President's Message

Aloha - this word meaning both hello and goodbye fits well as this will be my last president’s message. It has been a pleasure reporting back to the members quarterly, through this message, on the progress we’re making on our strategic plan. During the third quarter, we’ve been no less busy pursuing our goals at the regions, in the committees, at the conference and on the board.

First, congratulations to our Vice President of Conference Management, Terry Conder, our 2008 Conference Director, Tony Anderson, our Meeting Planner, Tom Huttemann, our Business Manager, Craig Gulka, our entire conference committee, the speakers, the exhibitors, the sponsors, the volunteers and the staff who made the 2008 Workshop and Symposiumin Orlando a huge success. There were a number of changes made to the conference format and program as a result of both the visioning meeting held in February, and the focus on learning and development as one of the organization’s 2008 key objectives. One new event was the Fundraiser sponsored by Sypris and Tektronix which raised $1500 for the Education Development Fund. There was also an interactive session during the conference where attendees moved from station to station, testing out a variety of outreach tools such as measurement kits and a metric jeopardy game.

See Terry Conder’s 2008 Conference Report for more details on conference highlights – yes, I did get to hold a live alligator for 20 minutes and we’ve got pictures!

Other progress in learning and development includes the first regional training event, held in the Twin Cities in September. Look for a complete report on this inaugural training in an upcoming edition of me•trol´o•gist. And for all of you federal employees; don’t forget that NCSLI is now listed in the Combined Federal Campaign, code 26683.

At the board meeting in Orlando, we had excellent attendance that included a number of liaisons, international guests and committee chairs. This allowed for a balanced discussion of our strategy in establishing and maintaining relationships with various entities such as Regional Metrology Organizations (RMO),professional organizations and other liaisons. We are looking to formalize relationships through letters of intent, administrative guidelines and board approvals with the intent of having perhaps fewer, but certainly more meaningful relationships with outside organizations in the future.

There are three more months left in 2008 – plenty of time to wrap up a number of projects still underway. The board will be approving next year’s strategic plan at the October board meeting, and soon you’ll be reading about NCSLI’s big plans for 2009!

So here it is at last, finally, the swansong for the 2008 president of NCSL International. As I reflect back on the past year, I am grateful for many things. I am thankful for the many friends I’ve made through NCSLI, and for the opportunity that I’ve had being part of this great organization and putting some small mark on its history. Also let me express my appreciation for the board of directors of NCSLI, and for the staff in the Boulder office. It was truly my good fortune to have been able to serve and work closely with them. I am grateful that life is longer than one year, since this one has gone by so quickly. So thank you for giving me these experiences, for being apart of NCSLI and for sharing the vision of a bright metrological future. I’ll say farewell for now, but never good bye. Aloha.

Carol Hockert
NCSLI President 2008