This editorial was featured in the October 1, 2026 edition of The Reflector.

Dear IEEE Boston Members,

We hope you are enjoying the last bits of summer and ready for the beautiful New England fall! One might think that IEEE Boston slows things down in the summer, but in fact one of the most impactful events across IEEE takes place during that time. It is called “Sections Congress” and is the triennial event where over 1000 representatives come together from all of the sections across the globe to collaborate, cross-train, and be together in one place! The location changes each time and this year the event was held in Glasgow, Scotland! The event features exciting keynotes, breakout sessions, Ignite Sessions, Learning Hubs as well as social events at night. For example, can do an our the latest and greatest features of IEEE tools that you already use, or learn about a brand-new tool!

Boston was represented by Section Chair Ramon De la Cruz, Region 1 Northeastern Area Chair Denise Griffin, and Senior Past Chair and Region 1 Awards Coordinator Maira Marques Samary. Denise also represented the MGA Awards & Recognitions Committee and did a breakout session on that program.

Here is a quote from our Boston Section Chair: “From Boston to Glasgow! The IEEE Boston Section made its voice heard at the IEEE Sections Congress 2026, sharing local insights, collaborating with leaders from over 300 sections, and returning with actionable strategies to empower our members back home.”

We hope that you all get a chance to attend this event someday! It is the best combination of learning, sharing, connecting and feels like a family reunion!! Here is the link where you can learn more:

https://ieeesectionscongress2026.eventscribe.net/.

Sincerely,
Denise Griffin

Denise Griffin is the Region1 Northeastern Area Chair and the 2026 MGA Awards Chair and will continue in that role in 2027. She also serves on the IEEE-USA Awards Committee for the last 4 years. She is a past IEEE HKN Board Member, Region 1 Women in Engineering Coordinator, Boston Section Chair and is currently the Region 1 Northeastern Area Chair. Denise is committed to enhancing the relationship between IEEE and industry and has been the Sponsorship Chair for IEEE Rising Stars Conference for 3 years, as well for WIE events (WIE ILC and IEEE WIE Forum). Denise brings years of Awards Program experience from her time volunteering on Society of Women Engineers Awards programs. Denise feels strongly about awards programs because it is important to help our volunteers realize the impact of their incredible contributions to IEEE, and to keep them active.

Denise works in Customer Success Operations at Onestream Software which is an enterprise SaaS company. Prior to that she worked in Systems Engineering and Program Management in various industries.  She has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Tufts University, where she volunteers in the areas of Alumni Relations, Alumni Advancement, and events at Engineering School and the Tufts Gordon Institute.