts to promote collaboration and networking that produces real value. I see opportunities to make a meaningful contribution to our nation and the next generation.”

–Victoria Mechtly

   Communities of Interest

 

SAME’s Communities of Interest offer members a chance to engage nationally with other professionals focused on a particular community of interest or demographic within the A/E/C industry. Learn more about the Communities of Interest.

 

“Throughout the Society, our members do not accomplish anything alone. They contribute as members of the Board of Direction and the Communities of Interest. They contribute as members of Posts and Regions. They contribute as members of the Academy of Fellows and through the SAME Foundation. They contribute as students, as young professionals, as mid-career managers, and as senior leaders.”

–Brig. Gen. Joseph Schroedel, P.E., F.SAME, USA (Ret.)

SAME History

SAME grew from our nation’s experiences in “The War to End All Wars” when thousands of engineers in civil life were called to duty in uniform. Upon their return home, many feared the collective knowledge and the cooperation between the public and private sectors that proved vital to combat success would be lost. Together, industry and military leaders vowed to capitalize on the technical lessons and camaraderie shared during their battlefield experiences and create an organization through which the national engineering community could ensure a preparedness and readiness for the nation’s civil and military needs. SAME was formed from this vow. Read more.

 

“We are establishing at this time a Society of American Military Engineers. This society will serve no selfish purpose. It is dedicated to patriotism and national security. Its objects are, in brief, to promote solidarity and co-operation between engineers in civil and military life, to disseminate technical knowledge bearing upon progress in the art of war and the application of engineering science thereto, and to preserve and maintain the best standards and traditions of the profession, all in the interests of patriotism and national security.”

–The Military Engineer magazine, January 1920

 

Strategic Plan History

After creating our first multiyear strategic plan in 2015, the 2020 SAME Strategic Plan, in fall 2018 the SAME Board of Direction initiated the development of our next strategic plan. Col. Sal Nodjomian, P.E., F.SAME, USAF (Ret.), and Col. Charlie Perham, USAF (Ret.), were selected to lead a Strategic Plan Task Force. They gathered volunteers from every aspect of SAME and organized with an eye toward framing the plan around America’s future needs. A draft framework was approved in May 2019, and after further refinement by members and leadership, it was approved by the Board of Direction in November 2019.

 

Col. Sal Nodjomian“We anticipated receiving less than a dozen responses and fully expected them to be many of the same volunteers who consistently step up….Our call ultimately yielded over 50 volunteers, blanketing the demographics we were interested in.”

–Col. Sal Nodjomian, P.E., F.SAME, USAF (Ret.)

 

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