

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
Organization Structure
Vice Chair, Tools & Resources: Dick Kochanek
Chair-Elect, Strategic Direction: Lee Ann Zelesnikar
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion:
- Shante Fields – Mead &Hunt
- Lalitha Benjaram – Mead & Hunt
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
USSOCOM Engineering
This webinar will provide a detailed brief on the role of engineering in U.S. Special Operations Command, exploring its important and expansive mission set. Special Operations Command develops and employs the world’s finest special operations force to conduct global special operations -
- Webinar
One Team, One Fight: Breaking Down Walls in Partnering Sessions
This webinar will look at what happens when a complex, critical to national security project brings together high-level professionals to tackle the job. Along with their invaluable experience however, industry experts often come with matching egos.
Related TME Articles – Membership
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Expediting Delivery with Fabric Buildings
In a constrained supply chain environment with rapid deployment needs, installations such as Naval Station Rota, Spain, have leveraged rigid-frame fabric buildings for their quicker lead time, flexible design, and durable construction. -
A Future-Forward Rotary Wing Maintenance Complex
The Roy Blunt Aviation Logistics Facility features an infinitely reconfigurable design, allowing the Missouri Army National Guard to provide effective airframe maintenance and repair services in its work with units across 14 states. -
Port Clearance Operations in Constrained Environments
The U.S. Army’s 7th Engineer Dive Detachment continues to push forward what is possible when performing port damage repairs, recently having undertaken an operation to clear a vital port in Basco, Philippines, which endured the constraints of an austere environment under environmental protections that barred the use of demolitions. -
Professional Licensure
The National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing professional licensure for engineers and surveyors.