IEEE Region 5

Director's Corner

Directors Corner
Is it August already? One thing I’ve learned in this role is that summer might be what some would consider the ‘slow’ time of year for IEEE – but not in Region 5!
June ended with our IEEE Board Series in Chicago. Myself and Director Elect Chrisopher Sanderson attended meetings with IEEE MGA, IEEE-USA and the IEEE Board.
In July and August, I had the privilege of attending events with members of the sections across the North, South and West:

• Denver Area Meetup – Thank you to Nur Umar, Lucy Talley, Jim Sipes and David Bondurant for meeting up while I was in the Denver Area!
• Houston NSBE Scholarship Gala – It was a true honor and pleasure to share an evening with the Houston Section Excom, and honoring Christopher Sanderson for his contributions to NSBE in the Houston Area!
• Oklahoma City Section Meetup – Thank you Oklahoma City leadership for a wonderful evening with our IEEE friends, and a chance to meet with the new OU student branch leadership!

As fall is ready to kick-off, we are not slowing down! Region 5 is co-sponsoring PCIC 2025 in Dallas Texas, Sept. 22-25 . We have the Transformers Leadership Academy in November, and sections are planning events throughout the fall. Be sure to stay tuned on Vtools and through the IEEE App!
Finally – fall is Elections Season! Local units will be kicking of their election planning soon, as highlighted in this article. In addition, the IEEE election for major officers begins August 15th. Director-elect, 2026-2027 for Region 5 is on the ballot! Please learn more about our two outstanding candidates, Ian MacMillan and David Bondurant, at the IEEE Elections Site , and through our recorded Director-Elect Candidate Forum, now available for live streaming!

Region at a Glance

Region 5 includes 27 sections spanning Colorado to Missouri, Texas to Louisiana.
From January to date, we have had over 600 events, putting us as the third most active region in the North America.
I would like to congratulate our top 10 sections and units – Each has had well over 10 events this year so far, spanning technical, professional, social and administrative activities. As you can see, Central Texas and Lone Star Sections are neck in neck for the lead as most active sections. And check out Texas State University student branch, with 25 activities so far this year!
Remember, there is still time to get on the leader board! As we head into the fall, now is time to start planning your activities. Make sure you keep up with your https://events.vtools.ieee.org/ unit reporting so we can have the latest data to share!
Thank you to Case Kirk, R5 STEM coordinator for these amazing dashboards and visualizations, currently being implemented for all of IEEE thanks to a MGA priority project.

NSBE Gala honors Director-Elect Christopher Sanderson

NSBE honored IEEE Region 5 Director-elect Christopher Sanderson at its Royal Affair Fundraising Gala on July 26, 2025, in Houston, Texas. NSBE celebrated his "dedication to organizational growth and passion for empowering leaders" throughout his over 20 years' career as an operations expert and IEEE leader.

Region 5/6 Joint Collaboration with Pixar featured in Spectrum

In fall of 2024, IEEE Regions 5 and 6 collaborated with Pixar Animation Studios on a special event – the RenderMan Art Challenge. This annual competition allows creators from around the world to utilize Pixar’s Renderman software to portray a scene around a special theme – and for 2024, the theme was Sci/Tech, sponsored by IEEE!
Working with IEEE Educational Activities Staff member Robert Schneider, IEEE Region Director Matt Francis (R5), Past IEEE Region Director Kathy Herring-Hayashi (R6) teamed up this year with Leif Pedersen of the RenderMan team to compile this retrospective on the 2024 Art Challenge collaboration for IEEE Spectrum that discusses the opportunities – and fun – at the intersection of science/technology and art. The article is a great read for everyone, from professionals wanting to learn more about the history of Pixar, to students and young professionals exploring career paths in technology. Be sure to check out the Spectrum Article!

MetroCon 2025

Keep an eye out for registration opening soon for IEEE MetroCon 2025!
The IEEE Fort Worth Section, in collaboration with IEEE Region 5, proudly presents IEEE MetroCon 2025, taking place on November 13, 2025, in Hurst, Texas. This premier annual conference brings together professionals and innovators to explore the latest developments across eight key engineering and technology tracks:
Software & Systems Engineering
Cybersecurity and Privacy
Power & Energy Systems
Quantum, AI, and Computational Intelligence
Biotechnologies
Autonomous and Vehicle Systems
Photonics
Professional Development
We invite all Region 5 members and professionals to attend this impactful conference and help shape the future of our field.

PCIC 2025

Region 5 is thrilled to co-sponsor and host PCIC 2025 in the vibrant city of Dallas, TX, September 22-24, 2025, and the conference tutorials will be held on September 25! Get ready for the annual IEEE IAS-PCIC Conference—a dynamic gathering of top electrical professionals focused on cutting-edge innovations in installations, operations, and safety.

IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC)

IEEE GHTC focuses on technology for the benefit of humanity. This cross-disciplinary annual conference provides the perfect venue for those interested in humanitarian engineering to join their peers in October 2025 at the Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado USA
The 15th IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (IEEE GHTC 2025) is a flagship international conference sharing effective approaches, best practices, and practical and/or scholarly technology-enabled interventions that address the needs of underserved communities in resource-constrained environments around the world. This year IEEE GHTC 2025 will highlight and explore “Technologies in Context” as its annual theme. This theme encourages authors to assemble diverse teams including community members articulating the need and/or desire for technology, relevant policymakers, and/or interdisciplinary academic teams to describe their technological intervention in social, cultural, environmental, economic, and/or political contexts. Submissions should discuss work done and interventions designed to address resource-constrained and/or development contexts, build local capacity, promote local involvement through decolonial and critically conscious practices, provide educational opportunities and connectivity, and/or create equitable and just access to water, energy, and food with minimal negative impact on the planet and environment.

IEEE-USA Awards

IEEE-USA Awards - Nominate a Colleague from Mar 15 - Sept 15 IEEE-USA Awards celebrate exceptional leaders who have made remarkable contributions to the engineering and technology community. If this describes you, or someone you know, now is the perfect time to get that nomination ready, or find someone to nominate you. Nominations open on April 1 and go through September 15, 2025.

MGA News

Available through the MGA Scoop: https://mga.ieee.org/news

IEEE-USA N&A

We encourage all members to consider applying for available positions within IEEE-USA
IEEE USA N&A

IEEE EA N&A

IEEE Educational Activities is currently accepting candidate applications and nominations for 2026 committee positions (representative, committee chair, committee member, and liaison positions), until September 30, 2025. Learn about available positions and submit nominations here: EA Nominations & Appointments . Available positions include:
IEEE Educational Activities Board Treasurer
Member and Geographic Activities (MGA) Board, Region 1- 6 Representative
Member and Geographic Activities (MGA) Board, Region 7-10 Representative
Standards Association Representative (SA)
Technical Activities Board (TAB) Representatives
Committee Chairs or Members

• Continuing Education Committee (CEC)
• Credentialing Program Committee (CPC)
• Educational Products Editorial Committee (EPEC)
• University Resources Committee (URC)
• Engineering Projects in Community Service Committee (EPICS) in IEEE
• Pre-University Education Coordinating Committee (PECC)
• Awards & Recognition Committee (ARC)
• Section Education Outreach Committee (SEOC)

Educational Activities Liaisons for:

• IEEE Conference Committee
• IEEE Future Directions Committee (FDC)
• IEEE Member Engagement and Life Cycle Committee (MELCC)
• IEEE Publication Services and Products Board (PSPB)
• IEEE Technical Activities Board/PSPB Products and Services Committee
• IEEE Humanitarian Technologies Board (HTB)
• IEEE Industry Engagement Committee
• IEEE Al Coalition

Shaping the Future: The Inaugural IEEE R5 Transformers Academy

The IEEE R5 Transformers Academy is a leadership initiative designed to bridge generations by uniting experienced veterans and dynamic emerging professionals. Its mission is to foster collaboration and co-create solutions that advance technology for the benefit of humanity.

Over a focused weekend (14-16 November, 2025), participants will engage in mentorship and work in interdisciplinary teams. We are looking for individuals—from established leaders to rising stars—who have implemented innovative solutions or taken on the mantle of leadership. Whether you are an established leader or a rising star, we encourage you to apply.

Participation in this inaugural year is extremely limited, and the selection process operates on a rolling admissions basis.

Multiple Avenues for Support

We believe in a strong network of support. We have many avenues for getting involved, from industry to IEEE Organizational Units (OUs). This program is made possible by the dedicated support from our community.

• What: IEEE R5 Transformers Academy
• When: November 14 - 16, 2025
• Where: DFW Area

Learn More and Apply

To learn more about the program, find out about sponsorship opportunities, and submit your application, please visit:

https://r5.ieee.org/conferences/ieee-transformers-academy/

IEEE Elections

The IEEE Annual Election balloting starts on 15 August 2025 and ends at 12:00 p.m. ET (16:00 UTC-04) on 1 October 2025. Please note that the Region 5 Director-Elect position is on the ballot, as well as the 2026 IEEE President-Elect position and several other international positions.
Find out more here: https://www.ieee.org/about/corporate/election

RazorHack

Learn about RazorHack, a weekend long jeopardy-style capture-the-flag cybersecurity competition where ambitious students and professionals connect. https://www.razorhack.org