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2012-2013 SAWE International Elections are now open. Voting ends April 15, 2012. Click the link below to vote online.

If you are asked for a Token Number, enter your SAWE Member Number. Your SAWE Member Number is will be in the voter email sent to all current members or on the mailing label of the Conference Announcement and Officer Candidate material (US Members see important note below). For more information on where to find your SAWE Member Number, click here.

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2012-2013 Candidates for International Offices

President

Robert Zimmerman

Experience:

33 years Mass Properties Engineering
Mass Properties Lead, Targets and Countermeasures Programs, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company

2 years SAWE Executive Vice President
2 years SAWE Membership Chairman
6 years Rocky Mountain Chapter President
2 years Rocky Mountain Chapter Vice President
6 years Rocky Mountain Chapter Director
1 year Rocky Mountain Chapter Secretary

Accomplishments:

Mr. Zimmerman has a proven ability to improve the standing of mass properties engineers and the mass properties discipline. He has successfully realigned the emphasis within his organization to recognize the mass properties effort as essential to achieving mission success. Mr. Zimmerman has written papers and articles on a variety of mass properties topics, twice receiving the Mike Hackney Best Paper Award. His programs have been widely disseminated throughout his organization and the SAWE. He has been active in setting standards and practices and ensuring that the SAWE Mass Properties Handbook is accurate and correct. Mr. Zimmerman successfully created the SAWE Corporate Membership program. He convinced his organization to join as the first Gold Corporate Partner. Mr. Zimmerman is an ardent advocate of Mass Properties Engineering as a distinct and influential discipline and he actively mentors new engineers in the discipline. Mr. Zimmerman is a Fellow of the Society of Allied Weight Engineers.

Candidate Statement:

The Society of Allied Weight Engineers stands at a bellwether point – a new era is upon us with both dangers and opportunities. As the earth struggles with economic turmoil not seen in two generations, the technology that has sustained the world’s economies since the end of the Great Depression faces possible stagnation. Yet there is also a great opportunity out there for those who can take advantage of it. For our mobile world, increasing the efficiencies of our transportation and extraction services is the key to survival. To the Mass Properties Engineer, this means getting and keeping mass out of our projects, controlling the centers of gravity, and managing the moments of inertia in every subsystem. The lone Mass Properties Engineer stands little chance in our large and complex organizations of achieving these objectives.

The SAWE, through its combined membership and aggregate expertise, is precisely the resource that the lone Mass Properties Engineer, indeed, the individual mass properties group within any organization, requires to be able to effectively guide a project toward these objectives. In an age of austerity and corporate and government affordability initiatives, the ability to utilize proven methodologies as exemplified by the SAWE’s Standards and Practices, and resolve potential problems using the expertise embodied in the SAWE’s papers, Journals, handbooks, and textbooks can provide the difference that ensures success rather than failure.

As President, I will strive to enhance the prestige and power of the Society of Allied Weight Engineers through three initiatives.

First, the influence of the SAWE derives from its membership. Our individual membership numbers must expand through the recruitment of new mass properties engineers, the retention of those mass properties engineers who are already members, and the repatriation into SAWE those whose membership has lapsed. The SAWE Corporate Membership program is off to a good start. As President, I would encourage those companies whose mass properties engineers are individual members to join SAWE as company members or Corporate Partners. I would actively seek Corporate Partners from among the world’s premiere corporations in the fields of Aerospace, Marine, Automotive, and the Offshore industries.

Second, the SAWE Standards and Practices are on the road to becoming industry recognized Standards and Practices. As the SAWE President, I would press forward on to the goal of certification by ruling bodies, such as ANSI, of the SAWE Standards as the officially recognized Mass Properties Standards.

Third, the SAWE is the world’s foremost source of mass properties information. We have recently updated our by-laws to bring this resource into reach of all our members. As the state of the art advances, this technical treasure must keep pace. Therefore, it is my goal as President to improve and expand the technical library, training, and conferences to ensure that every SAWE member has the opportunity to reach his or her potential.

By electing me as your President, I choose to enhance our membership, promote the SAWE Standards and Practices, and improve our technical community. Join with me in ensuring that we do not stagnate but rather flourish in these uncertain times.

Executive Vice President

William "Bill" Boze

Education:

B. E., Naval Architecture, State University of New York, Maritime College
M.S., Engineering Management & RII Professional Certificate in System Engineering, Old Dominion University

Experience:

William Boze has over 30 years of ship design and shipbuilding experience in increasingly responsible positions. His experience encompasses concept design development, arrangements, naval architecture analyses, mass properties estimating and control, engineering structural analysis, structural closure design, hull outfitting, habitability, stowage, environmental safety and health, waterfront engineering support, and engineering software application development.

Accomplishments:

Member, Virginia Tech College of Engineering, Aerospace and Ocean Engineering Advisory Board
Fellow Member, Marine Vessel Government Industry Co-Chair, Education Committee Chair, Deputy to VP Technical & 2010 International Conference Co-Chair - Society of Allied Weight Engineers, Inc.
Member, Technical & Research Ship Design Committee and Weight Engineering Panel Chair – Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers/American Society of Naval Engineers
Member – Naval Technical Committee - American Bureau of Shipbuilding
Naval Architect Advisor – Newport News Shipbuilding Apprentice School Student Chapter of Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers
Marine Vehicle Weight Engineering, contributing author and editor, Society of Allied Weight Engineers, May 2007.
Ship Design and Construction, Chapter 12 Author, Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, 2004

Candidate Statement:

We face some tremendous challenges as a society of Mass Properties Engineers who serve various platform design and manufacturing entities or support these entities as vendors. Declining new acquisition orders, declining numbers of platforms in operation, reduced government and industry indirect funding, an aging workforce, and for the SAWE dwindling membership, conference attendance, technical papers, and revenue. Leaders are needed when times are good, but mostly when times are unfavorable. Since joining the SAWE, I have bolstered the Hampton Roads Chapter membership and involvement, increased the activities and standards produced by the Marine Standards Committee, provided conference corporate sponsorship, and supported the society in nearly every way that I can, with the exception of becoming an officer of the society. I am ready to take that leadership role now in order to preserve our legacy and position us for the future.

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT

Anthony J. "Primo" Primozich, P.E.

Education:
BSME, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, 2000
MSME, University of Dayton, 2004

Experience:

F-35A and F135 Engine Mass Properties Lead
11 Years in the Mass Properties field, working various programs however primary duties have been on F-35
Professional Engineer, Ohio, 2006

Accomplishments:

Kittyhawk Chapter: Secretary/Treasurer (2009-Present), Vice-President (2003-2005), President (2005-2007), Director (2007-2009)
Board of Directors Participant: Proxy (2005-2008, 2010-2011), Director (2007-2009)
Deputy Vice President - Conference Training (2009-Present), Online Training (2008-2009)
Presenter, “The Role of Mass Properties in US Air Force Mishaps,” 2006
Author, Paper #3494: "An Error Propagation Analysis of Small Engine Mass Properties Measurements," 2010
Military Aircraft Workshop, Panel Member 2006-2011, Acting Co-Chair 2011
International Conference Attendance, 2002-2011
Ed Payne Award, 2008
Fellow, 2011

Candidate Statement:

Since 2001, I have been a member of this fine organization, which has become very near and dear to me. I am currently part of a small but relatively active chapter, Kittyhawk, centered near Dayton, Ohio, where I have served as Secretary/Treasurer, Vice-President, President, and Director. During the past eleven years, I have had the pleasure of attending multiple International Conferences, participating as a training class student, author, presenter, Board of Directors representative, and a Military Aircraft Workshop panel member. In 2008, I was asked to serve as one of the Deputy Vice Presidents for Training. Since accepting the position, I have coordinated two very successful International Conference training slates and am in the process of coordinating another slate for the 2012 International Conference. In the midst of this participation and service to the membership, I have been honored to receive the Ed Payne Award (2008) and the title of Fellow (2011), both of which I am very proud. It is in this manner that I ask you to support me again as I seek to become your next Senior Vice President.

The role of Senior VP is no small undertaking. The Senior VP needs to be prepared to chair the Conference planning committee while assisting in the conference’s tentative budget. Likewise, the Senior VP needs to faithfully understand the needs of all of the conference stakeholders and be able to plan and organize an overall program that meets those needs. Additionally, the Senior VP needs to have the communication skills to advertise for current conferences and solicit for new conference bids while keeping the Board of Directors and the entire SAWE membership apprised of the details via email, teleconferencing, and newsletter/journal articles.

My experience with budgeting, planning, and executing the training programs over the past few years, as well as my active attendance and participation in previous conferences, suits me well for the tasks outlined in the operational manual as part of the duties for the Senior VP. I sincerely request that you select me, Anthony Primozich, as your next Senior Vice President. Thank you very much for your support.

Rick Watkins

Education:

MS Degree - Aerospace Engineering
University of Texas - Austin, 2004
BS Degree - Aerospace Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2002

Experience:

1 Year at Boeing Commercial Aircraft - Structural Design Engineer
1 Year at Spirit AeroSystems AeroStructures Division - Structural Design Engineer
2 Years at Altair Engineering - Technical Sales Application Engineer
4 Years at Altair Engineering - Account Manager / Business Development

Accomplishments:

Houston Chapter Member for 5 years
Houston Chapter Secretary for 1.5 years 2006-2008 (partial year)
Houston Chapter President in 2009
International Conference Chairman from 2008-2011
Houston Chapter President in 2011
Attended International Conferences in 2009, 2010, 2011
Attended Regional Conferences in 2008, 2009, 2010
Ed Payne Award in 2011

Candidate Statement:

It is inspiring to make things better.

As an engineer, I always enjoy seeing people achieve something new. Whether it is flying higher, drilling deeper, or sailing faster, the desire to advance and innovate is a shared aspiration amongst virtually all engineers and scientists.

The industries served by the SAWE have likewise demanded continuous improvement. The need for better products, faster development, and greater cost-efficiency is not new to us. However, new factors like global competition, harsh economics, and environmental impact have only served to accelerate those demands.

Greater demands add pressure (to sharpen our pencils?), but they also provide us with an excellent opportunity to highlight the important contributions made by the Mass Properties Engineering community. In addition to providing a place in which we can gain new skills and collectively expand our knowledge, I believe that the SAWE should also be involved in publicly emphasizing the critical role played by Mass Properties Engineers.

The largest forum for promoting our community, both internally and externally, is our annual conference. As the Chairman for the 2011 International in Houston, I gained first-hand knowledge of the challenges and joys of organizing an SAWE Conference. As Senior VP, my first priority would be to support the Host Chapters with that knowledge. In particular, the expanded use of technology like online registration is high on my list of “must-haves” for any future conferences.
Secondly, I believe that the Society should support the Host Chapters by helping to attract more attendees, sponsors, and recruiters to the International Conference. This extended support will not only financially benefit the Society, but also provide additional value and prestige to the membership.
In addition to being the Chairman of the 2011 International, I have been fortunate enough to serve the Houston Chapter of the SAWE as Secretary, President for two separate terms, and also receive the 2011 Ed Payne Award.
In the past few years, we have repeatedly seen what a great impact a small group of dedicated people can have on the world around them. The members of the SAWE have tremendous dedication, and we have a great message. I am excited to be running for the position of Senior Vice President this year and ask for your support.