Action Backed EC Initiatives

Over the last 11 issues of the EXPLORER I tried to keep the President's Column tightly focused and short enough to encourage you to read it. (However, I was unsuccessful in challenging past AAPG President Marlan Downey in that regard!)

Because this final column by me is largely a report, it will be longer than usual; the Executive Committee (EC), indeed, has been very productive.

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I wrote in the July 2004 EXPLORER that this EC "will leave no stone unturned seeking positive new opportunities and expanding the Association's ongoing good business/service lines." I also indicated that working with staff, "the EC will trim or eliminate those activities and programs that have diminishing or poor value …"

In developing initiatives to fulfill these commitments the EC drew heavily on its extensive collective AAPG experience.

We also took into consideration elements of the evolving Strategic Plan. Perhaps the most quantitative data of use to us was "Exploring Member Attitudes," the all-member questionnaire survey done in early 2003.

AAPG has many strengths, including:

• Diverse membership.
• Large size (which produces economies of scale).
• Long, well-regarded history.
• Well-managed staff.
• Supportive Foundation.
• An army of volunteers.

However, we have an inherent weakness. Generally members are not as knowledgeable of AAPG and of each other compared with their local affiliated societies and its members. In order to ameliorate this I instituted several improved communications:

• To make the staff and visitors better acquainted with the member leadership I added all EC members' pictures to mine in the headquarters lobby.
• To make future leaders more aware of AAPG, at vice president Neil Hurley's suggestion (and other members' encouragement), I invited four considerably younger members to the Leadership Conference this past February.
• To improve continuity I involved the president-elect in many activities, especially those events scheduled for his presidency e.g., the Paris International Conference and Exhibition, GEO, IPTC, the 2006 Leadership Conference and the Houston annual meeting.
• To make nominees for president-elect better educated in the business of AAPG, I invited them to EC meetings (excused when we were transacting sensitive business).
• To cause greater awareness amongst the EC and other leaders I scheduled EC meetings at four Section meetings, APPEX-Houston (now summer NAPE) and our international conference in Cancun in addition to the required one in conjunction with our Annual Convention in Calgary and the traditional ones at the winter Leadership Conference and on June 30 and July 1.
• To better acquaint members with officer candidates the EC approved increased travel reimbursements so candidates could more easily attend approved AAPG venues. This underscored the expanded policy (now in its third year) of encouraging all officer candidates to speak at four Section meetings and the international conference. (Even with AAPG reimbursement, candidates and/or their companies pay 60-70 percent of campaign costs.)
• To give general membership more opportunity to learn about AAPG, at Treasurer Clint Moore's suggestion, the EC conducted the first Town Hall Meeting in Houston recently.
• To bring more cohesion and better communication to our major student-related activities the Student Focus Ad Hoc Committee was established. Chair Denise Cox leads that effort, and at the Leadership Conference, she was assisted by related committee leaders in presenting an action plan interfacing with student affairs staff coordinator Mike Mlynek. We hope to get more synergy with better communication from this!

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Major recent initiatives include:

• The Tactical Operations Committee (upgraded from ad hoc to standing at the April 9 EC meeting), chaired by president-elect Pete Rose, completed the review of the global development directorate (aka convention department) with recommendations and instructions in the report adopted by the EC on Jan. 15.