Providing Opportunities for Young Professionals: An Interview with Young Professional COI Chair Corey Weaver

Bricks & Clicks: How do you see the Young Professionals Community of Interest providing value to its members and SAME?

Weaver: The mission of the SAME Young Professionals Community of Interest is to be an advocate for and engage young professionals’ support for the 2025 SAME Strategic Plan through outreach, training, networking, and recognition. The COI’s value to its members comes through regularly conducted webinars with popular topics such as engineering in the space domain, the Tyndall AFB rebuild, and digital twins, to name a few.

In addition to professional development webinars, the COI provides yearly stipends for Young Professionals and Enlisted Members to attend JETC and experience the Society at a national level. I believe the Young Professionals COI is one of the best at providing its members value through networking and mentoring opportunities, recognition of Society Awards, and reviewing abstracts by Young Professionals for JETC and SBC, to name just a few.

Bricks & Clicks: In many ways, Young Professionals represent the future of the Society. How is the COI helping cultivate them and guide them to success?

Speaking from personal experience, the Young Professionals COI program is what I look forward to the most and has led to professional and personal relationships that I would not have had if I did not make the decision to get involved. So get involved!

Weaver: The COI has developed a robust Steering Committee and continues to improve the Young Professionals program at national conferences. The Steering Committee structure affords Young Professionals the opportunity to serve on a national COI at an early stage in their professional careers and develop leadership skills. Additionally, we plan several activities throughout the national conferences for Young Professionals to network and engage not only with other Young Professionals, but also with SAME Fellows.

Speaking from personal experience, the Young Professionals COI program is what I look forward to the most and has led to professional and personal relationships that I would not have had if I did not make the decision to get involved. So get involved!

Bricks & Clicks: The COI often provides assistance for its members to attend national conferences. How could attending JETC provide value to Young Professionals?

Weaver: JETC offers so many opportunities to Young Professionals, whether you’re a first-time attendee or a frequent attendee. Every year, the COI develops a program to engage Young Professionals through networking and mentoring opportunities. This year’s program will again include a Pre-JETC YP/Fellows Connection–an event that began before the Society’s first Virtual JETC. During the event, Young Professionals and Fellows will be randomly assigned into small groups for a 1-hr virtual meeting the week prior to JETC to network, share SAME experiences, and individual goals. At the conference, the COI is planning a YP/LDP/Fellows Networking Event, which will be the first collaborative event between Young Professionals, past and present classes of SAME’s Leadership Development Program, and SAME Fellows to participate in facilitated networking, or “mingling with a purpose.”

In addition to the events hosted by the COI, JETC offers educational and training sessions, daily networking events, and an exhibit hall with the leading A/E/C companies that is simply an extraordinary opportunity for Young Professionals. I attended my first JETC in 2011 and it broadened my perspective to SAME. JETC is a perfect example of how the A/E/C industry comes together to develop multi-disciplined solutions to national security infrastructure challenges.

Bricks & Clicks: What kind of challenges are facing the Young Professional community, and how is the COI helping address them?

Weaver: There are many challenges, but I’ll speak to one that the COI has been and is actively working to address: credentialing. It’s been my experience that sometimes the value of professional credentials is not always understood, and then even when it is, some Young Professionals don’t know where to start in preparing for the exams.

The COI’s Credentialing Committee has been working very hard to develop a framework and resources for not just SAME’s Young Professionals, but for all members. This will include one-page resource sheets that explain what the credential is, how to get it, the testing format, where to find resources, and continuous education requirements. The sheet will also include Industry/Government Credentialing Career Paths that will explain the impact to a traditional career path for each credential and how it can support your advancement, and LinkedIn Resource Groups as a means to connect those preparing for a credential from those who have already attained a credential to ask questions or receive mentorship. Finally, the Credentialing Assistance Program will support reimbursements for not only exam fees but also study materials or review courses.

The COI is very excited about the culmination of these efforts, and members should be looking for more information in the coming months.

Bricks & Clicks: How has your engagement with the Young Professionals COI helped you in your own professional life?

“I really cannot state it enough that the opportunities I have had with SAME have had a significant impact on my professional life, and I’m very grateful to those who have given me the opportunity to serve in this role.”

Weaver: It broadened my perspective through the network I’ve developed of Young Professionals and continues to refine my leadership skills by working with a diverse leadership team. My professional career requires me to lead highly technical, multi-disciplinary teams on complex projects. With that comes many challenges, such as differing opinions and problem solving approaches. My responsibilities with the Young Professionals COI, Executive Committee, and National Board of Direction also require me to work with a diverse group and have allowed me to see how others approach issues and tackle problems. I’m then able to add that to my “tool box” and apply it to my professional life. I really cannot state it enough that the opportunities I have had with SAME have had a significant impact on my professional life, and I’m very grateful to those who have given me the opportunity to serve in this role.

Bricks & Clicks: What’s your favorite part of being Chair of the COI?

Weaver: First, being both a member of the Society’s Executive Committee and National Board of Direction affords me the opportunity to see SAME at a very high level. The Society and its members are involved in so many areas in support of the SAME Mission, and to see how our members tackle our nation’s most difficult challenges is inspiring.

Lastly, I’m fortunate to have an outstanding group of high-functioning, selfless, and passionate volunteers on the Young Professionals COI Steering Committee. They challenge me to become a better volunteer and ensure we continue to provide unmatched value to our members and the Society. It is a privilege and honor to work with them, and I cannot wait to see what the next year holds.