On 1st August the Americas Region Committee held its fifth annual general meeting in Houston, Texas. Previous meetings were held in Houston, Montreal and Trinidad to foster closer ties across the Region member network and between Branches and Groups.
Held at the Club Quarters hotel, Houston the meeting gave individual representatives from across the Americas the opportunity to meet with one another and to discuss the opportunities and challenges in running volunteer committees and supporting the membership in their local areas. Attendees came from as far afield as Canada, Guyana and Chile to attend the meeting which included topics such as “Best Practice in line with the International Strategy” and an interactive discussion in which representatives shared experiences on managing regional issues, as well as ideas for new initiatives (including young member initiatives) in the Americas Region.
All attendees at the 2015 Americas Region meeting, from left to right: Chris Maharaj, Americas Region Young Member Rep; John Thompson, Americas Region Secretary; Stephen May, USA South Central States Rep; Patricia Darez, South America Rep; John White, Central Canada Branch Chairman; Iman Kouchouk, International Member Development Executive (HQ staff); Anthony Green, Americas Region Chairman; Mahesh Sharma, Eastern Canada Branch Chairman; William Hesser, Texas Branch Vice-Chair and Niebert Blair, Pan-Caribbean Group Vice Chair.
Dr Anthony Green CEng FIMechE, the Americas Region Chair organised the meeting with the assistance of Eur Ing John Thompson CEng FIMechE, the Americas Region Secretary.
Dr Anthony Green, who was also chairing the meeting, was very positive about giving Americas Representatives the opportunity to meet one another and discuss the important issues in each locale and in the Americas Region in general. Anthony explains: “Since its inception in 2011, Committee members have found the meetings engender a lively spirit of interaction and cooperation and feel they are not isolated as disparate branches and groups. The meetings also provide an opportunity to understand the IMechE international concept and learn how to participate within this rapidly developing yet diverse framework through the tabling of experiences and approaches by there Region Committee colleagues. The meeting was also supplemented by two much appreciated presentations on IMechE Resources Update and ISB Best Practices for Volunteers by Iman Kouchouk from HQ.”
Iman Kouchouk, the Institution’s International Member Development Executive was also very impressed with the meeting in what was her first visit to the Americas region to meet the Institution's volunteers in person. She said: “I am very grateful for the warm welcome I received from all the representatives I met in Houston during their 2015 Regional Meeting and was pleased to hear all about the good work happening across both the North American and South American continents to support our members there. The meeting was an invaluable opportunity to get feedback from our volunteer representatives on the support offered by IMechE HQ staff and also to see what else we can do to further support the representatives in their volunteer roles”.
Following the meeting the delegation were taken to Papassitos Cantina, a local Mexican restaurant in Houston for networking and socialising and to say thank you for all their work for the Institution.
Americas Region volunteers at Pappasito's Cantina restaurant, following the meeting
Find out more about the Institution's activities and events in the Americas Region in the Americas NearYou pages of this website.