Academy of Fellows to Invest 31 New Members in 2026

SAME’s Academy of Fellows will welcome 31 new members to join the prestigious group at an exclusive ceremony in May.

SAME’s Academy of Fellows recognizes those members who have rendered dedicated and outstanding service to the Society, military engineering, and the A/E/C profession. Since the first cadre of Fellows were named in 1973, this distinction is reserved for those whose service and impact stands out as exemplary.

This year, the Academy of Fellows has selected the new members who will be invested in the Fellows Class of 2026 during the 2026 Fellows Investiture, which will be held at JETC in Portland, Ore., May 19-21.

A total of 31 SAME members (see list below) will become Fellows this year, joining the more than 700 members of the Academy of Fellows. The class includes high-ranking retired service chiefs, active military members, industry professionals, and other dedicated supporters of the Society. While SAME has bestowed the title of Fellow on select members since 1973, it was in 1995 that an academy was formally established to recognize those who have rendered dedicated and outstanding service to the Society, to military engineering, and to the A/E/C profession.

During the upcoming ceremony in May, the Academy of Fellows also will honor this year’s recipient of the Gerald C. Brown Mentoring Award, which is given annually to a Fellow for outstanding mentoring efforts. The Golden Eagle Award of the Academy of Fellows will be presented at JETC as well during the Society Ball & Awards Gala. The recipients of these distinguished honors will be announced at a later date.

Welcome Fellows Class of 2026!

• Lt. Col. Patrick Balcazar, P.E., F.SAME, USA (Ret.)
• Col. Matthew Beverly, P.E., PMP, F.SAME, USAF (Ret.)
• Lt. Col. Michael Brannon, P.E., PMP, CCM, F.SAME, USAF (Ret.)
• Beth Cheberenchick, F.SAME
• Jeff Clark, F.SAME
• Rene Cortez, P.E., PG, F.SAME
• Michelle Exaros, F.SAME
• Christine “Summer” Gladden, APMP, LEED AP, F.SAME
• Col. Donald Gleason, F.SAME, USAF (Ret.)    
• Brig. Gen. Glenn Goddard, P.E., PMP, F.SAME, USAR (Ret.)
• Guy Graening, P.E., PMP, F.SAME
• Ashlyn Graves, F.SAME
• Brig. Gen. Peter Helmlinger, P.E., F.SAME, USA (Ret.)
• Peter Jaran, P.E., F.SAME
• Stacy Kahatapitiya, F.SAME
• Lori Kropidlowski, CPSM, APMP, F.SAME
• Cdr. Samuel Lee, F.SAME, CEC, USN
• Pamela Little, P.E., PMP, F.SAME
• Selena Lo, F.SAME
• Alexander Masters, F.SAME      
• Col. Fabian Mendoza, Jr., F.SAME, USA (Ret.)
• Jill Miller, LEED AP, F.SAME
• Tae Parrish, F.SAME
• Lt. Col. Wayland Patterson, F.SAME, USAF (Ret.)
• Bruce Preston, PMP, RA, NCARB, LEED AP, F.SAME
• Candice Scale, F.SAME
• Col. James Schreiner, Ph.D., PMP, F.SAME, F.ASEM, USA
• Louise Slate, P.E., LEED AP, F.SAME         
• Tom Svoboda, P.E., CEM, F.SAME    
• Col. Benjamin Wham II, P.E., F.SAME, USAF (Ret.)
• Nancy Yee, F.SAME

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Academy of Fellows: Learn More

Fellows pledge to be a role model, support the Society’s mission, be active in Posts, support mentoring, and understand SAME’s national direction and translate it into action at the local level. For more information, visit www.same.org/academy-of-fellows.

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