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

• 

  Complexities of PFAS Groundwater Interim Actions

  January 26, 2026

  With funding from the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program and oversight by the Defense Innovation Unit, a six-month groundwater treatment pilot study at Biddle ANGB revealed key insights into managing the challenges encountered in executing non-time critical removal actions concerning per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
• 

  Leveraging 3D Scanning on Archaeological Sites

  January 26, 2026

  To better preserve an archaeological rockshelter in eastern Oklahoma on the Osage Nation, an environmental team turned to LiDAR and photogrammetry, conducting precise damage assessment and enabling long-term monitoring.
• 

  In Situ Remediation in North Carolina

  January 26, 2026

  An in-situ remediation strategy employed at a pair of Formerly Used Defense Sites in North Carolina helped achieve No Further Action status following years of stalled progress.
• 

  Building a Partnership to Guide an Historic Rebuild

  January 26, 2026

  As the focus at Tyndall AFB after the devastation caused by Hurricane Michael shifted from recovery to rebuild, steadfast vision, partnership, and leadership were equally essential in navigating logistical hurdles across the various teams involved in managing the monumental program.