Hi, I’m Pam Wilkinson. I am a retired outreach coordinator from the University of Arizona. I joined the SME in 2009 so that I could extend my outreach program to more people than I had before.
Will
I’m Will Wilkinson, retired VP Exploration for Freeport-McMoRan. I was the 2009 SME President. I currently serve on the SME Foundation Board of Trustees.
Our first date was at the Arizona Conference SME meeting. That was in December of 1981. December of 1982, we got married. So come to SME, you'll meet the love of your life.
Will
I did not join SME as a student member, like so many people do, but I joined once I had my first job and my boss highly recommended that I join SME, and I did. And I've been a continuous member for I can't remember how many years.
Pam
And I didn't join until after I was doing active outreach and started coming to SME and getting involved in the Gem Committee, and then being part of the group that merged Gem and MII. So, it's the educational aspect, letting people know how important mining is and how valuable it is to our lives. I am a geologist. I did exploration and industrial minerals and I'm a teacher, so I did both. And I merged those. SME helped me do that!
Will
And you joined in 2009 so you could have my signature on your membership card.
Pam
That is true.
Will
I think one of the things that's changed a lot other than the growth of the Society, the annual meetings are bigger, there's a lot more technical presentations, there's a lot more networking. Over the years, we've put a lot of focus into student members and younger members and then retaining those young members once they get out of school. So now we see a lot more young people around, and the young people of today are much more willing to put themselves out there and get involved. So, we're seeing a lot of young people on committees in the Society, and I think that's great.
Pam
I agree with that. I think that that's the one thing that is very exciting to see, the engagement that the young people have at a much higher level than I think I ever would have been thinking about in my early career days. It wouldn't have occurred to me to become an officer in one of the committees or in one of the divisions. We're seeing that and people we're seeing coming along are awesome, absolutely awesome.
You know, it's an industry that's pretty small, and it's an industry that is so vibrant and so in need. So it's good to see really, really good activity from the young people. And so, we know that we're going to leave the Society in really good hands.
Pam
This is my million-dollar question for anyone. It's a question that you can go out and you can, if you know the answer to it, get yourself a free drink at the bar. “Ask someone to name something that they use every day in their modern lifestyle that has nothing to do with mining. Nothing to do with a rock or mineral that came from the ground. Name something.” And there are only two things in our modern lives that we use every day, assuming we go outside, that don't come from mining.
It's an interesting question. Can you answer it?
I'm not giving the answer right now. You have to answer it and send it in to SME. Maybe we should have a contest. Who can answer the question?
Will
I think the favorite benefit for me when I started was the technical sessions. Being able to learn, see what is new. That has changed somewhat as I've been a member longer. I think now it's probably the most important thing is the networking, the friends that I've made. And then being on committees, being able to contribute and being able to give back to the industry that's treated us so well.
Pam
Because I'm kind of a short-term member, I think that the big thing for me is truly the associations that you get, the members that you meet, the friends that you make, stimulate you to get more involved because you want to see them more often, you want to communicate with them. And the learning aspect, I mean, the people you meet here are I mean, some of them are so incredibly smart, much smarter than I am. And so, you learn, and it's a learning thing and it's a fun thing. And of course, we always like the opportunity since the Foundation started having the galas and we could go dancing, that's a big one for us.
Will
Building on that a little bit. People use the term family, but SME does kind of become that. It's not just your peers, it's the staff. And the staff of SME is really important. They hold everything together. I get credit as president in 2009, but it was the staff that did everything. I'm the face. They did all the work. And so, you build that family of your peers and the staff, and you know, when staff retires, you feel bad about it because a member of your family is leaving.
Pam
Absolutely.
Join SME. Get involved in SME. Find your niche. Whatever division it is that your passion is in. And meet people in your division, outside your division, because truly you never know down the road when someone you met this year will offer you a job ten years from now. That networking opportunity and the learning opportunity is just joyful!
Will
Yeah, it's really easy when you first start to just sort of say, “No, I don't want to do that that's a lot of extra effort, I just want to do my work.” I have a lot of coworkers who have never really gotten involved, but I think it really is important. It helps you grow. And like you said, you learn, a transfer of knowledge, a lot of new technology. You develop those networking channels and like Pam said, you never know.
In this industry it's kind of up and down. You may get laid off, but that person you met at the annual meeting last year may remember you, and that may be a key to your next job. So be involved.
Pam
Yeah, even though I wasn't a member, because of going with him early on in my career, I met a lot of people and then I took a hiatus when I had children. When I came back into the industry actively, those people were still around, and they remembered me. So, I was reconnected to people who I'd been with 10 or 15 years before, and they respected me from then. And then they would offer things for me to do now. That connection lasts a long time.
Join SME!
Will
SME has been amazing. It's been a real growth for me through my career. I would have never, when I first joined, I never would have even contemplated being president at some point. But again, I think the really important part is to join and be a part. And then the longer you're part of it, the more you're tuned in to giving back. And giving back to our industry is really important.
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