Sofia Russi Selected as New YP Liaison to AIAA Board of Trustees Written 16 March 2017

by Lawrence Garrett, AIAA Web Editor

Sofia Russi, a mechanical engineer for Denmar Technical Services in Las Vegas, NV, and an AIAA member since 2002, has been selected as the new Young Professional (YP) Liaison to the AIAA Board of Trustees.  Her term begins in May 2017 and ends in May 2019.

A US Air Force ROTC Distinguished Graduate of San Diego State University (SDSU), with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aerospace Engineering, Russi went on to earn her Master of Science Degree in Systems Engineering from the US Air Force Institute of Technology, while serving on active duty as an engineer. Following her tenure in the Air Force, Russi served as an Integration Engineer for the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) at Bigelow Aerospace, LLC.

Throughout her AIAA membership, Russi has helped build section websites, improve overall communication, and has created new events focused on YPs. Russi has been actively involved in the San Diego, Cape Canaveral, Utah and Las Vegas AIAA sections.

The primary reasons Russi was selected as the new YP Liaison, as cited by the Young Professional Liaison Selection Committee, include her active-duty experience in the Air Force, her wide range of involvement in AIAA sections,  her experience at a small aerospace company, and her impressive interview performance.

Russi has stated that her primary goals as the YP Liaison will be "to encourage more people in the YP age group to become a member, maintain their membership, increase YP participation, and to be actively involved at the different levels (Section, Region, National, and International) AIAA has to offer."

She noted that as the AIAA YP Liaison she intends to mentor younger leadership candidates and encourage them to "participate in the changes of evolution of the organization," help foster "better interfaces between sections and national," and assist in "creating a solid foundation of the skills necessary to be good leaders and mangers at an early age,"  pointing out that by doing so, AIAA will provide YPs with the necessary time to improve upon those needed skills through their professional experiences.

If you are a YP and have thoughts or suggestions for this group, please email Sofia at srussi@denmartech.com.