

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
Bobbi Jo Lang, Olsson
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
Sensor-Enabled Security & Readiness Monitoring
Today, installations and critical facilities face growing operational and security demands. The ability to monitor assets remotely and generate actionable intelligence has never been greater to sustaining mission readiness. -
- Webinar
Successful Microgrid Projects for Dept. of War
This webinar shares practices which are proven to provide successful outcomes on Garrison (fixed) microgrid projects for the Department of Defense (Department of War). Based on real-world expertise, the presenter will discuss various perspectives including that of supplier, integrator, microgrid owner, and specifier.
Related TME Articles – Membership
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Protecting Sensitive Materials by Design
Standing up new sensitive compartmented information facilities requires a thorough understanding of design standards and best practices for these secure structures, along with the unique requirements for each specific location. -
Forging the Future: The Continued Evolution of America’s Service Academies
U.S. service academies face the substantial undertaking of modernizing their infrastructure and training methods to anticipate future battlefields. -
A New Training Facility, Built Through Innovative Teamwork
Through early contractor involvement and an understanding of the urgency to complete the project, a much-needed Mariner Skills Training Center was able to go from concept to completion in less than four years. -
Restoring Hangar One at Wright-Patterson AFB
Preserving the original 1940s-era windows for Hangar One at Wright-Patterson AFB required a careful renovation to restore its functionality while conserving its important history.