Meet a Board Member: Amanda Erickson, 2016-2017 President

In June, members of SMPS Seattle voted to approve the 2016-2017 Board of Directors. Stay tuned to learn more about our board members, and don’t miss the Kick-Off Party on September 15th where you’ll get the chance to meet them in person and learn more about plans for the year ahead.

Meet Amanda Erickson, who will be serving as SMPS Seattle’s Chapter President.

Name: Amanda Erickson

Company: Sellen Construction

SMPS Position: President

Years with SMPS: 4

What excites you the most about the coming 2016-2017 SMPS year?
I’m really excited to be your president! I have spent the past year preparing for it and am ready to take on the challenges it will bring. This year, our board will strive to take everything our chapter does to the next level so we can continue to improve and focus on providing our members with more value. I want the Seattle chapter to be a welcoming, motivating and leading industry resource for all our members and the Seattle A/E/C community.

What made you want to be an SMPS Seattle board member?
I really enjoyed the volunteer work I was doing with the Special Events Committee and saw an opportunity to get involved at a higher level. I wanted to not only continue the great work the chapter had done but also be in a position to progress it.

What goals do you have for SMPS Seattle?
Wow – where do I begin? I have so many goals on so many levels for SMPS – goals for my personal SMPS career (yes, such a thing exists!); goals for our board; goals for our members; and goals for our chapter years down the road. I really can’t even begin to list them all here, but I will encourage you to attend the Kick-Off on Sept. 15 and read my first blog post (coming soon!) to gain a better understanding of the board’s goals for our chapter.

What do you love most about SMPS?
SMPS provides me with the opportunity to take things on that I don’t have in my day job. By being on the SMPS board, I’m involved in high-level strategic planning and am making daily decisions on behalf of our nearly 250 members. SMPS has offered me leadership and learning opportunities that I wouldn’t have otherwise. Plus – I love the people! SMPS has introduced me to people that I hope will be life-long friends.

What is your favorite town/city in the world? Why?
Tough question! I’m going to go rogue and say I have two favorite areas. First is Southwest Colorado, which hosts my hometown of Durango, one of my all-time favorite towns of Telluride and hands-down some of the best scenery and outdoor adventures in the country. The second is Door County, Wisconsin – Wisconsin’s “thumb” that’s surrounded by Lake Michigan and Green Bay. Wisconsin may seem dull, but I grew up vacationing here and you’ll be hard pressed to find better sunsets, road biking, beaches, ice cream, and cheese anywhere else!

If you could invite four famous people to dinner, who would you choose and why?
Let’s see, I’m going to go with … Barack Obama, Hilary Clinton, James Corden, Justin Timberlake and Leonardo DiCaprio (I’d have to invite five because I highly doubt everyone’s schedules will match up!) No explanation needed.