President’s Message

Dear SPE Cleveland Members,

As many of you may know, the SPE Foundation serves over 16,000 students globally through its mission of Positive Plastics Education. From K-12 classrooms to 4-year university programs,the Foundation provides high-quality educational programming that inspires the next generation of plastics and polymer professionals.

At a time when universities across the country are reporting declining enrollment in plastics programs, the demand for skilled talent from industry and research institutions continues to rise. That’s why we are proud to share that the SPE Cleveland Section has recently made a significant impact by contributing an endowment to the SPE Foundation at the Champion Level ($50,000 –$99,000). This generous support helps sustain annual scholarships and the PlastiVan® program right here in Northeastern Ohio, ensuring that students are exposed to the exciting opportunities within the plastics industry.

We’re also excited to announce that Ron Raleigh, Chair of the Students, Education, and Awards Committee for the Cleveland Section, will be recognizing this year’s scholarship award winners from the Northeast Ohio Science and Engineering Fair (NEOSEF). This celebration will take place during a dinner reception on April 29th at Case Western Reserve University. We encourage all members and friends of SPE to join us for this inspiring evening. More details via event flyers will be shared soon, including a special presentation from NASA R&D, in addition to the student award highlights.

Lastly, we extend a heartfelt thank you to Dennis Meade, a former Cleveland Section board member, for his ongoing personal contributions to our local student initiatives. His continued support is deeply appreciated.

The SPE Cleveland board is humbled and honored to carry forward this important work alongside all of you. Together, we’re shaping the future of plastics through education and opportunity.

Best regards,