Collegiate Region 1

Hello Region FIRST!

My name is Jamel Usen, an Electrical Engineer at University at Buffalo, and I am honored to serve as your 2026–2027 Region I Chairperson.

Region I has always carried a special legacy within NSBE. We are Region FIRST, a region built on leadership, innovation, and a willingness to push NSBE’s mission forward. From being home to historic NSBE firsts to developing generations of leaders, that legacy is something we should be proud of but it is also something we must continue to build upon.

This year, we move forward with One FIYAH.

No matter your chapter, zone, country, classification, or experience in NSBE, we are one Region I family. Our success depends on our ability to support one another, strengthen our chapters, and move with a shared purpose.

That vision drives our 2026–2027 Regional Initiative:

BCI — BUILD. CONNECT. INNOVATE.

BUILD means strengthening the foundation of Region I. We will build stronger chapters, stronger leaders, and stronger relationships between our Regional Executive Board and the members we serve. We will work to strengthen existing chapters, reactivate those that have lost momentum, develop future leaders, increase our membership, and provide chapters with the resources necessary to succeed. But BUILD is about more than numbers. We are building the next generation of NSBE.

CONNECT means remembering that NSBE’s greatest resource has always been its people. Region I should feel connected beyond conferences. Our members should know one another, our chapters should collaborate with one another, and our zones should feel like communities rather than boundaries on a map. We will create more opportunities for members to connect with other chapters, professionals, companies, community organizations, alumni, and one another. From chapter visits and zone programming to partnerships and regional events, we want every member to know that there is a network behind them.

INNOVATE means challenging ourselves to think beyond what Region I has traditionally been. Engineering is changing. Technology is changing. Our communities are changing. NSBE must continue evolving with them. We will encourage new programming, new partnerships, new professional pathways, and new ideas from our membership. We want Region I members to see that engineering can take them anywhere from aerospace and technology to entrepreneurship, finance, medicine, law, research, public service, and industries that have yet to be created. Some of Region I’s greatest ideas are sitting within our chapters right now.

But BCI is bigger than the Regional Executive Board. It is a challenge to every member:

What will you BUILD?
Who will you CONNECT?
How will you INNOVATE?

We have an opportunity this year to strengthen our foundation while creating something the next generation of Region I members can build upon.

Let’s show NSBE what happens when Region FIRST moves with One FIYAH.

One Region. One Mission. One FIYAH.

With FIYAH,

Jamel Usen
2026–2027 Region I Chairperson
National Society of Black Engineers
r1chair@nsbe.org