As the holiday season approaches, there’s a buzz of excitement in the air—and plenty of momentum carrying us into the new year! The ACEC Fall Conference in New Orleans was a highlight, sparking thought-provoking conversations on leveraging Artificial Intelligence for greater efficiency and creating meaningful leadership paths for the next generation. If you haven’t experienced one of these national gatherings, 2025 might be the perfect time to dive in and get inspired!
Closer to home, our ACECH 2024 Billing Rate Survey is in full swing. Your input matters! By participating, you’ll help shape project rates set by local and state agencies. It only takes a few minutes, but it has a lasting impact on our industry.
To address our shared staffing challenges, ACECH has teamed up with the Chamber of Commerce’s Engineering Sector Partnership Program. Their newly launched Engineering Workforce Toolkit is packed with creative resources for K-12 outreach—think engaging presentations, lesson plans, and hands-on activities that aim to ignite a passion for engineering in students across Hawaii. Let’s work together to inspire future engineers!
I’m also thrilled to celebrate the accomplishments of our Emerging Leadership Program Cohort #5. Their capstone projects tackled critical topics, like flexible work schedules, employee retention strategies, and work-life balance. We’re proud of the forward-thinking ideas this talented group brought to the table, and we can’t wait to see their impact in action.
As we continue through the final stretch of 2024, I’m energized by all we’re accomplishing together. Thank you for your dedication and collaboration—your efforts make Hawaii’s engineering community stronger and more dynamic. I’m looking forward to the exciting opportunities we’ll tackle in the coming months!
Shannon Holman
2024-2025 ACECH President