President's Message, Winter 2003

J. Kirk Rowland, President, New York Water Environment Association, Inc.

It has been quite a year-a bit quick and busy, but still quite a year. I think every past president has felt that, given an extra six months, maybe you could get to half of the issues you wanted to address. As president, this year has been a learning experience. Every board meeting was filled with unique challenges that the Board of Directors handled professionally and expediently. This allowed the members of the board to complete the large workload put before them. The following is a highlight of the issues covered by this year's board.

In spring 2003, the board approved the governance changes. These changes were the result of years of hard work by the Governance Task Force, consisting of Sandy Lizlovs, Patricia Cerro-Reehil, Robert Adamski, Glen Vogel, Bob Lannon, and Paul McGarvey. The direction the task force took was dictated by a governance survey circulated to the Board of Directors and committee chairs. Additional opportunities for committee chairs to serve on the Board of Directors and a modification of the selection criteria to become an officer of the NYWEA were the two major recommendations by the task force. These recommendations were modified slightly and accepted by the board at the April board meeting.

A strategic planning retreat was held the day after the April board meeting to assess the status of the NYWEA and plot future objectives the association should actively pursue. An invitation was sent out to the chapters and committees to participate in the planning process. Under the direction of John Amend, discussions and ideas flowed freely and, by the end of the day, dozens of flip chart sheets were filled. The job left was to organize the ideas into initiatives and submit to the board a draft copy of the strategic plan. From this plan, a business plan is to be developed and put in place by March 2004.

Of all the state functions, the spring meeting requires the most coordination between the association and its chapters. The 2003 spring meeting in Saratoga Springs was a prime example. The hard work by the Capital Chapter, lead by Rich Lyons, was greatly appreciated in all aspects of the conference. Joe Brilling organized the public education session that brought in a sixth grade class from Glen Falls to participate in a morning session and then tour a wastewater treatment facility. Without the help of Andre Dumas, we would still be looking for a fernco or two for the Ops Challenge. Yet, the effort was not just the Capital Chapter's alone. The Program Committee and Wastewater Facilities Committee, along with scores of moderators and judges, volunteered their time to make the spring meeting such a success. Thank you.

The business portion of the spring meeting took place the following Saturday, where two important issues were discussed and resolutions passed. NYWEA by-laws were changed to implement the governance changes that were approved at the April board meeting. Prior to ratification by the membership, the Board of Directors reviewed and passed the amended by-laws. Additionally, the board discussed and passed a resolution to establish a major scholarship. This scholarship would be a $10,000 award over four years. This is a big step for the Scholarship Program. All in all, our time in Saratoga Springs was quite fruitful.

September brought a board meeting and the end of NYWEA's fiscal year. The fiscal year of 2002-2003 was quite sound. The yearly surplus was more than budgeted, mostly due to the financial success of the 75th Anniversary Winter Meeting under the direction of John Cameron. The upcoming 2003-2004 fiscal year also looks quite sound, with exhibits and advertising bookings for the winter meeting running ahead of schedule.

The September board meeting brought two cooperative resolutions to the attention of the board. A memorandum of understanding between the New York Section AWWA and the NYWEA was introduced. This agreement would bring the two associations together to jointly sponsor the Tifft Symposium in 2005. This would be the first conference jointly sponsored by both associations. The second resolution was a partnership between the NYWEA and NYSDEC on the Second Annual Poster Contest. The poster contest winners will be judged at the NYWEA Annual Spring Meeting.

Since the strategic planning meeting in April, John Amend has been circulating drafts of the Strategic Plan for review and comments. A final plan was compiled and submitted for board approval.

The Strategic Plan contained these top four initiatives:

Diversify and expand membership
Communicate with 21st century tools
Increase training opportunities
Improve name recognition

The plan was passed by resolution at that board meeting.

Additionally, the Nominating Committee submitted the first officer nominees under the newly ratified by-laws. The nominees, chosen by the committee from a very qualified pool, were Janice Jijina for vice president and Tom Lauro for vice president-elect. The board voted to confirm the nominees. Congratulations to Janice and Tom.

Before closing, I must stress my firm belief that, while not the largest member association of WEF, the NYWEA is second to none. A big reason for this is NYWEA's executive office. The vast amount of work professionally processed through the office is amazing. The coordination and production of association events, coupled with the vast member services provided by the association, are all handled in a very efficient manner. The executive office has supplied support and direction for me as an officer. This position would have been impossible without the valuable assistance from the executive office.

In closing, I want to thank the association for allowing me to be involved as an officer. I have enjoyed working with the membership, exploring new initiatives and developing new friendships. Thank you; it's been a slice!

—J. Kirk Rowland