Manny Hernandez SHPE President 2009/2011

Tomorrow is the last day to choose a new SHPE President. Your vote will decide the destiny of SHPE, and therefore, the destiny of many Latinos in our country. Why am I so convinced of it?

Let me tell you my own story, not unlike that of many Hispanics. In fact, this is one that I hear time after time. Having been raised in a poor Puerto Rican family in NY, the school system had already decided that I would be a mechanic, a construction worker, or if lucky, a print shop operator, but no more. I did not know any better, my parents did not know any better, and we thought it was good. It must have been, right? It was the US school system!

Luckily, the chairman of the math department saw something in me and got me out of vocational shops and put me through all the math and science classes. With enthusiasm and in earnest I took all the courses I could and did not stop until graduating with a master’s degree. I have been a successful engineer for more than 30 years, have worked in many exciting projects, and have been trusted with national defense responsibilities. But just the same, I could have ended up very short of this, had it not been for the one person who made a difference in my life.

That was more than 30 years ago and you would have thought that our school system would have seen the light by now. Not really. Just a few years ago, my daughter was being steered towards home economic classes so that she would assume her rightful place in the kitchen. This did not sit well with me as you can imagine so of course I prevented this from happening. She went on to graduate third in her class and today she holds a masters degree. I was lucky, and that made my daughter lucky, but most Hispanic kids are not.

That is what SHPE is all about. We have a network of people that make a difference to each other and we make a difference to our kids. Each of us can change someone’s history and by it, everyone else around them.

You, with your vote, can change history, and you can choose to help SHPE change the history of many Latinos, by helping hundreds of thousands of Hispanic students and professionals to be the top engineers they deserve to be. That is my vision and my plan.

If you have not done it yet, please cast your vote.

Share on Facebook

The last day for SHPE elections is around the corner.  Your vote counts- watch the video and passthis link around!

You have the swing vote - Vote for Manny!

Share on Facebook

I was pleasantly surprised and delighted to be endorsed  by two very high-profile and long-time SHPE members, Oscar A. Herrera, SHPE Region 1 VP (2005-2007), and San Francisco Bay Area SHPE President (2002-2005), as well as Andres Martin, San Francisco Bay Area SHPE President (2006-2009), and West Coast Career Expo Char/Co-Chair (2003-2005).

Here’s an excerpt from the letter:

 Manny Hernandez  has  a  strong  resume  with  the  SHPE  organization  and  over  the  past  few  years  he  has  been  one  of  the  biggest  advoctes  for  bringing  more  opportunities  for  SHPE  Professionals.   He  has  headed  up  professional  development  programs  at  the  National  conference  and  implemented  training  seminars  such  as  the  Mnagement  Growth  Training  (MGT)  and  the  Engineering  Leadership  Institute  (ELI)  to  take  our  SHPE  Professionals  to  the  next  level  in  their  careers.   

You’ll find the endorsement letter below.  Thank you Oscar, and thank you Martin!

Click Here to view the Endorsement Letter

Share on Facebook

By Manny Hernandez

As the conclusion of the SHPE elections approach, my stress level increases. Some of my friends try to help me but they do not seem to understand my worries and to be honest, it’s been hard to express them. On the surface, they think that my worries are about losing the election and they try to convince me that IF I were to lose this election I would win.

I would win more time and freedom to do the many things I have been postponing in my life, such as spending more time with my friends and family, riding my motorcycle, more skiing, playing more racquetball, and reading the pile of books I have not had a chance to.

Their words have no effect on me. So what is it then? Digging deeper I was able to find the right words. It was like finally finding a long sought piece in a difficult puzzle.

I am very worried about the future of SHPE. I realized that even after all the 20 plus years of work that I have put in to tryto  make it the great organization that it is, with all its faults, and all the great things that she offers us, there is a lot more to be done.

SHPE has done a lot for tens of thousands or people, but I know in my heart that it can do the same for hundreds of thousands of people. We can create the best Latino engineers and scientist in the nation. We ourselves can become the best engineers and scientists in the nation. But each of us cannot do it alone. We need SHPE. We need a stronger SHPE. We need her to be all that she can be.

My worry is that this bright future could be at risk.

Many of us have devoted a lifetime to this organization. We have carefully chosen the right strategies, the right governance models, the right problems to work on, and we have made the tough unpopular decisions, all with great results. Yet, a lot more remains to be done.

We have got momentum. Lots of changes are needed, yes but we cannot and should not go back to the dark days. I have lived through them and it would be a sin, even if unintentionally. While I respect the ideas and enthusiasm of my peer candidates, I am not convinced that they understand how easy it is to repeat the mistakes of our past.

Someone wise once said: “Those who do not know history are destined to repeat it”. I care too much for SHPE to see this happen.

Help me build the future of SHPE forward, not back.

Share on Facebook

By Melissa Villegas Drake

Please VOTE for Manny Hernandez!

The position of National President is the most challenging and critical position within SHPE.  I know this from personal experience having served as national president myself, 1995-1997.  SHPE is a much more complex organization today than when I was president.  The challenges are greater. The issues are more intricate and the solutions more elusive.

Manny Hernandez is the best candidate for SHPE President.

I met Manny Hernandez when I was serving as a committee chair for SHPE in the 1990’s and was immediately impressed by his commitment to the organization.  Manny has served SHPE in many capacities and has made SHPE a part of his life.  He believes strongly in what the organization promotes:  “Better Opportunities for Hispanic engineers”.  I have seen first-hand Manny’s growth as a leader within the organization.  He is without a doubt the best candidate for SHPE National President.  He is ready to lead.

One of Manny’s major focus areas is the SHPE National conference which he has championed, and has chaired over the last 20 years, including the SHPE 2009 conference, the most successful SHPE conference to date.  The SHPE national conference is our premier event and has enjoyed great success under Manny’s leadership over these years.  The national conference has the most impact on our membership, new and existing, as well as our corporate partners in that it serves as a showcase for our best Hispanic technical talent.  With Manny as National President, I am certain our conference will continue to enjoy great success.

Manny’s other passion has been the establishment of professional development programs.  He has championed these efforts longer than any other director on the national board.  Several SHPE members have attributed their career advancement to skills acquired and honed in these programs.  SHPE’s offering of these types of professional development programs has resulted in increased professional membership.  SHPE must continue to offer these programs for our member’s future career growth.  Manny is the only candidate that will make this a priority for SHPE.

Melissa Villegas Drake
Past National SHPE President
Lifetime Member
Tolleson Union High School Junior SHPE Chapter Advisor

Share on Facebook

This year’s SHPE elections are a fork in the road for the future of SHPE.  There is no doubt that SHPE has come a long way the past six years.  Our professional membership has grown from approximately 800 to nearly 1,800 currently, we have almost 10,000 total members, and we have the largest group of corporate sponsors ever at 55 companies.  This is the result of the efforts of many dedicated and committed people.

Our student leaders, our professional leaders, and our staff make the difference yet, a lot remains to be done.  Who will set the agenda and direction for our progress?

As in any organization, business or government, this is the responsibility of the President, so this means that YOU, with your vote will decide the future of SHPE. There are 3 candidates, with 3 different platforms but I believe I am the only one with the vision, the energy, and the experience to keep the momentum going and move SHPE forward.

Please vote, and when you do, vote for Manny Hernandez. Together, we will build the Future of SHPE.

Share on Facebook

By Manny  Hernandez

Why does SHPE’s new management structure matter to the chapters?  Why do I feel that our new management structure is important to SHPE’s future?

There are four important elements in governing and operating a Membership Organization, or any business for that matter: Strategy, Policy, Management, and Operations. The reality is that today the National Board of Directors (NBOD) spends most of it’s time on management and operations. All changes, big and small, require discussion and approval by the NBOD.

This is a slow process given that we are elected volunteers with limited free time and we only meet 6 or 7 times a year. What this means is that even small improvements requiring investment or changes in operational priorities take a long time to approve and implement.

So how does this affect the chapters? Let me describe one example: We have very talented members, and they have great ideas which they try to implement at the local level, and sometimes they need national support. This support is usually slow in coming by today’s standards.

That is one serious problem, but it does not end there.

These great ideas would benefit the other chapters as well, yet to transfer these great ideas and programs to the rest of SHPE would again require the intervention of the NBOD. A rapid change process requires the right strategy and policies that protect our mission and the nature of the organization but yet frees up our chapters and staff  to act on behalf of our members and our community.

To accomplish this, the National Board of Directors needs to spend it’s limited and therefore precious time defining strategies and setting these policies, and  delegate the management and operations to a skilled and experienced professional staff.

We are a great organization but we have the potential to be a National Force for the betterment of the Hispanic community. I believe that under this new structure SHPE can become a 100,000 plus members organization with 10 times the operating budget within the next 10 years. One can only imagine the benefits this could bring to our members and our community. This will mean that more of our children will become engineers and scientists and more Latinos will occupy the corner office, which then, will use their position to further SHPE’s mission, the Hispanic cause, and as President Obama recently stated, drive America’s future.

We began the journey towards this governance structure three years ago. We all believed we were on the right path and we started the transition, but we are not done yet, it will take the right leader to keep us on course and complete the transformation.  Someonewho does not understand this will end up hurting the organization, our community, and our country.

Share on Facebook

I am exceedingly encouraged by the news that the 2009 SHPE Executive Leadership Institute (ELI) passed a major hurdle this past Friday when 20 SHPE Members holding advanced management positions were selected to attend.

I was concerned that with the current economic environment, where professional development funds are being cut and similar programs offered by sister organizations are being canceled, that the program would not attract enough interest within the short deadline we established.

Having more than enough qualified applicants sign up in record time shows that SHPE has done a greatjob in designing a program that meets the needs of future executives. We have hit the mark again!

Even better news, we can still accommodate 10 more members. If you have the courage to aspire to some day occupy the corner office, and you meet the criteria for ELI, I encourage you to apply. And please also pass the word that this fine program is still accepting applications.

To find out more about ELI go to the SHPE website, at SHPE.org and click on the Events tab and then on ELI.

Manny Hernandez

Share on Facebook

By Rosemary Maguire

I have known Manny since 1984, with the good fortune to meet him while organizing a career fair for the Hispanic Engineering Organization at UNM. He was always very passionate about helping Latino engineering students get excellent job opportunities and continued to support them as they learned and grew into working professionals.  Of the many recruiting individuals I have met over the years, Manny consistently persevered in his quest to present excellent opportunities to the Latino student community and he remains steady in his perseverance today.

Much has taken place over the years, technologically speaking, and today Manny has raised the bar to new levels of achievement and aspirations to continue on his quest to further assist professionals and students alike to reach leadership levels within their companies and careers.  A veteran National Board Member (NBOD), Manny is very involved in plans to take SHPE to increased levels of excellence by providing tools to propel members to higher levels through the use of current technology.

Manny has always been an easy person to approach and speak with.  He has always entertained others ideas and continues to have a very open door policy in his current roles.  He realizes the importance of two minds being better than one and welcomes the opportunity to have dialogue and share ideas with other SHPE members.  I look forward to seeing the progress that SHPE will benefit from because of this passionate individual and his quest to provide excellent tools so that members can more easily network and grow.

Share on Facebook

By Leonard Abeyta

Manny Hernandez for President

I was elated when Manny told me he was running for President!  This is a very natural step for someone that has been a key leader over the last 20 years in the organization and has been the innovator and driver for many of SHPE most successful programs.  As a lifetime member of SHPE and a fellow National Board of Director I have seen his commitment and dedication first hand.  This started when I first met Manny as an undergraduate student at the University of New Mexico and over the years working with him and the rest of the board on numerous projects.

Many of our most successful programs can be attributed to his leadership.

·         Championed the creation of the Industrial Partnership Council (IPC) – This is one of the most important programs for SHPE today as it funds many of the programs for SHPE.

·         Created and implemented the SHPE Executive Director role –this was the organizational lead outside of the National Board of Directors until the creation of the CEO role a few years ago.

·         SHPE Professional Development Series

·         SHPE National Conference

• Manny has chaired or co-chaired the last 6 of the last 16 National SHPE conferences, and actively championed the rest.  If you have attended one of the events in the last 10 years you know these events have been top notch.
• Manny chaired the committee that proposed moving the national conference out of Los Angeles in 1991, a very important and difficult task.
• As in 1991, when a mature leader was required for a difficult task, Manny again rose to the occasion again to spearhead moving the conference from the winter to the fall, facing strong opposition, and it was a resounding success resulting in unprecedented growth.
• Oversaw a special project that became the framework for strategic planning of the conference in terms of site selection, vendor selection and programs.

·         Launched the SHPE Magazine – drove the efforts to change the format from a newsletter to a magazine to put us on the same level as other minority organizations and serve as a new source for revenue.

I can spend hours talking about all the great things that Manny has done for the organization but there is more to him than just accomplishments.  We all go thru life changes and some of us drop out of SHPE…NOT Manny Hernandez…. He has truly made SHPE a part of his life and consistently served in key roles.  His dedication and willingness to take SHPE in new directions when others may not have is a testament to his leadership.  I invite you to join me in supporting Manny Hernandez for President.

Manny is the only one who can do the job.

Share on Facebook