Committees
NDSPE currently has 10 committes, comprised of NDSPE members.
Click on the following list for information about that Committee:
Awards Committee
Budget Committee
Constitution, By-Laws, and Ethics Committee
Legislative Committee
Membership Committee
Nominations Committee
Professional Relations Committee
Publications Committee
Public Relations Committee
Education Committee
Awards Committee
The awards committee is made up of at least five members. This committee is charged with the responsibility of making a recommendation for a recipient of the Elwyn F. Chandler Award, NDSPE's most prestigious award. The committee also presents other awards, as approved by the Board of Directors, such as the Young Engineer of the Year and Engineering Project of the Year.
Budget Committee
The budget committee is made up of at least three members.
Current committee members:
Chair |
Bruce Dockter |
|---|---|
Chapter 3 |
Thomas Neigum |
Chapter 3 |
Dale Heglund |
Sec/Treas. |
James Landenberger |
This committee prepared the annual budget and conducts an annual audit of the society's financial records.
Duties include the following:
- Prepare the annual budget;
- Consider all non-budgeted expense requests and make written recommendations regarding the requests to the Board of Directors;
- Work with the officers to develop methods to increase income and means for funding future programs;
- Document all long-range budget planning;
- Audit the organization's books:
- Check the most recent bank statement to see that the figures shown agree with the accounting books,
- Examine the "Bills Paid" file to determine that the checks drawn to pay the bills correspond in amount and have the proper payee information,
- Review the "Accounts Payable" file to ensure that the total of these bills is reflected in the monthly reports and that no bills are held too long for payment.
- After auditing the books, report to the leadership that the state of the books is one of the following:
- "Found in Order"
- "Found in order with the following exceptions" (listing items to be addressed)
- "Found in order with the recommendations that the following changes in accounting methods be considered;"
Constitution, By-Laws, and Ethics Committee
The constitution, bylaws, and ethics committee consists of at least five members.
Current committee members:
Chapter 2 |
Thomas Atkinson |
|---|---|
Chapter 3 |
Gary Arman |
Chapter 3 |
Terry Ragan |
Chapter 4 |
Wayne Larson |
This committee is responsible for reviewing the Society’s constitution and bylaws to ensure they are up-to-date and in agreement with the constitution of the national society. This committee is also responsible for discussing ethical matters with the Board of Registration and for investigating charges of unprofessional conduct.
Duties include the following:
- Review constitution as requested in light of changes in state/national bylaws, policies, procedures, and priorities of the profession;
- Recommend and implement revisions to the constitution and bylaws;
- Interpret the constitution and bylaws;
- Distributes the constitution to all new members;
- Reprint and redistribute constitution following major revisions;
- Receive and make suggestions for changes to chapter/state/national constitution.
Legislative Committee
The legislative committee consists of not less than five members.
Current committee members:
Chair |
Brant Malsam |
|---|---|
Chapter 2 |
Lon Drevecky |
Chapter 3 |
Ron Rebenitsch |
Chapter 4 |
Jeffry Volk |
This committee's duties include drafting, initiating and sponsoring legislation supported by the society. It also is charged with studying national and state legislation that may affect the profession.
Duties include the following:
Keep policy makers informed about engineering's viewpoint and provides input to policy, legislation and regulation through:
- legislative briefings
- letters
- drafting legislation
- testimony
- directing lobbying by individuals
- directing lobbying by committees
- forming technical advisory groups for politicians
- responding to legislative opinion requests
- publishing legislative reports on bills (state or federal legislation) in state magazine and chapter news
- holding periodic meetings, such as breakfasts, with state legislators.
May form a political action subcommittee (PAC):
- urges members to contribute to state and NSPE-PAC
- keeps NSPE-PAC informed of U.S. House and Senate challengers who are supported by the engineering community
- invites political figures to speak at chapter meetings
- organizes "Engineers for..." committees to endorse local and state candidates supported by the state PAC, and candidates for Federal office supported by NSPE-PAC
Can organize legislative workshops to mobilize and involve the state and chapter membership in legislative action
Can organize an annual "Meet Your Legislators (or Candidates) Night".
Membership Committee
The membership committee is made up of each chapter president, and is chaired by the state society president-elect.
Current committee members:
Chair |
Jay Kleven |
|---|---|
Chapter 1 |
Brian Weiss |
Chapter 2 |
Thomas Atkinson |
Chapter 3 |
Cory Chorne |
Chapter 4 |
Tracy Eslinger |
The committee's duties focus on recruiting and retaining members. To accomplish this the committee is charged with recommending programs to enlist members.
Recruitment of new members:
- Involves every member's coopration in supplying names of prospective members,
- Works closely with the Programs and Meetings Committee to evaluate program in line with member interest surveys and member participation,
- Responsible for the orientation of all chapter members, not just new members,
- Works with key Board members who assist with membership activities at special times - informal orientation just before meetings, capsule presentations at meetings, or newsletter articles on membership, membership services, and society benefits, and
- Provides hand-outs of NSPE and state society materials, state newsletters, and audiovisuals.
Retaining members, which is just as essential to state and chapter member permanence and action as the recruiting of new members:
- Telephones every member at dues renewal time (December, January),
- Contacts members who do not renew and keeps in touch for at least one year, and
- Makes sure that members are aware of NSPE services, and are receiving NSPE publications.
Nominations Committee
The nominations committee is made up of one member from each chapter, and is chaired by the immediate past president of the state society.
Current committee members:
Chair |
C. Thielman |
|---|---|
Chapter 1 |
Debbie Jacklitch-kuiken |
Chapter 2 |
Thomas Atkinson |
Chapter 3 |
John Spilman |
Chapter 4 |
Kent Ritterman |
The duties of the committee are to provide a list of nominees for the elected offices of the society and to provide a list of three nominees for each Board of Registration vacancy.
Professional Relations Committee
The professional relations committee of three members is responsible for working with other professional organizations on issues of mutual interest.
Publications Committee
The society's secretary/treasure and the chapter secretaries comprise the publications committee.
Current committee members:
Chair |
Donald Andersen |
|---|---|
Chapter 1 |
Jay Kleven |
Chapter 2 |
John Westby |
Chapter 3 |
Jennifer Einrem |
Chapter 4 |
Mary Quella |
This committee is responsible for assembling material for the publications of the society. These publications include the official periodical of the society, “North Dakota Professional Engineer” and any other publications such as a web site.
Public Relations Committee
This committee of five members is responsible for conducting a publicity campaign to improve the public’s perception of engineering. Also, they are to educate engineers and the public on the meaning and proper use of the title “Professional Engineer.” The public relations committee is also responsible for encouraging young people to pursue careers in engineering.
Duties include the following:
- Contacts editors of local newspapers and offers Society services as an informational resource on technical issues;
- Prepares articles or background for articles on engineering-related subjects and submits them to local publications;
- May establish a spekers bureau to address local audiences on engineering-related subjects;
- Promotes radio and TV appearances in conjunction with chapter meetings, Engineers Week, legislative dinners, or other special occasions that would focus media attention on society activities;
- Gives audio-visual presentations before local audiences on engineering-related issues;
- Develops an evaluation system to measure public relations effectiveness that inclues:
- Number of appearances on radio and TV,
- Number of speeches given,
- Size of audience,
- Number of articles and column inches, and
- Letters of recognition, thanks;
- Encourages qualified engineers and those with an appreciation for engineering to seek public office;
- Supports selected candidates with time and resources;
- Solicits the engineering viewpoint on specific issues of local interest, such as energy, water supply, and codes;
- Keeps the public informed about the engineering view-point and actions through public statements, and news releases;
- Publicizes actions on issues of mutual interest with other engineering societies;
- Informs the public of the dangers of replacing engineers with non-engineers involving the practice of engineering through:
- Published articles,
- Speeches, and
- Personal contact;
Education Committee
Current committee members:
Chair |
C. Thielman |
|---|---|
Chapter 1 |
Debbie Jacklitch-kuiken |
Chapter 2 |
Thomas Atkinson |
Chapter 3 |
John Spilman |
Chapter 4 |
Kent Ritterman |
The education committee is responsible for promoting engineering education at the state universities and for coordinating and assisting chapters in providing continuing education programs for our members and other engineers. Solicitation of donations to the NDSPE Educational Foundation is also the responsibility of this committee. The committee is made up of three members.