Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers Elects New National Board With Raytheon’s Manny Hernandez as President

The members of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) are proud to announce the newly elected members of their board of directors, slated to serve from 2009-2011.

Manny Hernandez, Manager III, Systems Engineering for Raytheon Systems Company, has been elected national president. SHPE’s new national vice president is Dr. Concepcion (Conchita) Jimenez-Gonzalez, Director of Operational Sustainability in the Corporate Environment, Health, Safety and Sustainability Department at GlaxoSmithKline. All newly elected officials will take office on July 1.

With 10,000 members, SHPE is the source for quality Hispanic engineers and technical talent. Its board of directors and staff offer programs to pre-college students, undergraduate and graduate students, educators and professionals in the engineering and technical fields.

Hernandez has held various leadership positions within SHPE, including national vice president, and Region 2 vice president.

“I am thankful for the opportunity to utilize my 21 years of leadership within SHPE to enhance and grow our organization, as I feel we play a crucial role in both the Hispanic community and the engineering and technical industry overall,” said Manny Hernandez. “My goal over the next two years is to ensure that every SHPE member has the skills, training and opportunities to reach the highest level in his or her career, and I will work to ensure our members receive the best services.”

Hernandez has chaired and championed numerous conferences for SHPE, and has been instrumental in growing professional development programs for SHPE’s professional members at different levels in their careers. He has been honored with five Presidents Awards and several commendations for his service to SHPE.

Outside of SHPE, Hernandez received the first Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards (HENAAC) for Affirmative Action in 1989. He has served on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hispanic Advisory Task Force and several informal advisory committees at the U.S. Department of Interior, providing input on diversity outreach. He also received a formal federal appointment to serve on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency “National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology” (NACEPT).

Before her election as national vice president, Dr. Jimenez-Gonzalez served as Region VII vice president, helping pilot two programs — technical podcasts and professional/student receptions — which are now established nationally. In addition to judging the technical paper/poster competitions, the SHPE Lifetime Member has also championed the role of student chapter advisors and worked to include member feedback in event planning. Since 1997, she has held leadership positions with the North Carolina and Greater Philadelphia professional chapters as well as the student chapter at North Carolina State University.

“As national vice president, I will continue efforts to build a stronger service to the professional membership; better utilize technology in SHPE to increase collaboration and communication; and keep pioneering successful strategic programs that enable SHPE to achieve its strategic vision and beyond,” said Dr. Jimenez-Gonzalez.

The other new SHPE board members are as follows:

• Region 1 Vice President – Edgar Roman, The Boeing Company
• Region 3 Vice President – Jose Chavez, Hensel Phelps
• Region 5 Vice President – Michael Zamarron, Lockheed Martin
• Region 7 Vice President – Denny Pichardo, IBM
• National Graduate Rep – Christella Chavez, University of Oklahoma
• National Undergraduate Rep – Sara Rios, Rutgers University
• Vice National Undergraduate Representative – Jay Flores, University of Wisconsin, Madison
• Regional Student Representative 1 – Laura Valencia, California State University, Fresno
• Regional Student Representative 2 – Eva Gabriela Baylon, University of California, San Diego
• Regional Student Representative 3 – Ramon Martinez, University of Colorado, Denver
• Regional Student Representative 4 – Victor Martinez, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez
• Regional Student Representative 6 – Mauro Rodriguez Jr., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Regional Student Representative 7 – Omar De Leon, University of Miami

For the complete list of SHPE’s board of directors, please visit www.shpe.org.

About SHPE and AHETEMS
With 10,000 members, SHPE, Inc. is the source for quality Hispanic engineers and technical talent, committed to enhancing America’s position in math, science, engineering and technology with a strong and talented Hispanic workforce. For more information, please visit www.shpe.org.

The AHETEMS Foundation directs and develops informal science education, educational enrichment, college awareness initiatives and college prep programs for Hispanic pre-college, undergraduate and graduate students. Funding for AHETEMS initiatives is derived from various federal, state, local and private grants and private tax-deductible donations.
For more information, please visit www.ahetems.org. “

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