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01.12
Spotlight: On
James Howard, 2012 IEEE-USA President
BY GEORGIA C. STELLUTO
Q: Tell us a little about
yourself and your family, Jim.
A: I’m a father,
grandfather, husband and son. And I have been
married for more than 25 years. Our children and
grandchildren all live within 15 miles of us, as
do both my mother and mother-in-law. I was born,
raised and went to school in Florida, where I
have also worked my entire career. After
spending more than 23 years with Tampa Electric
Company (TECO) I was caught up in one of the
many downsizings the company went through.
Leaving TECO, I went to work at Lakeland
Electric, a municipal electric company owned and
operated by the City of Lakeland, Florida, where
I have worked for nearly nine years.
Q: What makes you happy?
A: Many things make me
happy: helping people, accomplishing goals I set
for myself, and having family near during the
holidays.
I am happy just spending time
with my wife sitting at home watching TV, or
taking a trip together.
Q: Describe your greatest
adventure or journey.
A: My wife and I, along
with another couple and one of our close
friends, rented a sailboat for a week in the
British Virgin Islands.
We spent the week sailing,
swimming, snorkeling and just relaxing. No
phones, no computers, no newspapers—just a great
week of fun, spending time with each other and
exploring the beautiful clear waters.
Q: Who is your favorite
author, and why?
A: I would have to say
Tom Clancy. He has a way of making you feel that
you are living the experiences he puts into
words, keeps your full attention, and makes you
anxious to get to the next paragraph or page in
each of his books.
Q: What is your favorite
food?
A: Seafood — in
particular, shrimp.
Q: What’s your greatest hope
for your year as IEEE-USA President in 2012?
A: My greatest hope for
the coming year is to find ways to communicate
to our members everything IEEE has to offer
them. That is just one of the many things I
really want to work on during my year as
IEEE-USA President.
Q: What misconceptions do
people have about engineers?
A: People tend to think
of engineers as geeks, but this is far from the
facts.
Engineers, just like all people, are all
different. Some are more technically
knowledgeable than others, while some are better
leaders, and still others are a little of both.
All engineers share a common goal of finding
solutions for the world’s problems—be that how
to provide better communications, or how to
provide low-cost energy for the world.
Q: Why do you volunteer for
the IEEE?
A: IEEE offers me the
opportunity to hone my management and leadership
skills, as well as my presentation and
negotiating skills.
The feeling of accomplishment
you receive from working with the dedicated
volunteers and the staff at IEEE is hard to
equal.
Q: Anything else you’d like
to tell our members?
A: I am looking forward
to working for and with each of our members. I
encourage all of you to get involved with your
IEEE sections, chapters and societies. Get the
full benefits of your membership!
Georgia C. Stelluto is
IEEE-USA’s publishing manager, editor-in-chief
of IEEE-USA in ACTION, and manager/editor
of IEEE-USA E-Books.
Comments may be submitted to
todaysengineer@ieee.org.
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