Transformational leadership for a better IEEE is how I describe my vision for 2025. Working for “One IEEE” encapsulates the idea of this larger aspiration.
Together we have the opportunity to foster meaningful collaborations that enable us to be much more than the sum of our individual parts. While the organization’s focused technical and publishing efforts are central to our professional success and the advancement of technology, I believe there is also a need to collaborate more broadly, strategically, and effectively, particularly to support the next generation. This is vital for ensuring IEEE remains an integral part of the future.
IEEE is unique not only for its past achievements but also for its immense potential to be a leader in advancing technology for humanity on a global scale. I would like IEEE and its members to feel empowered to act on our mission. The organization brings together leading experts who drive significant efforts in education, public policy, climate change, history, and humanitarian technology. These are critical public imperative activities where our collective impact is essential.
Our individual motivations may differ—based on the diverse stages of our careers, our areas of focus, and our fields of interest—but we all share a unified mission. Personally, I see myself as an integral part of several professional homes within the “One IEEE” framework—each working to advance technology for humanity yet each serving distinct technical communities and perspectives.
Success is a journey
My own IEEE journey began when I was an undergraduate at Loyola Marymount University, in Los Angeles, where I first discovered my technical community. As a graduate student at Caltech, my experience evolved. I was driven by new motivations and opportunities, including my first paper publication, attending my first IEEE conference, and my initial volunteer involvement with technical societies.
As a professor of electrical engineering at the University of San Diego, my professional home in the city provided me with connections and support for new leadership opportunities.
Throughout my journey, I have come to deeply appreciate IEEE’s unique strength: the vast array of opportunities to contribute meaningfully to the engineering profession while also helping others through our technical resources.
That is what has continued to drive me, whether it be volunteering for my local section and as an officer of a society, attending conferences, publishing, working to advance public policy, or taking on a leadership role in advancing accreditation criteria for university engineering programs on behalf of IEEE.
One of my greatest joys of serving as president is the opportunity to contribute to the global and strategic advancement of our technical communities, helping to elevate their importance on a broader scale.
A new strategic plan
The IEEE Strategic Plan 2025–2030 provides a North Star for us to act on our long-standing mission to advance technology for the benefit of humanity. Together with the organization’s steadfast mission, vision, and core values, the plan will guide the organization’s priorities for the next five years.
I am pleased to share the strategic goals for 2025 through 2030, which are aimed at reinforcing IEEE’s position as a trusted leader in technology. These goals focus on driving ethical and innovative technological advancements, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, inspiring future generations of technologists, engaging the public more effectively, and supporting technology professionals throughout their careers.
From now through 2030, IEEE will:
● Advance science and technology as a leading trusted source of information for research, development, standards, and public policy.
● Drive technological innovation while promoting scientific integrity and the ethical development and use of technology.
● Provide opportunities for technology-related interdisciplinary collaboration, research, and knowledge sharing across industry, academia, and government.
● Inspire intellectual curiosity and support discovery and invention to engage the next generation of technology innovators.
● Expand public awareness of the significant role that engineering, science, and technology play across the globe.
● Empower technology professionals in their careers through ongoing education, mentoring, networking, and lifelong engagement.
Work on the next phase is ongoing and is designed to guide the organization in cascading the goals into tactical objectives to ensure that organizational unit efforts align with the holistic IEEE strategy. Aligning organizational unit strategic planning with the broader IEEE Strategic Plan is an important next step.
In delivering on its strategic plan, IEEE will continue to foster a collaborative environment that is open, inclusive, and free of bias, and will continue to sustain the strength, reach, and vitality of our organization for future generations and ensure our vitality as a 501(c)(3) public charity.
These strategic goals are well aligned with my own priority of “Working for One IEEE” as president. My commitment to all of you—the volunteers and members who are the heart and soul of IEEE—is to empower the success of our technical communities, globally and locally, by sharing and fostering technical knowledge to enhance our members’ professional lives.
I am deeply motivated by the opportunity for transformational leadership—not just for myself but for all of us. Together we can empower success and shape a brighter future for IEEE and the world.
I look forward to working with all of you to leverage the power of One IEEE to increase the impact of our global mission to advance technology for humanity.
—Kathleen Kramer
IEEE president and CEO
Please share your thoughts with me: [email protected].
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