Thanks for Celebrating the 2025 Member Appreciation Week: Build the Bond

Honoring Our Amazing Members, July 14-18, 2025

What a week of recognition and connection! SAME’s annual Member Appreciation Week (July 14–18) was a heartfelt celebration of the people who make the Society thrive—from long-standing members to new faces sharing their stories online. 

Our third annual Member Appreciation Week spotlighted the members across Posts, Regions, and Communities, Councils, and Committees who make the Society such a special place. The week kicked off with a video message from 106th National President Mike Huffstetler, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP, F.SAME, who shared the many benefits of membership in the SAME family. Giveaways, trivia, celebrations and recognitions filled the rest of the eventful week.

Here’s a quick recap of the highlights: 

Member Milestone Shoutouts 

During the weeklong celebration, we recognized the following SAME anniversaries! Congratulations to our raffle winners for each anniversary, who were recognized with swag! 

• 50 years: Rear Adm. Ronald Silva, P.E., PMP, F.SAME, USCG (Ret.)  

• 15 years: Donald Johnson, RA, NAVFAC, Nashville Post 

• 10 years: Karen Gray, Clark Construction Group, Washington DC Post 

• 5 years: Airman 1^st Class, Lance Geli, USAF, Minot Post 

Campaigns, Launches, and Freebies 

• The 2025 Member-Get-a-Member Campaign kicked off and runs through October 15 

• ENGAGE online platform. We highlighted SAME’s online space where you can connect and collaborate with industry professionals in a joint service environment.

• To keep the learning going, SAME released the top-attended sessions from each technical track at JETC 2025 in Louisville. These recordings are paired with presentation slides and offer 1 PDH per session for professional development. 

• Take advantage of everything your SAME membership has to offer.

• Visit the Member Appreciation Week page.

Thank YOU for everything you do today, and every day, for your service to Society, our profession, and our nation. 

Follow the celebration on social media!

Members shared their appreciation on social media using #SAMEMembership #SAMECelebrates, #IAMSAME, and #BuildTheBond to show their spirit and support their fellow members.