Specific Roles of the National Chair Include:

• Leadership & Governance

  • Setting direction and putting ideas to action for the society. This includes chairing the board of directors for the organization while inspiring and empowering others to believe in a shared vision. It’s important that the National Chair has a good working relationship with the Executive Director and reviews their performance as needed and formally on an annual basis. As a National Chair you work to ensure accountability of the organizations operations and ensure NSBE remains ethical

• Leading the Administrative and Personnel Committee

  • This committee reviews staff performance, recommends raises and salary for all society staff, hires and terminates employees, as well as develops staffing plans.

• Ensuring Strategic continuity

  • Succession planning and long-term organizational development is one of my top priorities. While many companies turn over a few members of the board of directors every 3 years, NSBE usually has over 50% of the National Executive Board (NEB) turnover. This is why continuity is so critical for the society and specifically the role of National Chair. Continuity in the organization, driven by the national chair, allows for the society to execute on a strategy and direction for more than one year allowing for much needed progress to transpire.

• Caring

  • Simply having care for members and being a servant leader goes a long way. One of the most important things I’ve learn this year that as a leader one of the best things you can do is simply care by doing the small things. NSBE exists to support others, but sometimes it’s easy to get caught up doing so much of the big picture work that you become detached to what it’s like to be a true member in need. Throughout this year, I dedicated 2 hours a week to personally meet with members and stakeholders and hold with things such as writing letters to school administration, mentoring, and funding opportunities/scholarships.

I’m able to exceed in these responsibilities because throughout this dynamic time the organization has been going through regarding postponing its first national convention in 46 years. I’ve remained a thoughtful leader, keeping members/partners’ best interest in mind while communicating with members and gathering feedback. As national chair I believe I’m the best person to deal with this new normal and how to innovate during difficult times. Right now, is truly the best time for continuity instead of working toward a new vision.

I decided to run for Chair again because I truly love doing the work in the is organization that changes lives and believe I’m the most qualified to excel this organization further. As National Chair, I’ve done my best to listen to members and stay grounded in the fact that we the board of directors do not lead or make decisions based on our opinions, but we serve on behalf of members and need to hear you. This year we tried to hear every member and incorporate all members into the work being done for the society via surveys and interviews.

No organization is perfect, NSBE included. I would say consistency is our biggest challenge. Coming into this year we had no organizational plan. This is why I believe that we need to do a better job planning long term. NSBE as an organization is constantly behind the curve because every year we restart, and most conversations pertain to what we will do that year. As an organization we must plan for those to come after us and put a strategy in place that guides future business. Specifically, this year, I led the SPTF. A team of 20 individuals which included NEB/PEB members, WHQ Staff, and a BCA rep (corporate partner in D&I). While this effort started last year, I think I can continue to work with this body not only to ensure there is a plan in place but also to ensure we are executing at our highest potential.

I joined NSBE as a Freshman at Iowa State University and that same year is when my leadership journey began. I have been extremely fortunate to be able to serve on almost every level of the organization (chapter, regional, and national). I started as Fundraising Chair and for two years worked to get our chapter to Annual Convention. While this was great, after two years I felt I needed to do more and that’s when I decided to become the Vice President for my chapter. The next year I decided to run for Region V Membership Chair where I created an initiative to reactivate chapters through video messaging and constant support. After that, I decided to become Region V Chair where I sat on the REB and NEB to support the organization at large while advocating for my region. Once again, I felt called to do more, so I ran for National Vice-Chair and in the position, I worked directly with the National Chair on many initiatives as well as critical society business (e.g. APC). After a year of being the National Chair’s right-hand person, I knew I was ready to serve in a higher capacity as National Chair. Now as National Chair I lead the society's board of directors and drive strategy/direction. NSBE leadership has been the most rewarding experience I've had thus far. Moreover, it's genuinely the days when I get to interact with membership or help a member that I enjoy it the most. A few qualities that I have that make me a strong candidate are honesty and integrity, passion and love for the organization and its members, the ability to lead with purpose, empathy, transparency, great communication skills, resilience, thoughtful decision-making, and empowering and developing others while working as a team. I would love the opportunity to lead this organization for another year especially through these unprecedented times, I see this as a huge opportunity and learning experience for our organization to do something we have never done before.

As National Chair, I’ve had the opportunity to lead us through the COVID-19 crisis thus far. From the moment I realized the great risk that COVID-19 posed to our membership (March 3rd), I started meeting with the Executive Director to discuss and plan for future risks. By March 6th, I led and prepared a presentation for an emergency national executive board (NEB) meeting, where we made the decision to postpone the convention. I then made it my priority to draft a message to communicate the decision to membership that same night. By March 16th, the CPC Chair and I had already worked diligently to create and lead an emergency taskforce (#NSBE46 Contingency Task Force). This task force worked on the following efforts:

· The updated refund policy

· The updated housing cancellations

· Impact on students and regional conference (RLC/FRC)

· Survey membership on new convention dates

· Impact on NSBE Professionals (PDC)

· NSBE communications timeline

· Impact on PCI programming

· Virtual Career Fair logistics

· Long term financial impacts

Within 10 days, the task force was able to provide concrete next steps for each of these efforts. Afterwards, the CPC chair and I communicated our concrete decisions and next steps within 24 hours. In fact, NSBE was able to make concrete decisions regarding COVID-19 before the NBA, many universities, the City of San Antonio, and many billion-dollar corporations. With that being said, we have already put in place a contingency taskforce led with the sole purpose of mitigating the risks that the COVID-19 crisis and other similar events may present and how we will adapt to these risks in the years to come. I understand that this is an incredibly dynamic situation, but I trust that under my leadership, this task force can make great strides in ensuring NSBE can adapt to the implications of COVID-19 and many other situations that will come up in the future.

When I was first elected as National Chair, NSBE had no long-term strategic plan in place which is a huge issue. A long-term strategic plan is important because it ensures that leaders are working towards a common set of goals. Imagine if successful companies like Google, Microsoft, or P&G work to implement a new vision each year? NSBE is constantly behind the curve because each year we reset our board of directors and work to implement a new plan in a single year (which isn’t enough time). This year we actually need a continuation of the work that’s been done. I currently lead a team this year working to implement a new strategic plan for our society so we can plan further for the future of this organization and not have a constant shift each year. This plan takes into account NSBE Jr. students, collegiate students, professionals, and the communities that NSBE can impact and gives direction to the initiatives and partnerships our society must develop to support everyone. The next step is to ensure that our leaders understand this plan and how they can work to implement it across all levels. This way, every year is a continuation of a long-term strategic plan that enriches the lives of our current members while also keeping us laser focused on our mission as an organization.

Being black and an engineer are two of my many identities outside of being a woman as well. To me, being black is one of the most beautiful things in the world and there is so much strength, resilience, and power in us and in our rich history. However, being a Black engineer gives truth to the quote “I am my ancestors wildest dreams”. Being a Black engineer, although many inequalities exist in this discipline, gives us the ability to change the narrative. So, what does it mean to be a black engineer to me? It means that I am able to realize my ancestors’ wildest dreams while also making the world a better place by being a problem solver, designer, inventor, change agent, and so much more. Moreover, it’s not just about me being a black engineer but it’s also about how I can work to allow more black students behind me to realize their dreams. Whether those be engineering related or not.