It is my pleasure and honor to have the opportunity to serve as the 2012-2013 President for the ASCE San Bernardino and Riverside Counties Branch.

Another year has officially rushed by for ASCE – and what a year it was! First of all I extend my thanks and appreciation to you, our Membership, for your support and presence at our local ASCE Meetings and Committees. “Surround yourself with people who are better than you”. I am not sure of the origins of this phrase but I can certainly vouch for its significance when considering the service of our Board members.

It is with great pleasure to assume to role of President for the Riverside-San Bernardino Branch of ASCE. I look forward to a busy and satisfying year working with our very capable board and committee chairs.

ASCE is America’s oldest National Engineering Society founded in 1852. Currently, it has approximately 140,000 professional members worldwide with the mission to “provide essential value to our members and partners, advance Civil Engineering, and serve the public good”. The San Bernardino and Riverside Counties Branch has long been committed to provide its members with great opportunities and benefits. Through participation in workshops, conferences, seminars, presentations, monthly meetings and other activities sponsored or organized by ASCE, not only the members would have the opportunity to discuss and learn about new and innovative ideas, latest advancements and/or laws that relates to our profession, but also have the chance to share their knowledge and experiences with others, make friends and network. What can be more rewarding than inspiring students at engineering’s week or by becoming a mentor? The branch website offers the members access to its newsletters, news articles and learning about upcoming events.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank many of the past presidents for all their efforts and contributions to this ASCE Branch. In particular, I want to extend our special thanks to Mrs. Rita Escobar, our immediate past president, for her exceptional and exemplary leadership and dedication to the board and membership.

I also like to encourage all the members to feel free to e-mail me with any suggestions, comments, ideas or even interests in participating or volunteering in many of the activities being planned for this year. We have an excellent 2012-2013 board, full of energy and enthusiasm. I am looking forward to be a part of a great and exciting year at this ASCE branch!!

We have at our core a fine mix of Public and Private Professionals who bring tremendous knowledge and a friendly atmosphere to all of our events; so if you haven’t been to one recently you’ll find it’s worth the trip.