Letter from the Chair
HoD has a fine slate of officer candidates for 2009-10. They are David Hawk and Terry O’Hare for Chair-Elect, and Patrick Gooding and Laura Zahm for Secretary/Editor.The election will be held at the HoD meeting on Sunday, June 7th. David, Terry, Patrick and Laura will be attending the House reception on Saturday, June 6th. This will give everyone who attends a good opportunity to meet and get to know the candidates before the election. Each candidate will present themselves to the Delegates from the podium at the Sunday meeting.
A Recap of the HoD Mid-Year Meeting
The mid-year meeting was held in Houston, TX on January 17, 2009 at the Courtyard by Marriott HoustonWest. There were 19 members in attendance: five Executive Committee Members; four HoD Committee Chairs; three HoD Officers; three HoD Officer Candidates; two Advisory Council Members; and two guests.
The agenda included the following topics with short reports:
- AAPG’s Strategic Plan was reviewed by President Tinker with emphasis on building bridges among energy, environment and economy. Offices in Singapore, London and Bahrain are being developed. Tinker’s letter to some 3,000 inactive AAPG members resulted in about 400 “re-enlistments”. A suggestion was made that the Strategic Plan should be reviewed annually by the Executive Committee.
- The Executive Director’s report showed that we have approximately 33,000 members with more than 1,000 using graduated dues. Corporate memberships are being solicited from some 20 companies.The Association’s financial picture remains stable at this time despite the slowdown in the economy. Advertising in the EXPLORER is slowing but remains at planned levels, while meeting sponsorships and exhibitions are softening, this will not significantly impact this year’s financial results. He also announced the new Education Director.
- Executive Director Rick Fritz and President Scott Tinker reviewed the concept of a Global Corporate Structure (GCS) that will enable AAPG to incorporate outside of the United States under international laws.Doing so will allow AAPG to more effectively conduct business in the international domain and at the same time provide a liability shield to protect AAPG’s assets. Note: Please refer to the article elsewhere in this report, by President Tinker, that summarizes GCS activity to date.
- HoD Committee reports were received from the attending Committee Chairs. Credentials Committee (Marilyn Cisar) will validate those who can vote for HoD Officer Candidates at our June 7, 2009 meeting. Constitution and Bylaws Committee (Terry Hollrah) vetted eight proposed Bylaws changes and recommended placing seven of them before the House for a vote. Nomination and Election Committee (Mark Rainer) recommended four candidates for HoD Officers – David Hawk and Terry O’Hare for Chair-Elect, and Patrick Gooding and Laura Zahm for Secretary/Editor. Newsletter and Minutes Approval Committee (Sigrunn Johnsen) discussed future issues of The Delegates’ Voice and has the San Antonio, TX meeting minutes for review and approval. Rules and Procedures Committee (Bob Suydam) reported there are no impending issues to be brought before the House. Resolutions Committee (David Dolph) will contact affiliated societies that have not attended recent HoD meetings focusing on membership in the Regions.
- Advisory Council (Will Green) reported that certain award amount increases have been approved. The AC is also seeking nominations for officer candidates for the AAPG.
More on Bylaws Changes
As we look forward to the AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition (ACE) this year in Denver, CO, the House of Delegates will conduct its annual meeting on Sunday, June 7, 2009 starting at 8:00 a.m. In addition to the various reports that will be presented by the Association’s Officers and Committee Chairs, there will be eight proposed Bylaws changes to be reviewed, possibly modified, then accepted or rejected by the Delegates. These changes have been published and circulated to the membership at large, as well as the House of Delegates, via previous issues of The Delegates’ Voice and the EXPLORER. Prior to the meeting, please take time to review the proposed changes and be prepared to ask questions, and to participate in the discussions that will ensue from the floor of the meeting.
As part of the preparation process and to provide some additional information (insight) relevant to one of the proposed changes – that which speaks to the experience requirement for Active Membership – I ask that you carefully review a letter to the Editor in this issue of the Voice, submitted by Dan Smith and Jeff Lund who have worked diligently over the past several years on membership issues.
Holler if you have questions or comments. You know my e-mail address and phone number. I look forward to seeing many of you in Denver.