I am humbled, honored, and privileged to assume the role of President of the IEEE Systems Council (SYSC). As I start my two-year tenure, I would like to welcome our current Council participants and invite prospects to join in on this exciting journey. There has never been a more exciting time to be involved in systems integration and digital innovation than today. With the advancement in AI, Blockchain, IoT, Quantum Computing, and Cybersecurity, it has never been easier to quickly and effectively deploy systems that realize significant value and impact across all sectors of industries.

We are an international technical community of 21 IEEE member societies and just under 20,000 individual participants who share a common interest in systems thinking, science, and engineering. Through our publications, conferences, and webinars, we conduct engaging activities for researchers, practitioners, young professionals, and student members from local chapters, regional sections, and global systems engineering-focused industry partners and universities.  I encourage you to explore the SYSC website to gain valuable insights into professional growth opportunities and learn more about SYSC’s areas of focus. 

I am deeply grateful to my predecessor, Walt Downing, for his vision, leadership, and outstanding achievements during his presidency.   I would also like to thank the members of the 2024 AdCom which consists of elected and appointed officers and member society representatives.
Welcome to our newly elected and appointed officers: Bozenna Pasik-Duncan (VP Member Services), Steven Li (Treasurer), and Joanne Wong (Secretary). 

I give many thanks to Bob Rassa (Treasurer 2020-2024) and Katie Wilson (Secretary 2023-2024) for their exemplary contributions and services.  I would also like to give a special thanks to Stephanie White for serving two consecutive terms as the VP Member Services (2021-2024) and as President (2018-2019).    

 Going forward, my greatest ambition is to escalate the Council to the global stage and inspire young system engineers and entrepreneurs alike to join our community.  I look forward to strengthening our collaborations with our member societies, cooperating with Organizational Units (OUs) across IEEE, and continuing to foster community building between industry, academia, and government.  With the rapid growth of IEEE membership in the Asia Pacific Region, we look forward to collaborating with the IEEE Member and Geographic Activities (MGA) team to increase our footprint in this region. The Council happily welcomes your ideas for innovation and suggestions for new initiatives.

The journey ahead is exciting and I’m looking forward to connecting with you at our conferences, socials, networking and outreach events, and workshop offerings. I’d sincerely love to hear from you.

Andy Chen
IEEE Systems Council President
2025-2026