Tampa Bay Engineers Week Banquet

This Engineers Week, the engineering societies of the Tampa Bay area will be hosting the annual Tampa Bay Engineers Week Banquet on, February 22, 2024, at the Bryan Glazer Family JCC.

This premier event brings together local leaders and engineering professionals to recognize the outstanding achievements of Engineers, Science Teachers, Math Teachers, and Students in our community.

Additionally, awards will be presented to outstanding engineers in each discipline, as well as local engineering students excelling in their engineering related studies and Young Professionals. The banquet also features the Lignell Awards. These awards, named after a former Chairman for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), are given to local High School educators who are performing outstanding work in the instruction of the STEM topics (science, technology, engineering and math). The organizers of the event recognize the important role these individuals play in encouraging students to pursue technological degrees in college.

The banquet is a combination of efforts by all the Enginering Societies of West Central Florida  This event brings together professionals in all fields from all around Tampa and Florida’s west coast.

Keynote Speaker: SaLisa L. Berrien

SaLisa L. Berrien, Founder and CEO of COI Energy, has over twenty-five years of experience in the electric power and smart grid space. From working in vertically integrated utilities (PP&L and PECO Energy) prior to deregulation to ConEdison Solutions a deregulated energy services company, and then on to Smart Grid, Clean Tech, Big Data Analytics, and SaaS Solutions, SaLisa has had a diverse career in the energy space. In her early career, she sold the first electric vehicle (G-Van) in the NE region. She later went on to help EnerNOC move to #1 Demand Response company in the industry.

COI Energy developed a hardware-enabled software solution that pulls data in real-time from buildings.  By using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, customers gain insights from predictive analytics before they waste energy thereby helping to balance the electric grid. She believes if you do the right thing for your customers, they will remember you for that. She and COI Energy practice the Platinum Rule, “Do unto your customer as they would have you to do unto them.”

SaLisa is also the Founder and Board Chair of STRIVE Inc. A 501c3 charitable organization founded in 1995 that focuses on STEM leadership development training for students in 3rd through 12th grades. In 2013, she established the COI Ladder Institute to focus on delivering leadership and empowerment services to millennials and women. Annually, COI Ladder Institute hosts a LeanIn conference in Martha’s Vineyard.

Since 1996, SaLisa established over 50 scholarship funds for high school and college students. Her first scholarship was named in honor of her maternal and paternal grandparents for paving the way so that she might have a better chance at life. In 2004, she established the Karl H. Lewis Engineering Impact Endowment at her alma mater for students of African descent enrolled in Engineering.

SaLisa holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and an Executive MBA from Saint Joseph’s University.

One of SaLisa’s core values is philanthropy. She believes that to whom much is given, much is required. Her mission in life is to positively impact the space she occupies by leaving it better off than it was when she found it.

Who: Engineers of Florida’s West Coast, Family and Friends

When:
February 22, 2024

Where: Bryan Glazer Family JCC
522 N Howard Ave, Tampa, FL 33606

Time: 
4:30 PM – 6:30 PM Networking & Exhibition
            6:30 PM – 9:00 PM Dinner Program & Awards

Cost: 
Early Bird: $90 per person after Jan 15 $100

Dress: 
Cocktail/ Evening Attire