It is with great honor and excitement that I follow Peter Noble as SNAME president in 2015 and continue the “big tent” initiative started over the last couple of years. We are known as SNAME—The International Community for Maritime and Ocean Professionals. The big tent is broadening our international focus to include all maritime and ocean professionals.
This is happening across industries: commercial, government, military, offshore, and recreational. It’s happening across areas: education, research, engineering, production, operations, management, and administration. And it’s happening across sectors: academia, design/acquisition, build/manufacture, and operate/maintain.
There are many benefits to being a member of SNAME and we want to focus on communicating those benefits both to members, and to friends of SNAME who might be prospective members. You will soon see what will be called a SNAME Section Planner communication once a month to recognize the who, what, when, and where of our upcoming section meetings all over the world.
We will have monthly SNAME section news communications, which many have asked about since Marine Technology evolved into (mt), so the world can see what is happening in our sections.
The photo of me stoking the furnace was taken in the engine room of USS Olympia at the Philadelphia section meeting in September 2014. I didn’t know, when Dave Chapman goaded me into taking the picture (with the support of many in the section), that it would be so appropriate today.
I want to light a fire under SNAME to show the world the benefits of being a member, and I hope you’ll experience those benefits in the coming months. I invite your ideas to help in this regard, along with any ideas that can improve the value of being a member for all of our constituents. You can contact me at joec@shiparch.com or by phone at 251-709-0799.