Membership Committee

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.

Overview

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

Upcoming National Webinars

• 
  August 26, 2026

  Webinar

  The Hidden Cost: Why Schedule is the Biggest MILCON Premium

  Military construction (MILCON) cost discussions often focus on dollars per square foot, but one of the most significant portion of the overall cost is time. Every month added to a project can increase costs through
• 
  September 23, 2026

  Webinar

  AI as Load Shock: Rethinking Energy Security and Mission Assurance

  The rapid expansion of AI computing, electrification, and mission-critical digital infrastructure is fundamentally altering the energy security landscape. While AI is often discussed as a software capability or data challenge, its most immediate national security impact is physical: unprecedented, concentrated, and inflexible electrical demand that stresses grid infrastructure and traditional resilience assumptions.

Related TME Articles – Membership

• 

  Enhancing Wildfire Recovery Through AI-Powered Detection

  September 23, 2025

  To aid in recovery efforts after the 2023 Maui wildfire, an AI-driven computer vision program was developed to identify burnt vehicles in Lahaina and expedite debris removal.
• 

  Empowering Decision-Making with BUILDER Dashboards

  September 23, 2025

  A newly developed interactive BUILDER SMS dashboard gives military leaders the power to make faster, smarter decisions by turning complex facility condition data into easy-to-understand visuals—helping streamline planning, optimize resources, and improve readiness.
• 

  Digitizing Naval Facilities: A Modern Approach to Workspace Management

  September 23, 2025

  By leveraging LiDAR scanning, digital modeling, and integrated planning tools, Naval Sea Systems Command is gaining clearer insight into its physical assets, improving readiness, reducing costs, and setting the stage for smarter space management.
• 

  Rising From the Ashes: Recovering Tyndall AFB

  September 22, 2025

  In the weeks following the destruction caused by Hurricane Michael in 2018 to Tyndall AFB and the Florida Panhandle, later estimated at $4.7 billion, hundreds of military and civilian engineers worked around the clock on immediate response activities to recover and begin rebuilding the installation—collaboratively executing one of the most difficult engineering challenges in U.S. Air Force history.