Honoring 50 Years of Black Excellence Engineered
This year, NSBE completed its yearlong 50th anniversary celebration, and what a celebration it was! From ringing the NASDAQ closing bell to being honored at the Library of Congress, from the historic Annual Convention in Chicago that brought together 18,000+ members, to the powerful commemoration on Founders Day at Purdue University where it all began: we didn’t just mark a milestone; we honored a movement.
The NSBE Legacy Museum brought our history to life in ways that moved me to tears more than once. Watching our four living founders — Tony Harris, George Antoin Smith, Brian Harris and Ed Coleman — stand alongside the families of those founders we’ve lost reminded me that NSBE was never just an organization. It has always been a family, a community, a force for change built by visionaries who refused to accept the status quo.
We closed FY24–25 with our highest revenue ever, our largest membership in history and unprecedented positive impact on our pre-college, collegiate and professional members. But numbers, while important, don’t capture the full story. The real measure of this year is in the thousands of young people who found their tribe, the hundreds of employers who found exceptional talent and the cross-generational community that continues to teach me what leadership truly means.
AI: Leading at the Intersection of Innovation and Equity
One of the most important lessons 2025 has taught me is that we cannot afford to be passive observers in the AI revolution. We must be active architects of an equitable future.
I’ve become an unapologetic user of and advocate for AI in my daily work, not because it’s trendy but because I’ve witnessed how these tools can level playing fields, accelerate learning and democratize access to knowledge. But I’m also acutely aware that without diverse voices at the table, AI risks amplifying the very inequities we’ve spent 50 years fighting against.
That’s why I’m so proud of NSBE’s strategic positioning in AI workforce development. Our pilot this year with Microsoft enabled us to provide AI training to our NSBE regional and national leaders during our National Leadership Conference, as well as our Professional attendees during the Professional Development Conference, and we’re actively designing the next phase of this work. , NSBE is committed to serving as trusted leader in AI in the engineering ecosystem, ensuring that our members, our community and Black Engineers broadly are not just users of AI but leaders in its development and governance.
The future of engineering is being written in code, and NSBE will ensure our community has authorship in that story.
New Responsibilities, Enduring Commitment
In February, I received one of the greatest honors of my career: election to the National Academy of Engineering. Standing in that room, signing the membership book alongside some of the world’s most accomplished engineers, I was reminded that this distinction comes with profound responsibility: to serve, to mentor, to advocate and to ensure that the doors others opened for me remain open for the next generation.
My appointment as a commissioner on the Maryland Aerospace and Technology Commission has been another opportunity to advance NSBE’s thought leadership at the state level, particularly as we prepare to host our members in Baltimore for the 2026 Annual Convention. These platforms aren’t about personal accolades; they’re about creating pathways for NSBE to influence policy, shape workforce development strategies and ensure our community is at the center of conversations about the future of engineering and technology.
Building Tomorrow’s Strategy, Together
Behind the scenes, I’ve had the privilege of serving as a thought partner to our national chair and the Strategic Planning Task Force. While we work as a collective, the authority to finalize and vote on this plan rests with our student leaders and National Executive Board, as it should. And I can assure you that the work is thoughtful, inclusive and deeply grounded in NSBE’s mission and values.
Thanks to one of our transformative partnerships, we’ve brought together WHQ staff, National Executive Board members and national advisors to lay the building blocks for a strategic plan that will guide us over the next three years. I’m excited about what’s emerging and grateful for the collaborative spirit that defines how we do this work at NSBE.
Leadership Lessons From a Cross-Generational Community
If 2025 has taught me anything, it’s that NSBE’s greatest strength lies in the beautiful collision of perspectives across generations. I’ve learned as much from our Gen Z collegiate leaders about authenticity and courage as I’ve taught about organizational strategy. Our professional members bring experience and wisdom. Our pre-college students remind us why this work matters. Our alumni carry our history forward.
This cross-generational exchange isn’t always easy. Different perspectives can create friction, but that friction generates heat; and heat forges strength. We are stronger because we span generations, stronger because we challenge each other, stronger because we refuse to settle for comfortable consensus when transformative change is what’s required.
Looking Ahead With Gratitude
As we close out 2025, I’m taking time to restore and refresh with my church, my family and my friends. This work — our work — is a marathon, not a sprint, and sustainable leadership requires intentional rest and renewal.
I’m looking forward to 2026 with renewed energy and deep commitment. I’m honored to continue serving NSBE, to work shoulder to shoulder with this remarkable community and to build on the foundation that 50 years of excellence has created.
NSBE family: thank you for your trust, your partnership and your relentless commitment to our mission. Those considering joining us: there has never been a better time to be part of this movement.
We are NSBE. We are stronger together. And we’re just getting started.
I wish you all a safe and peaceful holiday season.
With gratitude and resolve,
Janeen Uzzell
Chief Executive Officer
National Society of Black Engineers
