SEAOSC President's Message June 2026 - Reflecting on a Year of Growth, Leadership, and Connection

As we approach the end of the 2025–2026 SEAOSC year, I find myself reflecting on the many accomplishments, conversations, and connections that have made this year so meaningful.

I began my Presidency with a vision centered on three priorities: advancing professional excellence, strengthening our community through engagement and collaboration, and preparing the next generation of leaders within our profession. Looking back, I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved together.

Throughout the year, SEAOSC continued to provide opportunities for technical learning, professional development, and industry engagement, especially focused around the new code cycle. Our technical programs, committee initiatives, and networking events reflected the dedication of countless volunteers who generously shared their time, expertise, and passion for the profession.

One area of particular focus this year was leadership development. As structural engineers, we are often trained to solve technical problems, but our ability to communicate, build relationships, influence others, and lead teams is equally important to our long-term success. Through our Leadership Training Program and other professional development initiatives, we invested in helping members strengthen these skills and prepare for future leadership opportunities within their firms, projects, and professional organizations.

This year also reinforced the importance of relationships and investing in the future of our profession. Through Structured Connections events, committee collaboration, mentorship opportunities, industry partnerships, scholarships, outreach efforts, university engagement, and networking programs, we saw firsthand how meaningful connections create opportunities for learning, innovation, and service. In a volunteer-driven organization, relationships transform participation into engagement and engagement into lasting impact. At the same time, the enthusiasm, talent, and involvement of our students and emerging engineers continue to inspire confidence in the future of structural engineering and remind us of the importance of developing the next generation of leaders.

As we look beyond this year, our profession continues to face new challenges and opportunities—from evolving codes and technologies to changing expectations for leadership, resilience, and collaboration. The strength of SEAOSC has always been its ability to bring people together to address these challenges collectively. That spirit of collaboration remains one of our greatest assets.

Serving as your President has been one of the greatest honors of my professional career. I am deeply grateful for the trust you placed in me and for the opportunity to work alongside so many talented and inspiring individuals. None of the successes of this year would have been possible without the dedication of our volunteers, committee chairs, Board of Directors, sponsors, staff, and members. Thank you for your commitment to SEAOSC and for the countless ways you contribute to our profession and our communities.

As my term comes to a close, I encourage each of you to remain engaged, continue building relationships, share your expertise, and invest in the next generation of leaders. Together, we will continue strengthening our profession and ensuring that SEAOSC remains a vibrant and impactful community for years to come.

Thank you for an incredible year.

Maria Mohammed, SE
President, SEAOSC