Region 7 Life Member Chair, Terry Branch shares his reflections on his engagements and activities of the past 12 months.
In his own words, Terry emphasizes the importance of Life Members as influencers who possess a wealth of knowledge, experience, and wisdom that they can share with Young Professionals, Women in Engineering, and Students. He notes that his life has become even busier since becoming a Life Member, particularly due to his involvement in volunteering activities. Terry finds fulfillment in mentoring and engaging with first-year students in the Engineering and Strategy Program (ESP) at the University of Toronto (U of T).
Over the past year, Terry has been actively involved in the ESP program with the U of T students, serving as a judge at the U of T UTEK 2023 Senior Design Competition and providing mentorship. In addition, he has assumed positions of leadership. For instance, he headed the logistics team for an annual family day festival, a prominent community gathering that attracted over 5,000 participants. Furthermore, he proudly serves as the Vice Chair of the Oakville Community Association (OCA), representing his beloved hometown. In this role, he has delivered presentations at town council meetings regarding planned projects for the town.
Terry is highly active in the IEEE Hamilton Section, where he is a member. Recently, he conducted an interactive session on electrical risk assessment in the context of the Canadian Standard CSA Z463 for the maintenance of electrical systems. He also actively participates in the Canadian Electric Code and the CSA Z463 standard committees. Additionally, Terry is selective in his active participation in IEEE standards review. He continues to be involved in the workplace, delivering workshops on arc flash and electrical risk management to industrial facilities.
One of Terry’s notable contributions is his involvement in planning the inaugural Life Members Conference, which is scheduled for April 14-16, 2024, in Austin, Texas. He serves as the Vice Chair of the conference planning committee.
Following the success of the Multigenerational Congress in September 2022, and inspired by the IEEE Region 7 Members Service Group (MSG) Chair, Terry is spearheading a project called the Knowledge Based Community (KBC), in collaboration with leads and other members from the Young Professionals, Women in Engineering, and Students’ groups of the IEEE Region 7. The main objective of the KBC is to facilitate meaningful involvement of students by offering them resources and assistance for their professional growth. To promote this initiative, the KBC committee prepared flyers that were distributed during the 2023 Sections Congress. The aim was to raise awareness about the KBC and encourage students to participate actively in the community.
Despite his busy schedule, Terry always makes time for his grandchildren, whom he considers to be a source of delight, inspiration, and motivation in his life. Playing with his grandchildren helps him maintain a balance between his volunteering activities, work commitments, and other passions.
In his concluding remarks, Terry clarifies that his intention in sharing his experiences is not to impress Life members and others but to emphasize the significant and fulfilling responsibility of Life members supporting and engaging with younger generations. He believes that if one is healthy, it is immensely rewarding to aid the younger generation in overcoming challenges, boosting their confidence, and encouraging them on their journey towards achieving their goals.
