2030 SAME Strategic Plan

The Journey to 2030

The needs to secure our nation are always changing. As time rolls on, old challenges fade and new ones appear. The role of our nation’s defenders is to remain ready for anything, and SAME’s enduring purpose is to enhance that readiness. As America’s national security needs evolve, SAME evolves.    

The 2030 SAME Strategic Plan contains three fundamental goals that will enable this evolution while also honoring our founding. Driving Partnerships through a whole-of-government and whole-of-industry approach enables a more inclusive opportunity to Deliver Solutions at the speed of relevance. This is all underpinned by Developing People, who are not only the lifeblood to drive those partnerships and deliver those solutions, but also represent those we will hand the baton to in the sustainment of SAME and our engineering community.

Time and time again, SAME has shown its agility to reorganize as needed. In 1931, for example, the Army Appropriations Act prohibited Army personnel from having a national leadership role in SAME due to the advertising income of The Military Engineer. While it took a couple of decades for that to run its course, Army personnel could still hold volunteer positions at Posts, as they do today. Our governance changed again in 2012 to no longer have an Engineering Service Chief serve as National President, but this shift only strengthened the continuity of the volunteer leadership team while we still benefit from direct engagement with the services in advisory roles.

The journey of SAME to the present day owes to many historical events, but the last quarter-century traces to 9/11 and the stark realization for a more holistic view of national security. Through that seismic shift, government and industry involvement expanded. The early 2000s reinforced the sought-after value of a layered approach to partnership as SAME attracted more stakeholders from local and state governments, universities, and other nonprofits. By 2020, our Executive Advisory Group included leaders not only from the military but the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. Public Health Services, and U.S. Coast Guard. We also continued to reinforce transparent private sector participation. Initiated in the 1950s, our corporate member rolls now include nearly 1,600 organizations, with more than 75 percent being small businesses—exemplifying the great diversity we can support throughout the industrial base.

While connecting the dots of the past to our present, we recognize the deliberate thought found within the new strategic plan and the decisive actions it enables for our future.

The last decade has seen the Society fully embrace an ethos of leading collaboration, recognizing that the ability to Drive Partnerships, Deliver Solutions, and Develop People cannot be done without others. We may not be the experts, but good leadership recognizes who is—and welcomes them to the discussion.

During this recent period, the Society significantly expanded its lineup of programs, often into areas that were increasingly important to the joint community. The National Office began offering continuing education to complement the training offered by Posts. SAME established STEM/Engineering & Construction Camps for high school students, operating in tandem with the service branches. It created a Meetings Department that took on responsibility for national events such as the Federal Small Business Conference and Joint Engineer Training Conference, the growth of which has been remarkable. Building blocks like the SAME Foundation and Leader Development Program came next, with more recent initiatives like STEM Pathways for Indigenous Youth and National IGE Projects evolving the breadth of our impact to the engineering profession.

We adapt. We evolve. We march forward. Through it all, readiness has remained the top priority. In 1917, the United States entered World War I with an engineering force of just 256 officers and 2,228 soldiers; less than 18 months later, demand had risen to 10,886 officers and 292,300 men in the Engineering Department of the United States. SAME was formed to help ensure far better readiness ahead of the next great conflicts.

As General of the Army John Pershing wrote to SAME leadership soon after its formation, “the complete cooperation of the engineering profession throughout the country is necessary to any policy of National Defense, and I feel certain the Society of American Military Engineers will serve a valuable purpose in furthering this cooperation and interest.”

That is our North Star. This new strategic plan will make sure we continue navigating there, together.

Maj. Gen. Michael Wehr, P.E., USA (Ret.), is Executive Director, SAME and the SAME Foundation

Why Our Strategic Plan Matters

In May 2024, I was tasked by then President, Charlie Perham, in my role as President-Elect, to oversee the development of the society’s next strategic plan to lead our efforts from 2025 through 2030.  Charlie knew exactly what it took to develop a strategic plan because he was part of the team co-chaired with Sal Nodjomian that created the 2025 Strategic Plan that we have been successfully executing the past several years.  We already had the framework of an excellent 2025 strategic plan as well as their lessons learned and suggestions to help shape our approach.   

Having a focused and clear strategic plan was our main goal to make it easy for the entire membership to share the value of SAME with everyone they encounter.  It is a commonly asked question when I talk to friends and colleagues that are not involved or aware of what SAME is all about, so we wanted a concise and clear set of strategic goals that were easy to remember, easy to share, and easy to explain to others.  Anyone can find themselves at home within the three goals of the new strategic plan. 

A huge thanks to those at the helm of our 2030 Strategic Plan Development team; co-chairs, Brian Duffy and Albert Romano with dynamic support provided by Kathy Off.  These three were vital to the success of the entire team, the pace of the progress throughout the year with weekly meetings, and were eloquent wordsmiths while attempting to find just the right words to articulate the intentions of the goals. 

The Development Team then formed a Strategic Plan Work Group (SPWG) aiming to provide broad perspective from various organizational areas and stakeholder interests from both within SAME and beyond.  Careful selection of individuals from Human Capital Communities of Interest, Technical Communities of Interest, Regional Vice Presidents from various geographic areas of the United States and abroad, Elected Directors, Appointed Directors, the Academy of Fellows, Post representatives and external stakeholders.  When approached about serving on the SPWG, these individuals were instructed to respond on behalf of the groups that they were representing.    A special note of thanks to the members of the SPWG which included Joshua Graham, Rick Wice, Bill Haight, Arpan Patel, Carlos Sanchez, Julia Pluff, Charysse Knotts, Craig Bryant, Blair Schantz, Ann Ewy, Susan Thames, Kellie, Sak, Melvin Williams, and She Delutis-Smith. 

For another level of oversight and review and to ensure we were maintaining society values and heading in the right direction, we also had the Strategic Advisory Group (SAG) consisting of past National leaders including Cindy Lincicome, Mark Handley, John Mogge, and Rad Delaney.  Their guidance and insight were perfectly situated in various checkpoints throughout the year and as the proven servant leaders that they are, they provided suggestions and guard rails along the way to help shape what became the 2030 Strategic Plan. 

Thrilled to have the three pillars of the strategic plan approved in May 2024 at JETC, now as President of the Society, I asked Charlie Perham to manage the executive oversight of the Strategic Plan Implementation Team to identify any suggested changes to our society’s structure, governance and operations to align appropriately with the new Strategic Plan.  Sincere appreciation to Brian Duffy for his continued leadership chairing the Strategic Plan Implementation Team after just having rolled off the Strategic Plan Development team.  Brian, together with yet again spectacular support by Kathy Off, they built the implementation team with a few members of the SPWG to maintain continuity as well as added a few new members for fresh perspective, the SP30IT was created.  Many thanks to the Implementation team which included Craig Bryant, Mike Darrow, Roland DeGuzman, Rad Delaney, Summer Gladden, Bill Haight, Charysse Knotts, Kevin Remley, Candice Scale, Corey Weaver, Rick Wice, Melvin Williams, Lee Ann Zelesnikar.  Much appreciation to the advisory support provided by Mike Wehr, Cindy Lincicome, Mark Handley, and John Mogge along the way. 

Sharing our strategic plan both within the society and with our military and government stakeholders will strengthen our connections because they will see themselves within any one or all three of the strategic goals, encouraging continued successful collaboration.

As we embark on our second century as a society, our strategic plan will be the guiding beacon we all proudly support for a safer, more resilient, and well-constructed nation.   

Implementing the Way Forward

Our Strategic Plan Implementation Team got to work following JETC 2024 to determine which aspects of the 2030 SAME Strategic Plan could be addressed before the full plan takes effect. We brought forth a series of recommendations that were reviewed by the Board of Direction during the 2024 SBC in November. Our team surveyed key stakeholders to evaluate the most important actions to consider across organizational, operational, and administrative areas. Our efforts were especially aimed at enhancing governance and maximizing membership benefits

Effective governance is crucial for the success and sustainability of the Society. The Implementation Team outlined several initiatives to strengthen governance structures, ensuring they are robust, transparent, and inclusive. This includes revising bylaws, enhancing roles and responsibilities of board members, and implementing best practices in organizational management. This will result in a repeating culture of accountability and excellence.

Some of the changes successfully voted on included a new Artificial Intelligence Policy, a new Strategic Partner Policy, and relitigating the Communities of Interest (notably Small Business and Young Professional COIs become Councils; Enlisted COI becomes the Uniformed Council; and Membership COI becomes a Committee). The board interest-groups now will fall into three categorical groups: Membership, Project Lifecycle, and Workforce Development. The roles of National Officers, Regional Vice Presidents, and Elected Directors are unchanged.

Importantly, a reconfigured but very similar Streamer Program was approved as well, which will help Posts streamline reporting requirements while aligning their programmatic activities to the new plan. To assist Posts, our team recommended a new Post Mentoring Program that will utilize both Regional Vice Presidents and the Academy of Fellows.

The Implementation Team placed strong emphasis on enhancing membership benefits. Providing value is essential for retention and satisfaction. The 2030 SAME Strategic Plan strives to expand professional development opportunities, such as workshops, webinars, and certification programs. These are designed to help members embrace technical trends, share knowledge, and advance their careers.

SAME is committed to fostering a sense of community. The strategic plan includes measures to enhance networking opportunities, both in-person and online. New investments like SAME Engage are already providing complementary ways to stay connected.

The strategic plan also addresses the importance of diversity and inclusion. SAME is dedicated to creating an environment where all members feel valued and respected. The new plan outlines initiatives to promote diversity in leadership positions and to ensure that all members have equal access to resources and opportunities.

The 2030 SAME Strategic Plan is a comprehensive approach to enhance governance and maximize membership benefits, reaffirming a legacy of excellence in service to the nation. While we will continue to evolve over its five-year timeline, we are off to a great start!

Col. Charlie Perham, F.SAME, USAF (Ret.), is SAME Immediate Past President

Envisioning What You Will Achieve

Our Society’s ability to adapt to the times has been a hallmark. A fundamental tenet since 1920 has been to “serve no selfish purpose” while fostering a unique bond in service to the nation between military and civilian engineering. In this way, SAME members have remained in tune with the changing needs of government and the evolving innovations across industry. It has been imperative for these contributions to be aligned despite ever-changing world events affecting national security that, in turn, influence the A/E/C industry and SAME’s focus and priorities. Our strategic plan continues to be fundamental for protecting that connection, while allowing for new ways to provide value that could not have been imagined before. How reassuring and inspiring it is that those of us who are part of SAME today get to stand upon the shoulders of those who came before us.

All of us as members should be excited about the 2030 SAME Strategic Plan as we step out to write the next chapter of our history. We will be shaping what the Society looks like in ways that five, 10, even 20 years from now we can’t imagine but will inevitably define our future. A generation ago, the SAME Foundation, Leader Development Program, Camps Program, industry-government engagement, even the Federal Small Business Conference, did not exist as we know them—and yet can you imagine SAME now without these central building blocks? Clarity fuels purpose. The simplicity and interdependence of our new three strategic goals (Drive Partnerships, Deliver Solutions, Develop People) is a rallying cry that all of us can relate to as we build the next indelible elements of our Society, and leave it in good hands for those who will follow us.

Mike Huffstetler, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP, F.SAME, is SAME President-Elect

Developed Through Teamwork

In March 2023, the Executive Committee approved the 2030 Strategic Plan Development Charter, which commenced a collective endeavor to re-look at where our Society is heading as we move farther forward in our second century.

This document outlined a series of intended outcomes, principally to evaluate what was working within the current strategic plan and where we should go next.

• Accelerate SAME’s Vision to become recognized as the A/E/C industry leader of collaboration to support industry-government engagement.
• Focus SAME’s Goals and Objectives on the Society’s core deliverables.
• Contribute to expanding membership growth and engagement by taking SAME to the members.
• Clarify and codify the concept of SAME being the “synergizers” among a family of professional associations that can help bridge gaps between needs and knowledge.

Beginning in late spring 2023 with Sharon Krock (then-SAME President-Elect) and after forming a preliminary approach framework, we set out to meet with leaders of the 2025 Strategic Plan Development Team to gain insights from that experience and lessons learned over the ensuing years of execution. With those thoughts captured and through additional discussions with other influential members, we set our sights on the opportunity to get impressions from attendees at Post Leaders Workshop in August 2023.

We presented our early approach and key focus areas, asking participants to work in smaller groups to develop more input we could operationalize. A few overarching themes emerged.

• Develop a clear and concise Vision, Mission, and Goals that are relevant and forward-looking to address growing global security challenges facing the nation.
• Ensure the Vision, Mission, and Goals remain relevant to the current and future needs of the Society, its members, partners, and stakeholders.
• Keep the Vision, Mission, and Goals true to SAME’s proud history.

These outcomes would set conditions for the next phase that got underway in the fall: routine meetings and azimuth checks with the Strategic Plan Working Group and Strategic Advisor Group. Those discussions were augmented by a formal survey sent to all members welcoming input. Numerous comments and suggestions were received that greatly aided in drafting the SAME Vision, Mission, Goals, and Objectives.

Ultimately, we provided a high-level summary of actions taken to date at the meeting of the Executive Committee in March 2024, held in conjunction with SAME Capital Week, where we received additional guidance that we used to pen a final version that would be, to our appreciation, unanimously approved by the Board of Direction at JETC 2024.

Be Bold, Be Inclusive

It was incontrovertible during our year-long timeline that whatever the final language of the 2030 SAME Strategic Plan became, members had to be able to see themselves within it. That was not an easy task given another crowd-sourced mandate to streamline the Goals and Objectives compared to the 2025 SAME Strategic Plan while not losing any of their intent or disenfranchising our constituents.

This balancing act eventually found a well-received resolution through the circular interdependence of three interrelated Goals. These alliterative pillars highlight the main elements of SAME’s enduring purpose since its founding: Driving Partnerships, Delivering Solutions, and Developing People. Each is enabled by the other, at a variety of levels and along various timelines.

The new Vision Statement echoes the Society’s quest to be a “trusted integrator” across the spectrum, intended to suggest the confidence external stakeholders (government and private sector) have in SAME and the membership to bring relevant parties together on matters of great significance to our nation.

The new Mission Statement speaks to the reason for SAME’s existence: bringing people together and building cooperation in the interests of national security.

For Now, and the Future

It has been an honor for us to co-chair this very important effort for the Society. We are grateful to the many members, partners, and stakeholders who brought their energy, talents, and ideas to support SAME. It has been a deliberate effort among everyone to elevate SAME for present, while blazing a way forward to even greater opportunities in the future.

While follow-on work to ensure governance coordination and effective implementation will continue over its lifespan, we are confident the 2030 SAME Strategic Plan is poised to help us all Find the Value and then Share the Value far and wide.

Albert Romano, F.SAME, SAME Vice President, and Brian Duffy, Appointed Director, were Co-Chairs of the Strategic Plan Development Team (2023-2024)