The International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) is pleased to announce the establishment of the INCOSE Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to advancing the development and understanding of systems engineering. The Foundation was incorporated as an independent organization in 2004 and received its tax exempt status as a public charity from the US Internal Revenue Service in September 2005.

The Foundation Board of Directors is comprised of a combination of members and non-members of the INCOSE who met formally for the first time in Rochester, NY during the 15th Annual International Symposium. In their four subsequent meetings the Foundation Board has established two far-reaching goals: first, the Foundation will be the authoritative international voice on improving the condition of society through extensive support of systems engineering and related disciplines; and second, the Foundation will be recognized as the world leader in fostering systems engineering scholarship, research and education.

“This Foundation supports INCOSE in its goal to extend the reach and status of systems engineering,” says Dr. John Snoderly, past president of the INCOSE and first Chair of the INCOSE Foundation Board of Directors.

John is joined on the board by Dr. William Ewald, who serves as Chief Executive Officer and is the INCOSE Director of Strategic Presence. Other INCOSE members include Dr. Bob Kenley, Treasurer; Mr. William Miller, Secretary; Dr.Stephen Cook, and COL (ret) David Wright. Three members of the board are not members of the INCOSE. They are Dr. Ira M. Blatstein – Director of Strategic Planning John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory; Mrs. Mary E. Lacey – Program Executive Officer of the National Security Personnel System; and Mr. William R. Lorenz – President of Middle Market Banking for the Northeast Region of Bank of America.

“The Foundation will begin by making modest awards, most probably in the form of scholarships or research grants,” is one way Bill Ewald describes the intended influence of the INCOSE Foundation. Bill indicated that individual members and INCOSE chapters have begun contributing to the Foundation already. As a case in point, the Central Savannah River Area Chapter hosts the INCOSE Invitational Golf Tournament, with the proceeds going to the INCOSE Foundation. The first tournament held May 2005 raised 500 USD for the INCOSE Foundation. Other contributions have come from the INCOSE membership, ranging from 100 to 5,500 USD, and at least one member has provided a substantial legacy for the Foundation in his will.

“These informal fundraising efforts have produced about $50,000 over a two month period. The next goal is to reach $100,000 before the 16th Annual International Symposium in Orlando,” according to Bill Ewald. For more information about the Foundation or how you can make a contribution, see www.incose.org/about/foundation/index.aspx.

The International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) is an international professional society for systems engineers. INCOSE (www.incose.org) was founded in 1990 to develop, and disseminate the interdisciplinary principles and practices that enable the realization of successful systems. Today there are over 5,000 members, 50 chartered chapters, and more than 50 Corporate Advisory Board organizations from government, industry, and academia worldwide.