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| Spotlight on Bonnie L. Halkett |
 Bonnie L. Halkett has been an
active AACE International member
since 1977, and continues to
be active in the Houston Gulf Coast
Section (HGCS). Over the years, as a
member of AACE International and the
Houston Gulf Coast Section, Bonnie has
contributed her time and efforts tirelessly
as not only a professional member, but
on the local Board of Directors starting in 1995. From that point,
she became Section Secretary in 2001/2002, Section Vice
President in 2002/2003, Section President in 2003/2004, and Past
President 2004/2005. During the program year 2005/2006, she
once again assumed the position of Section Secretary and coordinated
the Scholarship Program. She continued as Section
Secretary for 2006/2007, as well as the current 2007/2008 program
year.
In this day of short term assignments and corporate downsizing,
how many professionals can say they spent 35 years at one
company? Well, Bonnie can. In 1967, she started her career
at Bechtel in San Francisco working with the Central Estimating
group. She was transferred to Houston in 1978, where she continued
to work in the pipeline division, management information,
facilities, estimating and project controls. After taking early retirement
from Bechtel in 2002, Bonnie took a much deserved break,
but was recruited by what is now HFG Engineering (a subsidiary
of Heerema Fabrication Group). She works at HFG as a project
controls specialist.
Bonnie promotes AACE International and its benefits to her
friends and co-workers and consistently brings new potential
members to the monthly section meetings. She has taken the
extra step to pick them up and bring them with her; as well as
waiting by the door giving directions to the meeting location via
her cell phone. She cares about the people who attend the local
section meetings and makes it a point to speak to each new person.
After being on the Board and serving the terms in the offices
of Section Secretary, Section President and Past President, many
times the person suffers from “burn-out” and drops off the Board
and sometimes even quits attending the meetings—but, not
Halkett. She is still on the HGCS Board and serves as mentor for
the incoming Board members and Section Presidents. Because
she has “been there and done that,” her wealth of knowledge and
understanding of the AACE International system and who to contact
for what is very helpful to everyone. She has great technical
writing skills, as well as a keen eye for proof reading text and is
available to help the Section President when writing the
Newsletter article or Cost Engineering journal article. She
believes the text must look and sound professional because it will
reflect on the local section, our profession, and AACE
International as an organization.
If asked for one key word that describes Bonie—it would be
dependable. Over the years, she has missed only a few section
meetings. She attends the workshop seminars, even if she has
heard the presentations a dozen times before, and the project
controls training classes given by HGCS, helping out as needed,
and is frequently called upon by the instructors to help illustrate
a concept using her 40+ years of experience.
Bonnie is detail oriented and, along with her organizational
skills and with the encouragement and support of HGCS and the
staff at AACE International Headquarters, has taken advantage of
the opportunities offered by AACE International to develop and
grow professionally. Having spent the majority of her career in
one company, she credits AACE International with giving her the
venue to broaden her knowledge of the engineering/construction
industry and the opportunity to network with other project controls
professionals.
Going to the AACE International Annual Meeting in
Calgary in 2000, and interacting with other professionals from
around the world opened her eyes even more to the knowledge
and opportunities available to women through membership in
the organization. Attending the technical meetings and listening
to some of the best presenters of project controls related topics
convinced her of the value of not only local section participation
but international as well. She’s been to many Annual Meetings
since Calgary and is looking forward to going to Toronto in 2008.
Recognized as a professional leader, she never misses a chance to
be a spokesperson for AACE International and HGCS, as she was
at the Section Leadership Orientation Meeting in Washington
DC, where she spoke to other sections about what makes HGCS
successful. She is convinced that part of HGCS’ success is directly
related to the increase in the number of women attending the
monthly meetings, first as visitors, then as members.
Bonnie’s professionalism, her dependability, her passion to
promote AACE International and bring new potential members
to the meetings, her mentoring skills, her all around support of
every function and position within her local Houston Gulf Coast
Section organization is what she is all about.
article by Valerie Venters, CCC
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