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Co-located with VTC2025-Spring, VTS Chapters Coordinator Alon Newton and VTS VP—Membership Neeli R. Prasad held a Chapter Chairs training event on 17 June 2025 at the Oslo Congress Center in Oslo, Norway.
The full-day course was launched by VTS Junior Past President Weihua Zhuang, and Neeli R. Prasad. Chapter Chairs and Officers from Regions 1-9 gathered to share their experiences, learn the latest information on best practices, and gain training on IEEE systems.
VTS Historian and Vancouver Section Chapter Chair David Michelson presented a brief history of the Society, recounting VTS’ development over 75 years, and providing a perspective on current culture. Galveston Bay Section Joint Chapter Chair S. Zafar Taqvi shared best practices garnered from his experience as Joint Chapter Chair, as well as a number of volunteer roles with the IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society (AESS), including Chapter Chair Coordinator and Board of Governors Member-at-Large.
Alon Newton ran training sessions on a number of IEEE-wide tools used to manage and assist chapters, including IEEE vTools and OU Analytics for chapter management; Robert’s Rules for conducting meetings; and IEEE REACH, TryEngineering, and the IEEE Learning Network (ILN) for member development and youth outreach. He also lead a group activity focusing on STEM and developing youth-level engagement in VTS' fields of interest.
Neeli R. Prasad conducted development programs in public speaking, presenting, and networking techniques; as well as an information session on the VTS Distinguished Lecturer and Distinguished Speaker Program, which provides a liaison database and financial support to host VTS-vetted technical experts at chapter events.
The next Chapter Chair Training will be held for Region 10 Chairs and Officers in October at VTC2025-Fall, set to take place in Chengdu, China.
Standing, from left to right: Alon Newton, Andrew Silver (Dallas Section Chapter Vice Chair), Mario Porru (Italy Section Chapter Chair), Neeli R. Prasad, Mohammed E Eltayeb (Sacramento Valley Joint Section Chapter Vice Chair), and Igal Bilik (Israel Section Chapter Chair) Sitting, from left to right: Vyasa Sai (Sacramento Valley Joint Section Chapter Chair), Stephen Okwiri (Kenya Section Joint Chapter Chair), S. Zafar Taqvi, and Osama Mohammed (Miami Section Joint Chapter Chair)
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