GBA President’s Six-Month Report 

Gordon M. Matheson, Ph.D., P.E., P.G., D.GE (Schnabel Engineering, Inc.) delivered his six-month report to the membership at GBA’s 2015 Fall Conference in Dana Point, CA. In just six months, GBA has hired a new Executive Director, set in place a physical move, and prepared for a transition to self-management, all to provide you more value for your membership dues. Read the full report for all the details!

PRESIDENT’S SIX-MONTH REPORT

Delivered by GBA President Gordon M. Matheson, Ph.D., P.E., P.G., D.GE
at the 2015 Fall Conference in Dana Point, CA, Saturday, October 10, 2015

It is with great pleasure that we are here today at the beautiful St. Regis Monarch Beach for the fall GBA Conference. We appreciate everyone who has made this trip, and we have had an excellent program. We want to again recognize the conference committee of Charlie Head and Kim Morrison who developed this program. We also want to recognize the BCI staff, including Barb Nappy, Sarah Lanning, and Sara Menase, for their organizational skills and hard work to make the program a great success.

We have been in a time of transition for GBA. This process started years ago when the Board of Directors with John Bachner recognized that an Executive Director leadership transition would eventually have to occur. We set various target dates and conducted evaluations, and we are nearing the end of that process. As many of you know, after the end of October we will be a self-managed organization with Joel Carson as our new Executive Director.

Joel was selected through an exhaustive process of searching and screening potential new Executive Director candidates. A subcommittee of the Board was appointed to work with Vetted Solutions, our executive search firm, to identify, interview, vet, re-interview, deliberate, and eventually select the best candidate for the position. We are confident that we selected by-far the best candidate for this position. Joel brings in-depth knowledge of GBA and unbridled enthusiasm to the job. We are fully confident he will make an excellent Executive Director for many years to come. I want to recognize again Charlie Head, Woody Vogt, Steve Thorne, and Kim Morrison for their work with me on this committee.

So, what is this self-managed organization going to look like? Several of the BCI staff are going to carry over into the self-managed organization. This will provide continuity to GBA and allow you, our clients, to experience the same great service you received from BCI. Second, the contact telephone number and e-mail address will stay the same; however, the office location is moving. During the next 6 to 12 months, the GBA offices will be co-located in the Schnabel Engineering, Inc. Rockville, MD office space. This provides many advantages to GBA in that local support, equipment, supplies, and other office services will be available at little cost to help get the organization off on the right foot. Over the next 6 to 12 months, GBA will be looking for a permanent location. This period will allow us to identify and prepare for the move to the permanent facilities while completing the transition to being self-managed. We are excited about this opportunity and are grateful to Schnabel for offering to sponsor this space to help GBA move forward.

The Board and Joel are also looking at all opportunities to improve the service we provide our member-firms. We are moving forward with a major update of the website; evaluating meeting formats; developing a local-chapter initiative; adding to the reference materials; and looking for other ways to enhance the value of your membership. Over the coming months, we will keep you updated through our NewsLogs, during winter leadership meetings, and through e-mail blasts.

As we know, John provided tremendous service to GBA for more than 4 decades. John will continue to work with GBA and take on a different role. We are working with John to continue his “creative services” on several fronts. For example, he will continue to write our articles for GeoStrata, he will work with our committees on polishing many of the membership publication materials, he will work on many of the older materials that need refreshing, and finally he will be available to provide advice and guidance to Joel in his Executive Director role.

The transition to a self-managed organization brings a new beginning and new directions to GBA that we know will enhance your experience and make us even more relevant in the ever-changing marketplace.

We appreciate your support in this transition and look forward to a highly successful self-managed organization that meets and exceeds membership expectations!

Again, thank you for coming to Dana Point, and we wish you every success in your professional and personal life.