Cristina’s Continuous Column
May 2021
As I write this column, I am delighted to see that Spring is here: all snow has melted thanks to longer days and higher temperatures. I believe that Spring brings with it an inner desire by all of us for renewal. It is a perfect time to consider new initiatives and for enjoying the outdoors.
Spring also brought with it the 2021 AIChE Virtual Spring Meeting and 17th Global Congress on Process Safety, a tremendous opportunity for MGMT members to participate in sessions, to celebrate with peers’ awards and recognition, to learn and stay current in advances in chemical engineering, and to network and build new connections. I was so pleased to see many of you attending the conference and participating. Lots of our committed board members and volunteers put numerous hours and delivered a very strong programming during the Spring meeting. I want to acknowledge the work by Daniel Kriozere and Aditi Khadilkar who led the Programming. They truly put together many interesting sessions related to our three themes: Career Development in Management, Modern Management Practices, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Management.
A real demonstration of a healthy and purposeful AIChE Division is a strong Board, strong Committees and engaged volunteers. A real embodiment of a healthy and purposeful AIChE Division is having a membership which attend and benefit from the Division Programming at the two “Big AIChE meetings”: Spring and Annual meetings. I was thrilled to see the participation at the technical networking session that took place Thursday April 22 during the 2021 AIChE Virtual Spring Meeting. We split into tables and were able to greet MGMT members and non-members and share our excitement on membership in the Management Division. I heard very positive comments; I would urge you to reach out to any of us at the MGMT Board if you have a passion for any of the three themes for 2021. We will put your skills to a very good use.
As your chair, my wish is to see even more of you attend the multiple sessions that MGMT is offering in each of those meetings. Even better, my wish is indeed for you all to engage in our programming initiatives. Ideally, we would be able to meet in person, greet each other, share our experiences, and learn from each other. I was thankful that AIChE has given us a virtual platform to still meet in spring and I cannot wait for the AIChE Annual Meeting. Virtual meetings have demonstrated to us some unique advantages. Many of us are short in time or short in budgets or need to navigate travel approvals. Virtual meetings are perfect for our members with these challenges. I am calling you all to attend the Annual Meeting and as you attend the sessions, to please not be shy, and to ask questions, make comments, contribute to the topic, build that sense of community while learning from each other.
I will reiterate our mission. AIChE MGMT Division facilitates networking, training and opportunities to present topics pertinent to Technical Management, Project Management, Entrepreneurship, Leadership and other management roles and responsibilities that chemical engineers typically need as they advance in their careers. Hence, I am thrilled to announce that we will start this June a Live Webinar Series during which experienced managers will cover a topic of high interest to the MGMT membership. These webinars will be facilitated by the Young Professional (YP) members and promise to be engaging and dynamic sessions with lots of opportunities for audience participation via Q&A. Stay Tuned!
I indicated I would highlight outstanding managers in Chemical Engineering in my columns. Today, I am highlighting another outstanding chemical engineer manager and peer, Joe Cramer. Joe has been recognized with the division service award in 2021 in recognition of the high impact that Joe has had via the many roles and capacities and the many years of dedication and volunteering in the division. Dr. Cramer received his BS and PhD from the University of Pennsylvania and a Masters in Chemical Engineering Practice from the MIT Practice School. He is a Fellow of AIChE, a licensed P.E. in Texas. If you know Joe, you know that he is passionate about promoting professional licensing for chemical engineers. Joe had more than 20 years’ experience with Stone and Webster Engineering as an environmental engineer, project manager and program manager. He also worked with Brown & Root and Bechtel as an air quality engineering department head. I also did not know that Joe has extensive experience both as an expert witness and in managing others who present expert testimony and that he co-developed a training program for those whose work assignments were likely to require the preparation and presentation of expert testimony. It would be great for you all to join us at the 2021 Annual Meeting in Boston to honor Joe Cramer’s accomplishments and contributions to the Management Division. We will be presenting Joe with the 2021 MGMT Service Award and will also be recognizing Frank van Lier with his well-deserved 2020 MGMT Service Award.
Having real life role models is always a catalyst to grow and to feel inspired to do more. I owe Joe a lot of gratitude for his coaching, advising and wonderful ideas that have helped me become a Better Programming Chair and a better Division Chair. I cherish his friendship. With immense desire to serve and make this Division stronger and more impactful in 2021.
Cristina U Thomas, 2021 AIChE MGMT Chair
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