Thank You and Goodnight.

I sat down to the computer to write my last ISA Connection Blog entry as Society President, thinking it would be easy…Lots of THANK YOU’s and recognition to all those that helped pave the way to what I believe has been a good year for ISA. But now as I sit hovered over the keyboard, I’m getting a little choked up at the thought of turning over the proverbial gavel. I have truly enjoyed this year. As most of my predecessors warned me, the year just flew by. There was so much I wanted to accomplish and I feel like I am only just now hitting my stride. Perhaps some day, in my dotage, I can come back and do it again!

Okay… Now for the Academy Awards thank you:

First and foremost I would like to thank every single Member of the Society for giving me the opportunity to figuratively lead this very dynamic organization. We’ve come a long way baby from the coalition of Instrument Societies that banded together in 1945. And I think we have a very promising future given the talent and passion our Members have for the profession and the organization. This became very obvious during the debate on changing ISA’s name to International Society of Automation. I think I have now had over 500 e-mails on the subject. If I didn’t respond to you, consider it an oversight or simply delayed as I have attempted to respond to each and every message received (I’m still not done!). I set out to improve communications with our Members and I think I have succeeded in a small way: sending messages directly to the Members, blogging, and pushing ISA marketing (not that they needed prodding) to put out enough material to wall paper the Great Wall of China. If you are reading this and you have an idea of how the Society could communicate with you better, let us know—we’re still looking for the proverbial silver bullet form of communication that everyone will see.

I would like to thank each and every ISA Leader I have had the honor of working with this year. During my 20+ years as an ISA Leader, I have made wonderful friends and valuable contacts and received the benefit of great mentors along the way. But the group of Leaders I had the privilege of serving with this year have been exceptional. We debated, fought, played, and worked hard over the course of the year, but at the end of it all, I think that collectively we made a difference. You should all bask in the pride of being a great team. I am not speaking of just the Executive Committee or the Executive Board, I am speaking of all the Leaders that make up the core governance of ISA, which includes hundreds of committees, sub-committees, task forces, working groups, and yes, Boards. They seem like trite words for all the work you have done but, thank you.

If I had to mention one reason why every Member should become an involved Leader in ISA it would be for the opportunity to get to know and work with ISA staff. They are tremendous! I recognize that as Society President I received somewhat special treatment and next year when I become simply a Member again, I will probably go through withdrawal (my hands are shaking at the mere thought!). It has been quite enjoyable to be the “pampered one” this year. I wish I had all 70+ names to thank and recognize individually, but suffice to say that I thank each and every member of the ISA staff from the Executive Director to the building maintenance technician. I do have to give special recognition to a few of the people I have worked with closely:

• Pat Gouhin, Executive Director: Pat has been a great addition to ISA and is a great business manager for the Society. He treads that fine line of leading the staff and being led by the volunteers well. I have the privilege of working with Pat for at least one more year as the Chair of the Automation Federation, so he doesn’t get to rid himself of me yet!


• Ashley Wylie: Ashley has been the editor of this blog and a few other communications that were put out under my name. She made me look smarter than I am by correcting spelling and grammar mistakes and phrasing sentences to say what I meant to say. What made our symbiotic relationship special to me is that Ashley is probably half my age. If Ashley could comprehend the meaning behind my words, hopefully I could reach all the millennium Members we have out there—the ones we need to be active in ISA.


• Jennifer Infantino: Jennifer is a manager of the marketing department of ISA and has helped the marketing and graphics team responsible for many of the great collateral pieces that have been produced this past year. She also edited a few pieces that included messages from me. Sometimes she was kind enough to just write the piece for me! The great thing is (some might say frightening), she started thinking like me…She adapted to my habit of coming at a subject from a bizarre angle. So thank you Jennifer and team: You have provided great assistance in meeting my goal of communicating with the Members more!


• Debbie Eby, Executive Assistant Extraordinaire: What can I say? If the truth be known, Debbie runs the Society (no offense Pat). She knows more about the history, the documentation, and the people of ISA than any other single person. Thanks for keeping me grounded, and my schedule under control. I would have never made it to all my meetings without you, Debbie!


• Laura Crumpler: I have had the privilege of working with many Member services people at ISA over the years, and they have all given me nothing but great customer service; but, I always seem to rely on Laura when everyone else is busy with other Members. I think it is a very telling sign that I know her direct dial phone number when I don’t know my husband’s cell number!


• Chip, Dale, Tim, Bernard, Ken, and Rick, otherwise known as Senior Staff: I appreciate all you do in your departments. It has been a pleasure working with all of you…even when we didn’t always see eye-to-eye. And I can assure each of you that the people within your departments represented you and the Society well.


• Ken, Steve, Leo, John, Marcus, Jerry, Ian, Tom, and Pat, the ’07 and ’08 Executive Committee members: It’s been a pleasure to be part of the team, and I enjoyed working with each and every one of you. I cherish your friendships and your commitment to ISA.
  

When I think back on the year and recall some of my favorite moments, more people that deserve special recognition come to mind:

• District 8,9,10, & 11 Leaders: Thanks for a very memorable Leadership Conference. May Tiki live on!


• District 12: Flamenco dancing and the one of the best educational programs I’ve ever seen—a great combination!


• To all those that contributed to and participated in the Members Suite at the Summer Meeting and Fall Conference: It was great fun! Special recognition to Nick Sands, Wilmington Delaware Section, for contributing his bar tending skills and assisting in the stocking of refreshments! Also, thanks to District 3 and the Andrews for stocking the refreshments and hosting the Summer Meeting Suite. And last but not least thank you Greg Lehman and the Denver Section for contributing to the suite in Houston. It was no small task assisting with the Member’s suite this past year—I insisted that it be open every night for off-line meetings, conversations, and debates. But I have to say that my favorite memory is of the Standards Dudes (as I call them) showing up though they never knew about the suite—I think I have Nick Sands to thank for making sure they were made aware. I consider this just another small step towards “one ISA.”


• Mary Cannon: I think Mary has been my number one fan (At least she acts like it.)! Everyone needs a cheerleader and I thank Mary for fulfilling that role. I am hoping I get the opportunity to return the favor some day.


• January Board Training: It was great taking over the lobby of the Homewood Suites for some good ole’ fashioned team building. I hope the tradition continues!


• 2008 Council of Society Delegates: I have to say that I went into this meeting in October thinking that I might break Howard Zinschlag’s record for having the longest CSD meeting ever. There were three potentially contentious issues on the agenda and I feared a heated debate; however, the leaders all got their issues out on the table and debated ahead of time and the meeting was quite short and sweet. You have my eternal gratitude!

I’m sure I have forgotten someone really important that deserves special recognition: Someone like my husband, mother, kids etc. Being the President of ISA is a challenging, but very rewarding experience. The largest lesson learned from this journey is the incredible support structure that a person can have when needed. I can only sum it up in three small words:

THANK YOU ALL!

Giant Steps in Singapore

Giant strides can be made with baby steps. This reality was brought home last week when I attended the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the International Society of Automation (ISA) and Singapore Polytechnic. Before I fill you in on the details, allow me to set the stage...

I was headed for Singapore on business.

Tim Feldman, ISA’s illustrious world traveler and international business development guru, found out I was going and called me about one week prior to departure…“Would you be available for about a two-hour presentation with our friends in Singapore to sign a MOU?”.

I responded that I landed in Singapore on the Monday following the US Thanksgiving holiday (missing out on at least one day of yummy leftovers!) at about 1:00 p.m.

Working with K.K. Siew, Singapore Section President, we set a time—K.K. would pick me up at 2:45 p.m. at my hotel and whisk me to the signing ceremony which began at 4:00 p.m.
…

Anyone who travels regularly can sympathize that the odds of my plane landing at the scheduled 1: 00 p.m. were slim. Since my plane departed LAX about 45 minutes late, the odds looked even lower than usual. I expected, when I landed in Hong Kong, to have a leisurely 2 hours to walk, stretch, and get the kinks out of my body. Instead, I had roughly 10 minutes to catch the final leg of my flight. Meanwhile, Tim was frantically e-mailing me and K.K. and watching the airline arrival site to see if I would make it to Singapore on time. I arrived and the ride from the airport to my hotel was uneventful (thankfully) and K.K called the room just about the time I finished my 30 minute shower and shine. WHEW!

K.K. drove me to Singapore Polytechnic where the signing ceremony was slated to occur. We were met by the Director of the School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Dr. Dave Chong; Deputy Director, Dr. Rong Huan Yang; and a host of other faculty from the school.

That’s Dr. Yang and Dr. Chong on the left; K.K. Siew is on the right.

I had the opportunity to chat with many of the Singapore Section Members and faculty from the school—all were so gracious and hospitable that I don’t know quite where to begin with THANK YOU’s for all the kindness they showed me!

The most memorable part of the afternoon was Dr. Chong’s remarks. He talked about the need to make Automation “cool,” and the need to attract more of the best and brightest engineers into the field…I was somewhat taken aback that this was not an issue relegated to the US!

It was also a pleasure to chat with Elaine Ang and Rachel Loh of the Singapore Economic Development Board. They would like to see ISA open an office and make Singapore ISA’s Asian hub. The enthusiasm and spirit of a positive future were palpable at this event!

Yes, it was very educational and fun for me to meet with our Singapore Section Leaders; but most importantly, ISA has taken a bold step into the Asian region. SP will be offering ISA courses beginning with some of our most popular courses currently offered at Research Triangle Park, NC (ISA Headquarters). We hope this is a stepping stone for developing a lasting relationship and a greater presence in Asia. It may well be a model we pursue in other areas of the world in our efforts to become a truly global organization.

I want to publicly thank all the leaders, faculty, students, and attendees that made the agreement signing a wonderful event. The lovely plaque presented to me is proudly displayed at ISA Global Headquarters in RTP, NC.

Too bad Tiki had to miss it!

It Has Been My Pleasure to Serve…

As my term as Society President nears an end I find myself reflecting on all this year has been— extremely busy. As I became Society President I also had a job change that gave me more responsibility (read more work!) and an increase in travel. So juggling ISA, work, and family was at best a struggle.

Nonetheless, this year has been extremely rewarding. Meeting with, talking to, and communicating via e-mail with many Members about all facets of ISA has been eye-opening for me and a very enriching learning experience. This year has included many opportunities that I never dreamed of having: Going to Washington DC and engaging with legislators; traveling to many countries with varied cultures to discuss a partnership with ISA, industry, academia, and the workforce to improve the profession; meeting with executives of companies within our industry to discuss what they needed from ISA to perceive value; making friends and lasting relationships globally; and of course having my very own blog!

Yes, serving as ISA Society President has been everything I thought it would be and more. This year has put an exclamation point on all the rewards of 20+ years of Society service. I’ve mentioned all this to you because now is the time to be thinking about leaders for the future.

ISA is now accepting nominations for the following Society officers:

• Society President-elect Secretary
• Department Vice Presidents-elect:
  o Industries & Sciences
  o Image & Membership
  o Professional Development
  o Strategic Planning

All of these positions require individuals that want to be involved in setting the strategic vision of the Society and work towards the common goals of all Members. For detailed information regarding positions, qualifications, and nominations visit www.isa.org/nominate. ISA’s officer positions and nomination process is open to all interested people.

The Nominations Deadline is 31 January 2008.

Some of the criteria and requirements are:

• To be considered for a Society Officer position, you must be a Senior, Life Senior, Fellow, Life Fellow, or Honorary Member of ISA
• Evidence of devotion to the Society and acceptance of its policies and objectives
• Awareness of the Society's mission in our fast-changing technological world and ability to lead the Society in the development of programs to keep pace with these changes
• Enjoys the respect and confidence of colleagues and Society members involved with Society activities within the officer's areas of responsibility
• Competence in the expression of the Society's views to others through public speaking and other forms of communication
• Adequate time, financial and secretarial support for discharging the obligations of the office

Service as a Society Officer provides the opportunity to gain management experience, enhance career development, and network with peers on an international level. I can personally attest to the many benefits of serving as a leader in a volunteer organization. All of the benefits previously mentioned are real and enduring, but the best benefit of all is the sense of accomplishment I feel having been given the opportunity by our Members to serve as the leader of such a vibrant and forward-moving organization.

To each and every Member of ISA—I thank you for the opportunity to serve and I hope I represented you well.