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

• 

  Advancing Public Health Through Access to Clean Water

  January 26, 2023

  Utilizing skills learned as a member of U.S. Public Health Service, an engineer traveled as part of Engineers Without Borders to the Dodoma region of Tanzania and helped carry out a project that will provide safe drinking water for the rural village of Chamhawi.
• 

  Determining the Presence of PFAS in Coated Bentonite Pellets

  January 24, 2023

  A recent study, which investigated the potential for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances to leach from coated bentonite pellets commonly used during environmental monitoring well construction, also revealed the extent of consequences derived from false positives during site samplings.
• 

  Assessing a Threatened Fish Species Using Remotely Operated Vehicle Technology

  January 18, 2023

  To survey the population of the pygmy sculpin, a small, federally protected fish that is highly vulnerable to environmental stressors due to its limited distribution, an innovative method was developed using remotely operated vehicle technology.
• 

  Leveraging Small Business

  November 17, 2022

  Expanding opportunities for small businesses to serve in lead roles could help bolster the capabilities of the defense industrial base and provide capacity for federal agencies.