GBA President’s Letter to Membership, July 2026

Dan Schaefer, P.E., (Froehling & Robertson)

Greetings GBA Members,

It is a tremendous honor to serve as GBA President for 2026-2027. For more than 35 years, GBA has played an important role in my professional development, providing opportunities to learn from industry leaders, build lasting relationships, and contribute to advancing our profession. I am grateful for the opportunity to give back to an organization that has given so much to me.

We’ve just begun our fiscal year, yet GBA has already built tremendous momentum following another outstanding Annual Conference in Phoenix, Arizona. This was one of GBA’s largest ever conferences and by far the largest group of sponsors! It was another signature GBA event, made possible by significant effort from the GBA Committees, Board of Directors, and of course the many months of planning by GBA staff who executed the event in stellar fashion.

GBA has kept the momentum going since the conference, and the Committees, Board of Directors, and staff are hard at work. GBA is in year two of our 2027+ Strategic Plan that was kicked-off and energized so well last year by outgoing President Teresa Peterson, P.E., C.M.E., LEED AP O&M, ENV SP (GFT). A primary focus this year will be executing the 2027+ Strategic Plan, which has three initiatives: Member Success, Impact and Vibrancy. This plan is not just a vision and compilations of more than two dozen strategic actions, it is GBA’s guiding North Star for helping member firms thrive in an increasingly complex and rapidly changing profession. The Board will dedicate a large part of its Summer Board meeting in early August towards reviewing, optimizing and prioritizing the strategic actions from the 2027+ Strategic Plan as well as looking ahead to the next strategic plan cycle.

Many of you have heard it before: “GBA Gets Stuff Done.” This year is no exception, and we have more going on than ever. Here is just a snapshot of some of the things our Committees and Board of Directors are doing:

• Committees are central to achieving our Strategic Plan. With 12 active committees now meeting regularly, including the new Safety Committee, there has never been a better time to get involved. If you are not already participating, I encourage you to explore a committee that matches your interests,

• The Emerging Leaders Program that started its sixth cohort last November is in high gear. Twenty-two future leaders are actively developing initiatives that will benefit GBA and our members, including development of a GBA Technology Summit and GBA mobile app.

• Building on the successful 2025 Crystal Ball Workshop (CBW), a task force is already planning the 2027 installment of the CBW next June that will build off the results from 2025 and explore how skills and business practices can evolve to sustain and expand success in the face of external forces that are accelerating change and increasing complexity in our practice.

• GBA has responded to members seeking more leadership development and educational resources. The Career Continuum Task Force is now developing the third class in the Geoprofessional Career Ascent Program (GCAP), which will be titled Summit and focus on advanced leadership topics. This class will go along with the already successful Level 1-Embark and Level 2-Ascend classes. Additionally, to address the training needs of construction materials engineering and testing (CoMET) field professionals, GBA has launched a CoMET webinar series that provides affordable, high-quality training and offers ICC continuing education credits to support maintaining certifications.

• If you are looking to drive personal, professional and company growth, GBA has an affinity group for you. GBA has a series of eight facilitated peer groups based on areas of interest or job title that provide an easy way to harness the power of peer-to-peer connections. GBA’s newest affinity group, the Geoprofessional Women’s Group, launched in 2025 and became instantly successful with more than 40 members from all backgrounds within geoprofessional businesses.

At its heart, GBA exists to help our member firms succeed as our industry continues rapidly evolving, and the firms that will thrive are those that continually develop leaders, strengthen client relationships, embrace innovation, and adapt to change. Everything we do, from committees and educational programs to peer groups and strategic initiatives, is intended to help our members become stronger businesses and trusted advisors to their clients.

I believe our profession has an extraordinary future. The challenges facing our clients continue to grow in complexity, creating new opportunities for geoprofessionals to make an even greater impact. GBA is committed to ensuring our members are prepared, not simply to respond to change, but to help lead it.

Thank you for your continued engagement and for the opportunity to serve as your President. I encourage you to stay involved, share your ideas, and take advantage of the many opportunities GBA provides. Together, we will continue strengthening our profession and helping our member firms succeed.

Please reach out to me at dschaefer@fandr.com if I can ever be of assistance.