

Committee Mission
The SAME Membership Committee develops and communicates to all Posts the strategies, best practices, and tools that are most effective for them to grow their membership, to foster greater member engagement and leadership, and to enhance their members’ experience with SAME, further enabling each Post to support the current Strategic Plan of the Society.
Join the SAME Engage Membership NetworkOverview
As one of the “operational” Communities of Interest (vs. “technical” COIs), the Membership Committee serves as an extension of the national office staff to assist all Post leaders, especially Posts’ Membership Chairs/POCs, with the tools, resources and connections necessary to help enhance their members’ society experience through their locally relevant Posts. Between our COI members and the post membership chairs/POCs, invited to our calls and sponsored webinars, we are over 140 people strong across SAME.
SAME’s Membership Committee is open to any SAME member to participate. Unlike many of our other COIs that focus in on special professional and technical interest areas important to SAME members, the Membership COI provides participants with a broad-ranging opportunity to become involved at the national level. Our forum has the potential to positively impact the experience of every current and future member of the society as it pursues its strategic goals.
COI Objectives
- Provide opportunities to foster connections with other Post leaders across all sizes and post geographies
- Engage with best practices employed at other Posts by their leaders and members
- Share creative tools and resources aimed at improving post level retention and recruitment successes

Committee Chair
Lee Ann Zelesnikar, F.SAME
Organization Structure
Vice Chair, Tools & Resources: Dick Kochanek
Vice Chair, Strategic Direction: Shante Fields
Vice Chair, Communications: Summer Gladden, F.SAME
Staff Liaison: Jill Murphy
Webinar: Understanding the New Membership Structure
Military Membership – What’s in it for You?
Upcoming National Webinars
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- Webinar
Surprising Stories About Camp David’s Unique History
Do you know the original name of Camp David? Do you know its historic role in the WW-2 D-Day invasion, or even where the secret presidential retreat is located? Please join us for this compelling webinar presented by a former commander of Camp David who will answer these questions and provide scores of other interesting facts and stories about the 84-year-old mountaintop refuge. -
- Webinar
The Latest in HRSC: Real-Time Data and Remedial Alternatives
The process of High-Resolution Site Characterization (HRSC) continues to evolve, giving environmental professionals faster, more defensible ways to understand and remediate contaminated sites.
Related TME Articles – Membership
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The Federal Contractor Reimagined
Innovation Theater presented by Federal Solutions Company. Through a pioneering model that unifies technical trades, expands national reach, and absorbs risk that is traditionally carried by general contractors, FSC has become one of the most agile and valuable partners in mission-critical and national defense construction. -
ENGINEERS IN CRISIS: The 9/11 Pentagon Response
When a hijacked Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, a specially trained military engineering unit based at Fort Belvoir was among the first groups to respond—and its adaptive readiness and selfless service epitomize the legacy of all who swear to “honor and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic.” -
Engineering Diplomacy in Palau
As part of a recent deployment to the Republic of Palau, the U.S. Army’s Civic Action Team 84-10 completed a series of community-focused engineering projects that not only delivered critical infrastructure support but strengthened trust and host-nation relationships in an important strategic area of the globe. -
Scaling AI to Support Wildfire Debris Recovery
To support debris removal operations following the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, an AI-assisted approach initially used as part of wildfire recovery efforts in Maui was scaled up for parcel-level vehicle detection across a larger, more complex debris removal environment.