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Well, it's almost time
to meet in Eugene for another NWAAAE Annual Conference.
It sounds like it will be a great event with a lot of interesting
sessions. I hope everyone makes an effort to attend.
I want to thank all of
the people who helped me this year in moving the Chapter forward
on several issues. Whenever I called, "you" said
"you" would take care of whatever the issue was. We've
had some challenges this year with Dave Gordon's resignation from
our Board and the subsequent decision on how to fill the First
VP's position. I think that Jerry Olson will be a great Y2K (had
to throw that in) President!!
I set four goals this
year as Chapter President that I felt the Chapter really needed to
focus on. The first was the Mentoring Program which is well on its
way and there should be some mentor/candidate matching before the
end of the year. Our second goal was a corporate membership focus
and we have met that goal by increasing our corporate membership
by thirty-two since the annual conference last fall in Whitefish.
We have tweaked our new corporate board position a little to help
our corporate members. Last year we set a two-year term. We found
that a lot of corporate members travel a lot already and a
two-year term could be a burden, so we will be voting in Eugene to
adjust the term to one year and also to make the corporate
position a non-voting slot so as not to interfere with quorum
requirements. This will also offer a greater opportunity for more
corporate members to participate. The third goal was to create a
five-year financial plan. The only issue that remains to be
resolved is which version we will use based on a dues increase or
if our directory advertising plan (thank you Bill Restall) will
work in lieu of a dues increase. The fourth goal was increased
Chapter member participation. I feel we have made some progress
here and it shows in our committees, etc. However, we have plenty
of room to improve. When committees or other assistance is needed
we end up calling around soliciting for help. If you are
interested in being actively involved, call someone on the Board
TODAY! Tell them you are interested if anything comes up . . .
it's that simple!
The Mission Statement was approved in
Phoenix and hopefully it will help all members understand the
goals of our association.
I challenge all future
Board members to continue long-term planning, setting annual goals
to help with an immediate focus and involving as many Chapter
members as possible in the Chapter's business!
Finally, I would like
to acknowledge Janelle Olson for her hard work and dedication to
our Chapter. The Board is important folks, but Janelle is the glue
that keeps us together. Thank you, Janelle.
And . . . thank you to
the membership for allowing me to serve as President of the
Northwest Chapter--AAAE. It has been a wonderful experience! |
