Letter from the President, Dec 1, 2005

About APDU

August 8, 2006

On behalf of the APDU Board of Directors, I’d like to extend our appreciation to you for your continued support of the Association.

We hope that you’re making room on your schedules to join us Oct. 5-6, at the Embassy Suites Hotel, Alexandria – Old Town, Va., when APDU resumes its annual conference with the theme “Navigating Rivers of Data” (www.apdu.org/conference/2006/index.htm).

It’s shaping up nicely thanks to the hard work of our conference program co-chairs and all of the session organizers. At the link above, you’ll find much more information about this exciting “milestone” event for APDU!

In this message, though, I’d like to tell you about some recent changes in APDU and things to watch for in the next few months.

As most of you know, in 2005, the Board suspended many of the usual operations and products of APDU while we sorted through organizational options and put a new administrative structure into place toward the end of the year. That included deferring Board elections until late fall 2006 -- a decision that meant many of us would be “holdovers” until we were in a position to once again resume business as usual.

During the protracted transition period, not all incumbent Board members were able to continue their volunteer service. But this year, we were extremely fortunate to begin repopulating the Board via the short-term appointments of three new members -- Ralph Rector, Len Gaines, and Andy Reamer -- each of whom has brought extensive professional experience and skills to our efforts. They’re working alongside other valued Board members Lisa Neidert, Paul Zeisset, Linda Jacobsen, and Janet Eisenhauer Smith (www.apdu.org/aboutAPDU/board.htm).

You probably noticed a name missing from the above mentions. Sue Hoover, who served as President during a good portion of the transition, has had to step away from the duties of the office due to other professional and personal obligations. We thank Sue for her years of service on the Board and wish her the very best in future endeavors!

So why am I writing to you today? As part of our internal business during a March Board meeting in DC, the Board voted to fill vacancies in the Vice President and Secretary positions. Janet, an at-large member, was appointed to the latter slot; I -- who had been serving in the Past President slot -- was appointed to serve as Vice President. When Sue resigned from the Presidency in mid-July, I took over the duties of that office.

It’s like déjà vu all over again!

But I’m pleased to be able to serve the Board and Association in this way for a short-term stint. It’s an exciting, but challenging time for APDU. The environment in which we find ourselves is very different than the one in which the Association was founded. But with your support and participation, we believe that we can shape an organization that meaningfully informs members about matters of urgent and ongoing interest, and motivates data users, producers, disseminators and other interested parties to engage in productive dialogue on policy and practice.

A lot of activity is or will soon be taking place to make sure that APDU has the capacity to work toward these goals. Much has already been accomplished with the engagement of APB Associates, Inc., as our secretariat, and Patty Becker serving as APDU administrator. We have a subgroup of the Board working through Bylaws changes, and we’ll be putting into motion a member review and approval process in the fall. In coming weeks, we’ll be tapping your opinions via a membership survey. And Board elections will be taking place before year’s end, with several positions to be filled. While we hope our eligible incumbents will consider entering races for full-terms, we also hope some of you will seriously consider this opportunity to directly shape APDU’s future. Recruitment efforts will be underway in coming weeks.

That is a lot of internal governance and housekeeping activity, and we’ll do our best to keep you informed via this member listserv, the APDU Newsletter, the website, and the business meeting at the annual conference. Speaking of which …

APDU 2006 will be a prime opportunity for you to hear from noted presenters on a variety of critical strategic, technical and policy topics, and to network with colleagues. We’ve recently updated the conference session information at www.apdu.org/conference/2006/agenda.htm. Check it out and see what the conference planners and session organizers have been doing in recent weeks. And send in those registration forms! September 15 is the deadline to receive the reduced conference registration fee rate. The deadline for hotel reservations at the conference rate is Sept. 5.

Another e-mail about the conference will be coming your way shortly. Feel free to share it. And then make your final plans to join us in October!

Deb Gona
APDU Board President

Phone: 859-299-0704
E-mail: president@apdu.org

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About APDU Board of Directors Bylaws Policies/Procedures Member Organizations Letter from the President Letter from the Administrator	August 8, 2006 On behalf of the APDU Board of Directors, I’d like to extend our appreciation to you for your continued support of the Association. We hope that you’re making room on your schedules to join us Oct. 5-6, at the Embassy Suites Hotel, Alexandria – Old Town, Va., when APDU resumes its annual conference with the theme “Navigating Rivers of Data” (www.apdu.org/conference/2006/index.htm). It’s shaping up nicely thanks to the hard work of our conference program co-chairs and all of the session organizers. At the link above, you’ll find much more information about this exciting “milestone” event for APDU! In this message, though, I’d like to tell you about some recent changes in APDU and things to watch for in the next few months. As most of you know, in 2005, the Board suspended many of the usual operations and products of APDU while we sorted through organizational options and put a new administrative structure into place toward the end of the year. That included deferring Board elections until late fall 2006 -- a decision that meant many of us would be “holdovers” until we were in a position to once again resume business as usual. During the protracted transition period, not all incumbent Board members were able to continue their volunteer service. But this year, we were extremely fortunate to begin repopulating the Board via the short-term appointments of three new members -- Ralph Rector, Len Gaines, and Andy Reamer -- each of whom has brought extensive professional experience and skills to our efforts. They’re working alongside other valued Board members Lisa Neidert, Paul Zeisset, Linda Jacobsen, and Janet Eisenhauer Smith (www.apdu.org/aboutAPDU/board.htm). You probably noticed a name missing from the above mentions. Sue Hoover, who served as President during a good portion of the transition, has had to step away from the duties of the office due to other professional and personal obligations. We thank Sue for her years of service on the Board and wish her the very best in future endeavors! So why am I writing to you today? As part of our internal business during a March Board meeting in DC, the Board voted to fill vacancies in the Vice President and Secretary positions. Janet, an at-large member, was appointed to the latter slot; I -- who had been serving in the Past President slot -- was appointed to serve as Vice President. When Sue resigned from the Presidency in mid-July, I took over the duties of that office. It’s like déjà vu all over again! But I’m pleased to be able to serve the Board and Association in this way for a short-term stint. It’s an exciting, but challenging time for APDU. The environment in which we find ourselves is very different than the one in which the Association was founded. But with your support and participation, we believe that we can shape an organization that meaningfully informs members about matters of urgent and ongoing interest, and motivates data users, producers, disseminators and other interested parties to engage in productive dialogue on policy and practice. A lot of activity is or will soon be taking place to make sure that APDU has the capacity to work toward these goals. Much has already been accomplished with the engagement of APB Associates, Inc., as our secretariat, and Patty Becker serving as APDU administrator. We have a subgroup of the Board working through Bylaws changes, and we’ll be putting into motion a member review and approval process in the fall. In coming weeks, we’ll be tapping your opinions via a membership survey. And Board elections will be taking place before year’s end, with several positions to be filled. While we hope our eligible incumbents will consider entering races for full-terms, we also hope some of you will seriously consider this opportunity to directly shape APDU’s future. Recruitment efforts will be underway in coming weeks. That is a lot of internal governance and housekeeping activity, and we’ll do our best to keep you informed via this member listserv, the APDU Newsletter, the website, and the business meeting at the annual conference. Speaking of which … APDU 2006 will be a prime opportunity for you to hear from noted presenters on a variety of critical strategic, technical and policy topics, and to network with colleagues. We’ve recently updated the conference session information at www.apdu.org/conference/2006/agenda.htm. Check it out and see what the conference planners and session organizers have been doing in recent weeks. And send in those registration forms! September 15 is the deadline to receive the reduced conference registration fee rate. The deadline for hotel reservations at the conference rate is Sept. 5. Another e-mail about the conference will be coming your way shortly. Feel free to share it. And then make your final plans to join us in October! Deb Gona APDU Board President Phone: 859-299-0704 E-mail: president@apdu.org

Association of Public Data Users