After the unfortunate dam failures on May 19th in Michigan, USSD sent a letter to Governor Gretchen Whitmer expressing our condolences for the catastrophic loss of property and natural resources, and to offer any technical expertise through our membership.

Several Zoom calls were held the last two weeks in May to unveil USSD's new Strategic Plan. Approximately 100 members participated in one of five calls where USSD President Denise Bunte-Bisnett walked through the thought process behind the new plan and asked for input to identify the strategies that would help fulfill the objectives identified.
 
Over the next 30-60 days, the Board of Directors will review the comments from the calls with other feedback and finalize the plan strategies.

As part of the strategic plan process, the Board of Directors revised USSD's Mission and Vision Statements. It is important to note that neither the new mission or vision changed the who and what that is USSD. The previous statements were long and wordy; the new short and succinct, and most important---rememberable

 

 Mission Statement: Empower professionals to advance sustainable benefits of dams and levees

 

As a USSD member, an exclusive benefit is a complimentary membership in ICOLD. You will need to register on the ICOLD website with the U.S. National Committee code in order to gain access to the myriad of dam related technical resources. Membership also provides a discounted registration fee to ICOLD conferences.

 

Need the code? Contact Tonia Bengtson at tonia@ussdams.org

The 88th ICOLD Annual Meeting & Symposium 2020 in New Delhi abstract submission deadline has been extended until August 31.

The initial Bulletin for the ICOLD 27th Congress and the 89th Annual Meeting was released.  The annual meeting will be held in Marseille, France, June 4-June 11, 2021.

Schnabel Engineering announced the hiring of Brian Irsch as a Dams and Levee Engineering Business Unit Associate. Irsch has 22 years of experience in geotechnical investigations and construction management on civil engineering and environmental projects. Irsch will be based in Schnabel's Greensboro, NC office.
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WEST  announced that Dr. Jeffrey B. Bradley, Ph.D., P.E., D.WRE, F.ASCE is the recipient of the American Academy of Water Resources Engineers (AAWRE) 2020 Service to the Academy Award, for his significant leadership and vital contributions in furthering the mission and goals of the Academy.

 

WEST  welcomed George Sabol, Ph.D., P.E. to their Tempe, Arizona office. Dr. Sabol brings more than 40 years of experience in hydrology, hydraulics, and structure design in the Rocky Mountain West and internationally and is a recognized technical leader in flood hydrology.

USSD recently launched its new online program on June 2 with the Professional Ethics Webinar presented by Ron Lemons and Gina Smith of Freese and Nichols. 

 

Beginning on August 19, we will launch the Leadership Webinar Series that focus on nontechnical skills needed by dam and levee professionals to perform at optimal levels and provide added value to employers.  

 

 This Fall will unveil a series of technical webinars presented by USSD members. These webinars are being produced from technical content originally set for the 2020 Conference, as well as those in the Fall Workshop series.The Fall schedule line-up should be finalized within the next 45-days and be scheduled for October-November.

Last year, USSD sent out a survey to ascertain the interest in nontechnical education and training, and the response was overwhelmingly positive. Communication skills were ranked at the top.

 

We are excited to present this new Leadership Webinar series that will develop and improve on one of the most important skill sets in both our professional and personal lives--communication.  In a series of 3-modules with 3-webinars each, that can be taken singularly or as a building skill block; Laura Camacho PhD of Mixonian Institute will teach attendees the key strategies for effective communication.

 

Ms. Camacho is a corporate strategist, trainer, and culture fixer located in South Carolina. Her many clients include Charleston Water Systems and the Society of Women Engineers.