As we prepare to gather in Oklahoma City for the 2026 ASPE Convention & Expo, we are also preparing to conduct one of the most important responsibilities entrusted to our members: the business of our Society.
On October 10 and 11, our Chapter delegates will come together to consider the issues before ASPE, participate in the governance of our organization, and help determine the direction we take into the future.
This year, 422 potential delegates were eligible to represent their respective Chapters—the largest number in ASPE’s history. That number means more to me than simply setting a record. It represents engagement. It represents Chapters that are participating in the Society. Most importantly, it represents hundreds of members willing to give their time to help shape the future of our profession.
That is something of which we should all be proud.
Two Years of Moving Forward Together
When I became the Society President two years ago, I believed strongly that ASPE’s greatest strength was not found in a headquarters building, a publication, a program, or even a Convention. Our greatest strength is our people, and during these past two years, I have had the privilege of seeing that firsthand.
I made it a priority to get out from behind the desk and spend time with our Chapters and members. I traveled across the country attending Chapter meetings, Region meetings, educational events, celebrations, and industry gatherings. I wanted to hear what was working, understand where our Chapters were struggling, recognize the people doing great work, and remind our members that Society leadership exists to serve them.
Those experiences have reinforced something I have believed throughout my ASPE journey: our Chapters are the professional homes of our members. They are where relationships begin. They are where knowledge is shared. They are where a young engineer can meet a mentor, where someone can discover their ability to lead, and where lifelong friendships are formed.
I have watched members accept challenges they were not sure they were ready for and succeed. I have watched Chapter leaders take ideas and turn them into accomplishments. I have watched people discover that they are capable of much more than they originally believed. That is leadership development, and that is ASPE.
Never Be Afraid to Reach Higher
Those who have spent time around me during my presidency have probably heard me challenge people to keep reaching:
- Don’t become comfortable simply because something is working.
- Ask what could be better.
- Don’t be afraid of a difficult goal because success isn’t guaranteed.
- Take the next step.
That philosophy has guided much of our work during the past two years. Together, we have challenged our committees and leadership to examine longstanding programs and ask how they can better serve today’s members. We established working groups to evaluate and advance initiatives including the ASPE Project of the Year award, Chapter Award of Merit, Steele Scholarship, international chapter development, the Legionella Design Guide, and the Certified in Healthcare Plumbing Design credential.
We have continued advancing our educational programs and professional certifications, including the CPD and CPDT, while working toward opportunities that can further elevate recognition of plumbing engineering as a profession.
We have invested in technology and communication. We have focused on membership growth and retention. We have challenged our Chapters to dream bigger while continuing to provide the technical education, relationships, and professional development that remain at the heart of ASPE.
Not every idea moves as quickly as we would like and not every challenge has an immediate solution, but meaningful progress rarely comes from one dramatic moment. It comes from patience, diligence, teamwork, and a willingness to keep taking small steps toward a larger goal.
That has been our conduit of success.
The Business of the Society Is Your Business
The Business Meeting is sometimes viewed as something separate from the Convention—the parliamentary portion we need to complete before returning to education, the Expo, networking, and everything else that brings us together. I see it differently.
The Business Meeting is membership in action. Our Society belongs to its members. Our Chapters select delegates to represent their voices. Those delegates have an obligation to arrive informed, prepared, and willing to participate. The delegates will discuss important matters this year, including proposed changes to our governing documents and the election of the 2026–2028 Society Board of Directors.
I encourage every delegate to review the materials before arriving in Oklahoma City. Ask questions. Talk with your Chapter members. Talk with the candidates. Understand the issues. Then participate in the process.
We do not all have to agree. A healthy professional society should welcome respectful differences of opinion. What matters is that we remain focused on the organization we have been entrusted to serve and make decisions based on what we believe will strengthen ASPE and advance the plumbing engineering profession.
A Weekend I Will Never Forget
This year’s Business Meeting will also be very personal for me. On Friday night, October 9, my son Corey will take the football field with his teammates in Muskogee, Oklahoma. On Saturday, October 10, my daughter Tatum will be married in Weatherford, Texas. For that reason, I will miss Saturday’s delegate session so I can be where a father needs to be that evening.
Then I will make my way back to Oklahoma City to join the delegates on Sunday morning and deliver the State of the Society address. It will be an extraordinary 48 hours—football, a wedding, family, travel, and ASPE.
In many ways, that weekend reflects the journey so many of us share. We are professionals, volunteers, parents, spouses, mentors, coaches, friends, and community leaders. We give our time to ASPE not because there is nothing else competing for it, but because we believe that service matters.
My family has shared me with ASPE for many years. They have attended events, volunteered, traveled, listened to countless phone calls, and supported me through the responsibilities that come with serving this Society. I could never adequately thank them for allowing ASPE to become part of our family’s journey.
Proud of Where We Stand
When I stand before the delegates on October 11, I will do so with tremendous pride—not pride in what one President accomplished, but pride in what we accomplished together:
- Our Board of Directors
- Our staff
- Our committees and working groups
- Our Chapter officers
- Our volunteers
- Our industry partners
- Thousands of members who continue to invest in themselves, their profession, and one another
Two years ago, I was entrusted with the opportunity to serve as Society President. I have tried to honor that trust by being present, accessible, engaged, and willing to challenge our organization to continue reaching for the next level.
There Is Still Work Ahead of Us
There are more people to bring into our profession; more young professionals to mentor; more Chapters to strengthen; more education to provide; more credentials to advance; more technology to embrace; more relationships to build; and more opportunities for ASPE to demonstrate the value plumbing engineering brings to public health, safety, and the built environment.
The foundation is strong. The momentum is real. The opportunity before us is tremendous.
The Next Chapter
Throughout this series, I have written about the Conduit of Success. That conduit isn’t a program; it isn’t one initiative; and it certainly isn’t one person.
It is the connection between our members, Chapters, volunteers, staff, leadership, education, professional development, and shared commitment to our profession. Every one of us is part of it. As we gather in Oklahoma City, I hope we take a moment to appreciate how far we have traveled together. Then I hope we turn our attention toward what comes next:
- Keep learning.
- Keep serving.
- Keep challenging yourself.
- Keep helping the person beside you succeed.
- Never be afraid to reach for the next level simply because the journey may be difficult.
The business of the Society belongs to all of us. I look forward to seeing you in Oklahoma City—and to continuing the journey together.
As always, I am enclosing Volume 14 of the ASPE Education crossword puzzle. Luther Thevenin, CPD, is one of our many talented contributors to the ASPE Education Committee and he has put together some great puzzles for our ASPE community, so take some time and complete the crossword puzzle. The answers will be posted in my next article.
