Early Career Professionals

Charter

The SEG Early Career Professionals Committee (hereafter referred to as the “ECPC”, or the “Committee”), formerly known as the Young Professionals Committee, was established in 2016 as an ad hoc committee by the SEG Council. This document serves as the Committee's formal charter as well as its terms of reference for the benefit of both ECPC members as well as the wider SEG membership.

Purpose

The ECPC shall promote participation in the Society by early career professionals through increased involvement in activities and events that bridge the gap between students and mid- to late-career professionals. The ECPC shall advise the Council on the concerns of early career professionals and assist with the implementation of proposed innovations and changes in the Society and Foundation programs to benefit both this group as well as senior students. The ECPC will increase the communication, coordination, and representation of early career professionals within all international regions and, as appropriate, coordinate activities with the SEG Regional Vice Presidents.

Functions

The ECPC functions primarily include, but are not limited to, activities that encourage the involvement of early career professionals in the Society. The Committee will be tasked to increase the communication between groups with different experience ranges, including student members, and the Society. The Committee will provide important feedback through surveys and/or focus groups to the Council to better gauge industry trends and their effects on early career professionals in particular. The majority of Committee communications can be conducted by email, Skype (or similar, e.g. Zoom), and social media.

Committee Composition, Membership Criteria, and Nominating Procedure

The Committee will consist of at least six members, including a Chair, but no more than eight members (the current number of SEG regions including North America). Two members will be nominated annually each for a three-year term by the Regional Vice Presidents, coordinated by the Vice President for Regional Affairs, and recommended by the Executive Committee to Council for approval. To ensure continuity from year to year, there will be a Chair-Elect position and a Past-Chair. Committee membership will consist of early career professionals who have at least one year of professional experience since graduating, are not older than 35 years of age at the time of joining the committee, and are derived from various regions that are represented by SEG Regional VPs. All committee members must be SEG members. Nominated individuals will have a desire to be involved in Society activities that affect the careers of young professionals both regionally and globally.

Specific Functions of the Chair

The Chair of the ECPC is responsible for organizing, motivating, and guiding the Committee toward achieving its goals and for submitting periodic reports of committee activities to the Executive Committee and the Council. The Chair of the ECPC will report to these bodies through the Executive Director. Where appropriate/convenient, the ECPC Chair will be invited as a non-voting guest to SEG Council meetings, and will have his/her travel costs covered by SEG if needed.

Reporting Milestones

The Committee will report to Council semi-annually prior to each regularly scheduled SEG Council meeting. The written report will outline the efforts made in improving the involvement of early career professionals in the Society, communication with the SEG Students' Committee, progress on relevant objectives, and other pertinent matters. A draft of the report will be submitted to the Executive Director prior to the presentation to Council.