August 2021
“The world it is a changing!”
Change – in this time of quickly changing circumstances, primarily from a pandemic that has rocked the world in many ways, one thing is for certain, that is: nothing is for certain. With constant change being thrust upon the world community and its members, we have had to learn how to adapt and change, and to do so quickly. When your very existence is at risk, one does not have unlimited time to deliberate what your next action or reaction will be. We have learned how to be flexible and adapt quickly to meet those changes. If we as safety professionals practice what we preach, then we need to look broadly at the lessons learned over the last months. The ASSP Society is doing just that in considering governance changes intended to allow the Society to act more quickly while receiving diverse input from the membership.
The Society has appointed a task force to develop what they believe are changes appropriate to meet these goals. The scope and implications of these proposed governance changes far exceed what this short message can cover. There has already been significant debate and consideration from a number of different sources and opinions. I urge all our members to be informed about these changes, please go to https://www.assp.org/about/assp-governance for the latest information. The House of Delegates (HOD) will vote on these changes at the HOD meeting on September 28, 2021. We want all members to be informed and their voices to be heard so we will have a session devoted to this issue on August 19, 2021 @ 10:00 as our regular monthly Chapter Meeting. This meeting will be virtual so as to be available to as many members as possible. Register to attend the meeting at https://chesapeake.assp.org/events/chesapeake-assp-virtual-meeting-3/. Once you have reviewed the information, please contact one of our Delegates, Paul Esposito or James Woodward to voice your opinion. The Executive Committee of the Chesapeake Chapter will vote at the September EC Meeting on how to instruct our Delegates to proceed at the HOD Meeting.
Additionally, as this is the beginning of the 2021-2022 Activity Year, the Chapter is soliciting input as to how we can better serve our membership. This is your chapter and your organization; input is needed in order to meet your needs and expectations. Please become involved so we can move forward in a positive direction for the benefit our membership. There are a number of committees and special interest groups intended to address the varied interests of our members. Please take the time to check out our website.
Change is can be difficult but is always easier to accept and implement when we are well informed of what we are trying to achieve and why. Let’s work together so the Chesapeake Chapter can meet its full potential and be the best that it can be!
On that note, congratulations to the Chesapeake Chapter for achieving PLATINUM Level for Activity Year 2020-2021. Well done by all who participated.
Thank you for all your service to the Chapter, The Society and all our members.
Stay Safe & Healthy!
Yours truly,
James F Kane (Jim)
Chesapeake Chapter President
American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP)