The STLE Board of Directors approved a freshly updated STLE Strategic Plan for 2023-2026. This strategic plan is based upon the same structure as its 2020-2023 version, but it is more bold and ambitious in each of our four domains of focus: Professional Development, Technology and Innovation, Communications and Advocacy, and Organizational Excellence.
We as an STLE community should celebrate the conclusion of our 2020-2023 Strategic Plan period. The COVID-19 pandemic challenged us in many ways, but it did not spoil our efforts and results. STLE established a leadership position in the electric vehicle (EV) tribology space by hosting two stand-alone hybrid EV technology conferences, creating a new EV technology educational course and filling EV technical sessions at our annual meetings. We created new virtual technical content delivery options, including STLE Industry Insights presentation and discussion meetings. STLE expanded TLT content with STLE members-only bonus content for each issue. STLE Annual Meeting attendance bounced back to pre-pandemic levels in Orlando, Fla., (2022) and Long Beach, Calif. (2023). The STLE Scholarship and Investments for the Future Fund program was created, and STEM was reinvigorated with an excellent program for local high school students in Long Beach. A fourth edition of the STLE Emerging Trends report is on the way. And there are so many other achievements to share…
Looking forward to the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan, STLE seeks to continue our 80-year legacy of fulfilling our connect-learn-achieve value proposition. We will expand our educational resources to grow the body of knowledge that defines competency in our field. We will create awareness amongst members and employers about the unique value of STLE certifications. We will continue to optimize the mix of virtual and in-person content delivery. We will continue to commission subject matter expert studies, targeted at the most exciting and cutting-edge areas of our field. We will invest for the future with expanded scholarship opportunities for college students and increased STEM activity in schools. We will improve our outreach and strengthen our STLE Corporate Membership program. We will host the greatest, can’t miss, in-person and virtual meetings in our field. We will focus on our members first and seek to connect them to forge lifelong professional networks.
But there is more. New for this plan are the inclusion of stretch goals in each of our four domains. Stretch goals are not supposed to be easy, right? For example, we will investigate the need and market for micro-certifications and alternative certification structures in our field. We will revisit the idea of STLE as a facilitator and publisher of professional standards and best practice guidelines for our field. We will improve our “personal touch” and outreach to all membership categories, with an eye on welcoming underrepresented groups to our community. We will monitor our progress in the strategic domains with key performance indicators and modern data analytics.
Together, we will make these strategic plans a reality. I invite you to volunteer and participate in the journey!
Sincerely,
Ryan Evans
The Timken Company
2022-2023 STLE President
ryan.evans@timken.com
STLE 2023 - 2026 Strategic Plan