President's Letter
I would like to begin by welcoming four new members to the AESA Executive Board. Wendy Smith-Reeve who is our President Elect taking my place as I became President of this organization. Wendy is the Assistant Director of Recovery for the Arizona Division of Emergency Management. She brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the position and will be a great addition to the Executive Board as our President Elect. I would also like to welcome Diane Fernandez from ADEM as our Secretary, Ken Lewis from SRP as our Membership Chair and Joe Gibson from Southwest Ambulance as the Member at Large. They bring excellent knowledge from both a government and private sector perspective to AESA. I would also like to thank the retiring members who gave so much to this organization. John Padilla our past President, Michelle Porter Don I. Brazie and Sheri Gibbons who without their hard work and knowledge we would not be the association we are today.
Mark your calendars and save the date! The 2011 AESA Mid-year Conference will be held on January 18, 2011 at Glendale Regional Public Safety Training Center, 11550 W Glendale Ave, Glendale, AZ 85307.
We have a great line-up of speakers as we explore the topic "Communication and Outreach". This is an area that affects all of us each day in both the Government and Private Sector. I ask all of you to make plans to attend. Detailed information is posted on the website for all to review. Registration can be done on the web site and is included in your annual dues. There is not an additional charge for this conference if you are presently a member of AESA.
We will be doing a new membership survey in the near future so I ask each of you to think of areas for educational opportunities that would be a benefit to you as a member. I also would ask for feedback both positive and negative so that we can work to meet all the needs of our members. This organization is our members so your feedback is needed to continue to improve. I would ask for your suggestions for our Annual Conference in June 2011. If you have any suggestions for speakers, please let any member of the Executive Board know or feel free to send me either an e-mail or call me at 480-209-7944. We want to make the conferences as beneficial to you as we can.
As we begin 2011 we find ourselves in a different world than that in which we started. The economic downturn has continued and budget crises facing the Emergency Management community in both the private and government sectors has been extremely difficult for each and every one of us. Now more than ever is the time to reach out to the members of the association and share the information, experience and resources that we have. We will continue to plan, prepare, respond to, and mitigate emergencies; however we will have to do so much more efficiently. Our challenge to remain ready to respond to disasters will become more difficult but it will never be as important.
On behalf of the Executive Board I would like to wish all of you and your families a happy and healthy 2011 and look forward to each and every one of you participating in your association. I feel great pride in being the President of AESA and thank you for your support. Please continue to be involved members as this is what leads to a strong association.
Best Regards,
John G. Ford
AESA President 2010-2011
Mark your calendars and save the date! The 2011 AESA Mid-year Conference will be held on January 18, 2011 at Glendale Regional Public Safety Training Center, 11550 W Glendale Ave, Glendale, AZ 85307.
We have a great line-up of speakers as we explore the topic "Communication and Outreach". This is an area that affects all of us each day in both the Government and Private Sector. I ask all of you to make plans to attend. Detailed information is posted on the website for all to review. Registration can be done on the web site and is included in your annual dues. There is not an additional charge for this conference if you are presently a member of AESA.
We will be doing a new membership survey in the near future so I ask each of you to think of areas for educational opportunities that would be a benefit to you as a member. I also would ask for feedback both positive and negative so that we can work to meet all the needs of our members. This organization is our members so your feedback is needed to continue to improve. I would ask for your suggestions for our Annual Conference in June 2011. If you have any suggestions for speakers, please let any member of the Executive Board know or feel free to send me either an e-mail or call me at 480-209-7944. We want to make the conferences as beneficial to you as we can.
As we begin 2011 we find ourselves in a different world than that in which we started. The economic downturn has continued and budget crises facing the Emergency Management community in both the private and government sectors has been extremely difficult for each and every one of us. Now more than ever is the time to reach out to the members of the association and share the information, experience and resources that we have. We will continue to plan, prepare, respond to, and mitigate emergencies; however we will have to do so much more efficiently. Our challenge to remain ready to respond to disasters will become more difficult but it will never be as important.
On behalf of the Executive Board I would like to wish all of you and your families a happy and healthy 2011 and look forward to each and every one of you participating in your association. I feel great pride in being the President of AESA and thank you for your support. Please continue to be involved members as this is what leads to a strong association.
Best Regards,
John G. Ford
AESA President 2010-2011