To: Region 3 2001 ExCom
From: Dick Riddle, Director 2000-2001
Subject: Director's Report- ExCom Meeting 1-20-01

As we close out Year 2000 and start the Third Millennium I would like
to again express my deep appreciation to you for the service that you
have given to IEEE and our Region.  Through your voluntary
contribution of leadership skill, time, and talent you have made 2000
another successful year for our Region.  As I said at our last
face-to-face meeting in Myrtle Beach last October, I feel that we
worked well together and have developed into a winning team.  For that
reason I asked you that were willing to serve again in 2001.  As a
result, our 2001 ExCom team will be essentially the same as our 2000
ExCom.

We are attempting to put our house in order by asking you to review
your goals and objectives in our Strategic Plan.  Bob Duggan and the
Strategic Planning Committee have worked hard to develop a
comprehensive plan to guide our region into a prosperous future.  But
we can only achieve this if the stated goals and objectives are yours
and you are committed their successful completion.

I just returned from the RAB Strategic Planning Retreat, January
15-16, 2001 in NJ.  My complements to our own David Green who was the
Facilitator and did an outstanding job of keeping things moving and on
track.  I found the retreat interesting, and informative.  Over the
next few weeks you will be informed about those projects that were
adopted as having the highest priority to be completed in 2001-02.

Three of our Region 3 Sections: Central Savannah River, Middle
Tennessee, and Tri Cities have been inactive for several years.  They
have not held the required meetings, elected officers, or filed the
required reports.  In spite of our efforts to rejuvenate these
Sections they continue to be in danger of being dissolved.  Should
dissolution of these sections become necessary, please give me your
recommendations on which section should inherit the active members
formally served by these sections.

As reported in our pre ExCom e-conf on January 9, the Canaveral
Section has been approved to receive the IEEE Milestones In Electrical
Engineering and Computing recognition for "Electronic Technology for
Space Rocket Launches, 1950-1969.  The citation is as follows: "The
demonstrated success in space flight is the result of electronic
technology developed at Cape Canaveral, the J.F. Kennedy Space Center,
and other sites, and applied here.  A wide variety of advances in
radar tracking, data telemetry, instrumentation, space-to-ground
communications, on-board guidance, and real-time computation were
employed to support the U.S. space program.  These and other
electronic developments provided infrastructure necessary for the
successful landing of men on the moon in July 1969 and their safe
return to earth."

I feel that all Region 3 members should take pride in this achievement
and I would like to make this event a region wide celebration.  To
this end I have asked Vernon Powers to work with the Canaveral Section
Chair Kathryn Rinehart and provide the necessary support to make this
event an outstanding success.

All indications are that Year 2001 will be another good year for
Region 3.  I encourage you to start the year off right by attending
our Region 3 Winter 2001 ExCom meeting on January 20 from 10:00 AM
until 12:00 noon and from 2:00 PM until 4:00 PM.  This will be an
e-conf meeting on our E-Conference Server: irc.ewh.ieee.org Channel:
#ieee3 (password required).  I look forward to seeing you there.