The National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) is pleased to recognize thirteen talented professionals who recently completed the Society’s Emerging Leaders Program. This diverse group of young professionals was selected from around the country to take part in an intensive, unique enterprise designed to equip them as leaders in the engineering field.
“The Emerging Leaders Program helped me identify my strengths and weaknesses as a leader and encouraged me to build trust and accountability with the team,” said Shweta Rao, P.E. of Fort Worth, Texas. “The concept of having a personal project after the program added value as we work toward giving back the knowledge we gained to the engineering community.”
Each member of the program completed a PXT Select™ assessment to discern their thinking style, key behavioral traits, and interests. Participants benefited from guided instruction and mentoring to complete a reality-based curriculum focused on the core skills necessary to think strategically, build effective teams, deliver great service for their most valued clients, and lead successfully. With leadership training provided by CrossGroup, the emerging leaders mastered topics including ownership, team development, communication skills, giving and receiving feedback, and presentation skills. They also enjoyed networking opportunities with peers and national NSPE leaders.
“The board recently had the pleasure of listening to presentations from this year's class of the NSPE Emerging Leaders Program, and it was evident from their presentations that these individuals are already making a tremendous impact in our profession,” said NSPE President Bill Atkinson, P.E., F.NSPE. "This class has already established themselves as exceptional leaders. At NSPE, we are proud to be a resource for these motivated individuals as they continue in their pursuit of excellence.”
“My leadership philosophy is centered on cultivating a culture where directness, vulnerability and transparency are valued,” said Arjun Bir, P.E. of Atlanta, Georgia. “I strive to cultivate an environment where my team members are trusted with ownership on projects and are set up for success. Through excellent coursework, engaging discussions, and immersive projects, the NSPE’s Emerging Leaders Program allowed me to explore how to translate my leadership philosophy into action.”
The intensive, virtual program began in December 2023 with orientations for mentors and participants, and the syllabus ran from January through May 2024. Two distinct final assignments rounded out the curriculum where participants developed their personal 100-day plans focusing on one distinct area of growth they would address after completing the program, and a personal action plan to support and strengthen the engineering profession over the next two to three years. All who completed the program will now become part of an alumni group of fellow emerging leaders.
The 2024 NSPE Emerging Leaders include the following (in alphabetical order):
Arjun Bir, P.E. (Atlanta, Georgia)
Joseph Breder, P.E. (Moorestown, New Jersey)
Carlos Cabrera, P.E. (Indianapolis, Indiana)
Arnold Eng, P.E. (Los Alamos, New Mexico)
Khalid Hachil, P.E. (Hauppauge, New York)
Tyrenny Hidy, P.E. (Lakewood, Colorado)
Jared Keller, P.E. (Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania)
Scott McNally, P.E. (Marietta, Georgia)
Jacy Nichols, P.E. (Greenville, South Carolina)
Tyler Payton, P.E. (Gallup, New Mexico)
Joshua Peeler, P.E. (Charlotte, North Carolina)
Rachel Prato, EIT (Pipersville, Pennsylvania)
Shweta Rao, P.E. (Fort Worth, Texas)
CrossGroup’s Mark Cook and Amelia Yant facilitated the program, while the following professional engineers served as mentors:
Zohaib Ali Alvi, P.E. (Lake Ronkonkoma, New York)
Amy Barrett, P.E., F.NSPE (Elberfeld, Indiana)
Julia Harrod, P.E., F.NSPE (Austin, Texas)
Thomas Jay Headley, III, P.E. (Bend, Oregon)
Leanne H. Panduren, P.E., F.NSPE (Flint, Michigan)
Blair Richardson, P.E., CEM (Oxford, Connecticut)
Craig Stuart Sisco, P.E., F.NSPE (Las Vegas, Nevada)
Founded in 1934, the National Society of Professional Engineers supports over 500,000 professional engineers, and the public, by fostering licensed professional engineers in service to society, ensuring the public can be confident that engineering decisions affecting their lives are made by qualified and ethically accountable professionals. Through education, licensure advocacy, leadership training, multidisciplinary networking, and outreach, NSPE enhances the image of professional engineers and their ability to ethically and professionally practice engineering. For more information, please visit www.nspe.org.