Join us for the 2025 MnSPE Annual Meeting & Awards
All are welcome to join us for our annual spring gathering.
Why should you join us?
- Ann Johnson Stewart, PE, will be joining us to share about her work in our Minnesota State Senate. Recently re-elected, she is the only licensed professional engineer currently serving in the Minnesota legislature.
- Brian Malm, PE, current NSPE president (and MnSPE past president) will join us to share about his work nationally (and internationally) to represent the PE community this past year.
- 2 PDHs, including 1 ethics hour.
- MnSPE updates! We have some great things happening at MnSPE – come learn about our advocacy work, continuing education, STEM outreach through our MATHCOUNTS program, and more!
- Awards. We will be presenting our annual awards highlighting the engineers involved in projects serving the public health, safety, and welfare. Additionally, we’ll announce Engineer and Young Engineer of the Year.
We welcome all – current members, potential members, past members looking to reconnect, our sponsors, awards recipient colleagues, etc. We look forward to welcoming you!
Event outline:
- 9:30 AM: Registration
- 10 AM – 12 PM: Event welcome, Senator Ann Johnson Stewart, Boeing Ethics case study
- 12 – 1:30 PM: Lunch, Boeing ethics discussion, awards presentations
- 1:30 – 3:40 PM: MnSPE updates, Briam Malm/NSPE updates, panel session on the outlook of our engineering workforce and continued ability to serve the public
- 3:40 – 6 PM: Social at North Oaks Golf Club + bristle bots fun!
Registration options:
- $95 – Current MnSPE members and awards recipients
- $130 – Non-members
Registration includes lunch, full event attendance, 2.0 PDHs (no charge for members for PDHs), social event appetizers. Cash bar will be available.
Location: North Oaks Golf Club (54 E Oaks Rd, North Oaks)
Register by April 21.
Program Details
Legislative update from Senator Ann Johnson Stewart, PE
Senator Johnson Stewart will join us to share about her work in the state legislature, the bonding bill, and opportunities for PEs to be involved in advocacy at the Capitol.
Senator Ann Johnson Stewart represents Senate District 45, which includes the communities of Minnetonka, Mound, Orono, Minnetrista, Shorewood, Wayzata, Deephaven, Excelsior, Spring Park, Tonka Bay, Woodland, Saint Bonifacius, Minnetonka Beach, Long Lake, and Greenwood.
Johnson Stewart grew up in Wausau, Wisconsin, and earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and a master’s degree in civil engineering at the University of Minnesota. She was the founder and owner of a professional engineering services company for nearly three decades, and managed hundreds of millions of dollars of infrastructure projects across Minnesota.
Johnson Stewart is a teacher at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and local technical colleges. A 30-year resident of Minnetonka, Johnson Stewart and her husband have four children and three grandchildren.
Senator Johnson Stewart is the Vice Chair of the Transportation Committee, and serves on the Capital Investment, State and Local Government, and Environment, Climate and Legacy Committees.
NSPE Updates with Brian Malm, PE, current NSPE president
Brian is a Principal Engineer with Bolton & Menk, Inc., and is currently serving as President of the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE). He has been an active member of NSPE for 23 years and has served in a variety of leadership roles at the chapter, state, and national level. He is also a past president of MnSPE.
He began his career in 1996 and has spent the majority of that time as a municipal consulting engineer. Brian manages Bolton & Menk’s Rochester, Minnesota office and serves as the consultant city engineer for several cities in southeast Minnesota.
Boeing ethics case study – the tragedies of poor management practices and lack of regulatory oversight
This session will be an ethics case study focused on The Boeing Company, presented with an emphasis on
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- cardinal virtues
- role play (by fellow MnSPE members!)
- attendee discussion
- all while highlighting the struggle of quotidian actions between quality and regulatory
This session was designed by Guillermo F. Gandara, EdD, PE
Guillermo was born in Puerto Rico and graduated with a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the Engineering School of the University of Puerto Rico in Mayaguez. Simultaneously with graduation, he received a commission as an officer in the US Army and served with distinction for over 33 years as an engineer and helicopter pilot with numerous decorations for valor in combat and distinguished service.
He has lived in Woodbury, Minnesota for the past 24 years. He enjoys travelling, reading, and writing about engineering. He is a member of the National Society of Professional Engineer, Minnesota, and serves in the society’s Professional Development Committee and enjoys discussions and professional training in professional ethics.
He holds graduate degrees from the University of St Thomas in St Paul, MN. He holds an MS in Manufacturing Systems and an Education Doctor degree in Leadership. The dissertation was titled, The Lived Experiences of Professional Engineers in the Making of a Technological Device. In addition, he is a certified quality systems lead auditor for FDA and ISO.
Guillermo works as a senior supplier quality engineer in the medical device manufacturing field. He can be reached at gfgandara@msn.com.
Panel: Future viability of the engineering workforce and our continued ability to serve the public health, safety, and welfare
Join us for an interactive panel discussion as we discuss topics related to our current and future needs in engineering. The discussion will focus on current trends in Minnesota, changing demographics, potential skilled labor shortages, and the future outlook.
Panelists include:
- Nola Slagter-Johnson, Hennepin County Workforce Development Director
- Melisa Rodriquez, PE, SET, Chair, MN Board of AELSLAGID
- Andrea Schokker, PE, LEED AP, Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Minnesota Duluth
- Emily Saed, MN STEM Ecosystem Director