Typically, this President's message would be a wrap of our year, a sign off as we transition to a new Board, and a few takeaways from me. However, SMPS National implemented new bylaws (recently approved by our Chapter membership) that adjust the program year to align with the calendar year, so I’m with you in the driver’s seat for another few months before President-Elect, Amanda Irwin, takes the reins in January!

So what do these changes mean for you? More great programming that isn't slowing down. Over the summer, we held several events that are recapped below. If you didn't make them, you missed out on some fun! But fear not, we have plenty of opportunities for you this fall!

Our committees have been busy organizing a jam-packed next couple months. Mark your calendars and register for these September & October events:

- Sept 8: Tech Tuesday: Tame Your Social Feed: Unlocking Hootsuite for Busy Marketers

- Sept 16: Professional Development: Your Network Is Not Small. Your Memory Is. (Using AI for Networking)

- Sept 23: Networking: Bring Your MVP: Phillies Watch Party & Networking Night (Early Bird ends 9/4; Group Ticket Options available)

- Oct 8: Joint Professional Development: SMPS x WiSE Align and Achieve: Building Confidence, Building Connections (Networking Tools & Application)

- Oct 13: Tech Tuesday (Save the Date)

- Oct 27: Networking: Fall Espresso Exchange (Save the Date)

PROPOSAL ROUNDTABLE

An invaluable yearly sell-out, our annual Proposal Roundtable, brought together 40 AEC professionals to strategize, puzzle, review, constructively critique, teach, learn, grow, and connect over the bread and butter of many of our work lives: professional services proposals! In this very hands-on workshop – facilitated once again by hosts with the most Steven Alvarez, APPE (Stantec), Stacy Barrett (STV), and Bridget Shane, CPSM (Pennoni) – in-person at Pennoni’s offices, we exchanged real proposals from our firms and talked openly about how they came together—the challenges, those last‑minute pivots, and the exhilarating wins on the other side. Through facilitated discussion and small‑group review, participants dug into proposal strategies, workflows, positioning, graphics, and compliance, while sharing what actually works and what really doesn’t. A technical, emotional, and strategic buoy for proposal professionals at any level—land ho and you’re doing just fine, AEC adventurers! 

JULY TECH TUESDAY: DON'T BE THE BEST KEPT SECRET

It was self- and brand-aware summer at SMPS Philadelphia! For July’s Tech Tuesday, Ryan Harbinson (The LinkedIn Growth Academy) shared practical tips on strengthening our personal LinkedIn brands to make stronger first impressions, enhance the power of our posts, and increase overall visibility and memorability while staying true to core values, scaling appetite for engagement, and being intentional with our online presence. Your LinkedIn presence is often the first impression people have of you, your expertise, and your professional brand. But showing up online in a meaningful way does not have to feel overwhelming, overly polished, or time-consuming. *Takes tools and breathes sigh of relief* – thanks Ryan!

THE ARCHITECTURE OF INFLUENCE: MASTERING THE ART OF PRESENCE-DRIVING BRANDING

In July, SMPS Philadelphia, ISPE Delaware Valley Chapter, and 7x24 Exchange - Greater Philadelphia/Delaware Valley Chapter hosted Kay Bellamy, an expert marketing and brand strategist, for this engaging conversation on defining and growing your authentic professional and personal brand. More than an inspiring KAY Talk (brand copyright pending? 😊), from executive presence and storytelling to the way our messages lands with people outside of our usual professional groups, this session was a great reminder that our personal brand is built in every interaction, not just in the work we produce. This joint event was also a great opportunity to step outside our usual circles and create space for new perspectives and new relationships. 

CAREER JOURNEYS: LESSONS, MILESTONES, MENTORSHIP

Summer is a time for many sides of reflection – among them: ocean, pool, personal, and professional! While our Chapter endorses all, where we can really help is with the last one, which has no end date. Last month, SMPS Philadelphia hosted a virtual panel discussion featuring AEC professionals sharing insights on career development, mentorship, leadership, and the experiences that shaped their journeys. Christina Tedeschi, CPSM (Spiezle) facilitated the discussion between panelists Stacy Barrett (STV), Christyn Binder, CPSM (STV), Grace Sanford (McCormick Taylor), and Amelia Sheldon (Greyhawk). From 2 to 25+ years of experience and many different paths into our industry, this panel brought together both diverse perspectives and common themes to navigating professional life in AEC.

AUGUST TECH TUESDAY: SUMMER SCHOOL REWATCH! BRANDING IN MICROSOFT SUITE

Lunchtime learning so nice, we played it twice! Throwing it back to an early Tech Tuesday a couple of years ago, Bridget Shane, CPSM (Pennoni) helped us tackle some of the major pain points and optimize our use of Microsoft Suite to create polished marketing and proposal products. Often the most shared use programs across our firms’ technical, marketing, and BD, working in Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Power BI, etc. can also have greater margins for error to stray from vetted templates and brand compliance. In this perennially useful session, Bridget showed us how to set up branding elements, save themes, and share settings to maintain brand standards across MS programs.

SUMMER ESPRESSO EXCHANGE

It was the end of August, so we straddled the line between sun-soaked seasonal flavors and fall favorites for our late-summer Espresso Exchange. As always, it was a lovely morning caffeinating and connecting throughout the tri-state with fellow Chapter members. Mark your calendars for our autumn americano edit on Tuesday, October 27th – registration opens soon!

New Members

Ryan Chatman

Matthew Dixon

Corin Gearhart

Katrina Macaro

Olivia Rakiro

Destiny Williams

Anniversaries

July

August

September

Holly Taubman, 11
Stephanie Pagan-Guridy, 4
Lauren Coughlin, 3
Shanae Brown, 2
Karen Duerholz, 2
Filomena Iorio-Tasoluk, 2
Megan Gregory, 2
Hunter Kempton, 1
Sydney Smith, 1

Elyse Conti, 14
Nikki Campbell, CPSM, 11
Diane Goschler, EIT, CPSM, 7
Christina Holloway, 3
Laura Kliniewski, 3
Glenn Ebersole, 1
Amelia Sheldon, 1
Megan Bailey, 1

William Long, PE LEED AP, FSMPS, 32
Andrew Katz, CPSM, 23
Nicole Smith, 16
Leyla Salehli, 14
Barbara Jasionek, CPSM, 13
Steven Alvarez, APPE, 5
Bob Harrison, 5
Christyn Binder, CPSM, 4
Melissa Lapos, 2
Craig Kackenmeister, 2
Brian Bielawski, 2
Jennifer Davis, 2
Katie Staudle, 1

Member News

Have a professional update or achievement to share with our Chapter? Share it through the Submit News form on our website! Congratulations Christyn and Yanie on your great job news!