CalGEO - The California Geotechnical Engineering Association

President's Message

By Todd Kamisky
CalGeo President 2012-2013

As I have prepared for my time as president, I have looked back through my files of information I kept from my time involved with CalGeo. CalGeo has always defined itself as supporting the private practice of Geotechnical Engineering in California. Founded in 1970 by a small group of practicing engineers, the organization set out to focus on the practice and profession of geotechnical engineering. This focus has been more evident to me since my partners and I opened our own practice. The topics covered at our annual meetings have been a great resource for us as we have navigated through the maze that is California Labor Law, and the professional relationships I have developed through CalGeo have allowed me to not only bounce ideas off of other practicing professionals, but also lead to actual work.

I continue to be amazed at the progress the Board has made, not just since the organization's inception, but also during my tenure on the Board. At the start of my term, CalGeo was nearing the end of a strategic planning cycle, and was searching for a path forward that would increase our value to our members and push the organization forward. This need to provide value was significantly increased during the economic downturn that we have all endured, and was a significant focus of our work during our last planning session in 2008. That session resulted in the Board setting goals to become more proactive in our support of the Geotechnical profession in the State. Specific outcomes can be seen in our move to broadcasting our Regional Meetings and our investment in participating in the legislative aspects of our businesses. Taking even a longer view, our Student Outreach Committee developed the Student Chapters at several universities, which has brought significant attention to the profession to those that are our future, the students.

With those projects firmly on a good path to success, the Board is in the process of re-evaluating our strategic tasks, with an eye on the larger goal of continuing to increase our value to the private practice of Geotechnical Engineering in California. Along those lines, I would like to see the organization focus on the following topics.

CalGeo Goals

1. Student Chapters: The existing chapters continue to flourish and grow. We can continue to expand our presence at several more schools with several more full chapters. Additionally, on campuses where the Geotechnical student population is too small to support a full chapter, we should work with existing student groups and bring geotechnical speakers to the campus.
2. Younger Members: We have had our first meeting with younger Geotechnical engineers, many of whom were new graduates that previously participated in the school student chapters with the intent of drawing them into the membership. This process will create both a pool of interested young engineers drawn into the profession, as well as a foundation for membership to CalGeo as they spread into practicing firms.
3. Regional Meetings: By webcasting our regional meetings, attendance is at an all-time high. By continuing to bring high quality speakers to speak to the organization along with providing host sites across the state, we will reach out to areas where distance has provided a barrier to membership.
4. Professionalism: For the duration of my career, I have heard how Geotechnical Engineers are routinely marginalized, brought in late to projects and generally not included as a significant part of the design or construction team. I believe there is no better group than CalGeo to focus on steps we can take as a profession to improve our image, increase our participation in the design and construction processes, and generally raise the professional bar for Geotechnical Engineering.
5. Student Chapters: We have been very successful in this area and continue to interest more schools in forming student chapters. I would like the CalGeo student chapters to consider starting an annual event that would include an overnight visit to one of the chapter schools. The event could include: oral presentations of student research papers; a visit to a geotechnical construction site; hands-on competition of geotechnical field skills; a dinner (bar-b-que & keg?); and a social meeting with other students and professionals. The results of the competition could be included in the Rising-Star Award.
6. Participation: The Board of Directors continues to struggle with getting more members involved with committee tasks. I believe we as a Board should have a non-Director involved with at least half of the committees we have in place at this time. The Board of Directors should develop a process to get members involved.

I have enjoyed my time on the Board, and have been looking forward to my year as President. I follow a great group of people, and hope to live up to the high standards they have set. I welcome any comments on this article or the general direction of the organization.

Thanks,
Todd Kamisky

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