09/22/2021

ACEC Ohio's Committee Update

Joining an ACEC Ohio committee is a good way to build a network with peers while also experiencing professional growth. Committees meet quarterly with in-person and virtual meetings.

ACEC Ohio is recognized as a welcoming organization where all members are included, involved, and can achieve their full potential. We are looking to improve the diversity of ACEC Ohio with our committee volunteers including gender, ethnicity, size, location, and areas of practice.

The new ACEC Ohio Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee is working to get more volunteers involved. We are working to improve our committee diversity by 10 percent in the coming year. If you know someone who would be a good fit for one of our committees please let us know. We'd love to have your recommendations for new volunteers!

Click here for more benefits to joining an ACEC Ohio committee.

Now is the time to get involved and volunteer on one or more of our committees. Below are highlights from each committee.

• Communication-- The Communication committee continues to serve as a resource for helping ACEC Ohio plan our upcoming 2022 Engineering Excellence Awards. The committee plans to host a Marketing Forum in December. Lastly, we continue to monitor social media and website metrics for success. The committee will meet again on December 10 at 10am. To view the Communications Committee page for more information, click here.
  
  
• Environment & Energy--The E&E committee continues maintain relationships with the environmental and energy regulatory authorities. To view the E&E Committee page for more information, click here. Mark your calendars for October 18 at 1:30pm for the next committee meeting featuring Ohio EPA water experts: 
  -Amy Klei, OEPA, Drinking Water Chief  
  -Tiffani Kavalec, OEAP, Surface Water Chief
  -Jerry Rouch, OEPA, Chief - Division of Environmental and Financial Assistance
  
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• Government Affairs-- The Government Affairs committee will meet on September 24 at 10am. The committee continues to monitor legislation introduced in the Ohio General Assembly. This committee is working to advance our grassroots advocacy by working with chapter leaders to develop advocacy training. The training will cover how a bill becomes a law, how to contact your legislator, and much more!  To view the Government Affairs Committee page for more information, click here.
  
  
• Membership Services-- The committee continues to reach out to targeted firms, including the ACEC National Target List of ENR 500 companies in Ohio. Each committee member has picked 5 firms to target. They are focused on retaining member firms by involvement in programming and assisting in creating quality programs and activities for chapters. The committee will meet again on October 7. To view the Member Services Committee page for more information, click here.
  
  
• Political Action-- The committee is wrapping up the PAC year on December 31st and is continuing outreach to members to meet their goals. ACEC Ohio is very close to meeting its National PAC goal, for the 5th year in a row. We have 67 member firms that have met their PAC goal to date. PAC Trustees held a successful PAC event at Top Golf in August. To view the PAC page for more information, click here.
  
  
• Scholarship--The committee will award four scholarships totaling $2,500 each this year along with a new $1,500 scholarship for students enrolled in the Construction Inspection Workforce Program (CIWP).  In collaboration with ODOT, this program is a pipeline for the development of the next generation of construction inspectors. The committee has reached out to University contacts with ABET-accredited engineering or surveying programs in Ohio. The deadline for scholarship applications is Friday, December 17. 
  
  
• Small Firms-- The Small Firms committee met on September 15 and heard from Katharine Mottley with ACEC National to hear an update on the Tax and Regulatory Affairs Committee Budget Reconciliation. The group also shared best practices related to cyber security and COVID response, and staffing recruitment and strategies. To view the Small Firms Committee Page for more information, click here. 
  
  
• State Public Works-- The State Public Works Committee met on September 21 and continues to meet and maintain a relationship with OFCC leadership through the ACEC Ohio/AIA Liaison Committee. The next meeting with OFCC will be in December. At our most recent committee meeting, we discussed the rebranding of the committee including a name change to ensure we are representing focusing more on public, vertical and private markets. To view the State Public Works Committee page for more information, click here.
  
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• Transportation-- The Transportation committee met on August 27 and continues to pursue issues such as scoping, programming, ORD and funding with the ODOT Liaison Committee.  The OTIC Liaison Committee was successful in reducing the level of professional liability insurance within Turnpike contracts. Other subcommittees include Alternative Delivery, ORD and Partnering Conference. To view the Transportation Committee page for more information, click here.

If you're interested in joining a committee please email Haley Phillippi at haley.phillippi@acecohio.org.