ASCE Orange County attended the Multi-Region Leadership Conference (MRLC) in Seattle, Washington, on February 9 and 10, 2024. The MRLC is three conferences combined into one large conference. It includes the Workshop for Section, Branch, and Institute Leaders (WSBL), the Western Regional Younger Member Council (WRYMC), and the Workshop for Student Chapter Leaders (WSCL). The MRLC is an annual technical and leadership conference that provides essential training and support for ASCE leaders at all career stages, from civil engineering students to engineers at the top of the profession. Over 400 civil engineers from ASCE Regions 8 and 9 attended the conference, which included members from 10 different western states.
The MRLC is always a highlight of the year because it allows attendees to gain knowledge of social initiatives and goals and provide interactions between students, younger members, section, branch, and institute leaders while gaining personal leadership skills and learning the importance of networking. Attendees had the chance to visit ongoing civil engineering projects that highlight the unique challenges found in the region. Attendees could also see the beautiful sights of downtown Seattle and Puget Sound, including Pike Place Market and the Space Needle.
The closeout event of the event was the WRYMC Awards Gala which presented awards recognizing individuals and groups who have demonstrated outstanding achievements in engineering and ASCE activities. ASCE Society leadership including the Executive Director Tom Smith and President Marsia Geldert-Murphey presented the awards. Melissa Hilsabeck won the Outstanding Younger Member in ASCE Activities award. This is the fourth consecutive year that a member from ASCE Orange County has received this award. OC YMF won the Outstanding Support of a Student Chapter for the fourth consecutive year. This is the fifth consecutive year that ASCE Orange County has received this award.
About the Author:
Nestor Godinez is a Senior Engineer at SLR Consulting. He is currently the ASCE OC Branch President-Elect. Nestor can be contacted via ngodinez@slrconsulting.com.