Joe Butler,
President, EMC Society
In this first edition of the newsletter for new millennium, I am pleased to introduce myself as your new President. I look forward to serving the Society in this position for the next two years. As a way of introduction, I’d like to provide some insight as to my working relationship with the current Society officers who form what is referred to as the Executive Committee (EXCOM) of the EMC Society Board of Directors. Although I have participated in standards development for many different entities, I do not have quite the international exposure in the standards development area that perhaps Don Heirman, our VP for Standards, enjoys. However, I have actually visited his office where I have seen his one million linear feet of file storage! I have also visited our VP for Membership, Todd Hubing, in Rolla, Missouri, and I know where his barbershop is located. I now serve alongside Kimball Williams, our VP for Technical Services, as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Radio and Telecommunications Engineers (NARTE). Henry Ott, serving in the recently created position of VP for Conferences, once had me make copies for him of a technical presentation he was giving to the Central New England EMC Chapter. I serve this chapter as chapter angel, sometime meeting host, and previously as chairman. Our VP for Communications, Len Carlson, with his years of experience on both our Board of Directors as well as on the IEEE Technical Activities Board (TAB), and I, have spent many hours together after BOD meetings debating issues affecting EMC Society governance. Warren Kesselman, our Treasurer, not only e-mails me weekly on a host of issues, but even takes the time to send me a Christmas card. Bill Gjertson, past President and current IEEE Division IV Director, leaves our EXCOM this year, but not without leaving fond memories of the Seattle symposium he chaired. My 10-year-old daughter had a great time in Seattle! Finally, the Society’s Secretary and newsletter editor, Janet O’Neil, and I have collaborated on several marketing ideas for the many one-day EMC technical conferences that she organizes. In case you didn’t know, I am the principal architect of where to locate the food and beverage table in relation to the exhibits.
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EMC Society Leadership Changes Helm. At the November 1999 meeting of the EMC Society Board of Directors, the gavel was officially passed from outgoing President Dan Hoolihan (L) to incoming President Joe Butler. |
In short, I think I have already established a good working relationship with the officers of the Society and believe I have their full support. I also especially acknowledge our outgoing president Dan Hoolihan for not only serving the Society well but for allowing me to be his confidant and sounding board on Society issues during his tenure as President these past two years. I am fortunate that Dan will remain on the Executive Committee for another year as past President.
Dan has certainly left his mark on our Society with his many accomplishments. Among these is the fostering of increased activities of the Board of Directors in international activities. During his term, the Board held one of its annual meetings at international locales, i.e., Rome in September 1998 and Tokyo in May 1999. As this newsletter goes to press, the board is in the process of drafting potential Memoranda of Understanding (MOU’s) to detail our involvement in: IEEE EMC International symposia in Tel Aviv, Israel (May 2003), Montreal, Canada (August 2001) and continuing technical cooperation for EMC symposia in Zurich, Switzerland (February 2001), Wroclaw, Poland (June 2000), and Brugge, Belgium (September 2000). Technical cooperation is also under consideration with several other international EMC symposia. During my tenure as President, I hope to continue to foster this increased globalization of our Society.
This past November, the Board of Directors met in Washington, DC, site of the upcoming EMC symposium. At this meeting, with the support of Dan Hoolihan, I orchestrated a long range planning session with the help of several of my associates on the Board. The session focussed on four key issues: globalization, organization and governance of the Society, membership, and communication. The results of our efforts were the identification of several initiatives, both short and long term, which will provide direction to the Board. As we review these ideas at our next Board meeting in Phoenix, we will begin to define tasks and identify resources to address the relevant issues. Globalization in all its composite parts will be a main thrust. Membership development, chapter development, and Board of Director representation from IEEE Regions 7, 8, 9, and 10, i.e., non-United States, will be focus areas.
As mentioned by Dan Hoolihan in the last EMC newsletter, the five-year review of the EMC Society conducted by the IEEE during this past November’s Technical Activities Board (TAB) meetings was very complimentary to us. Among the reviewer comments was the fact that they found it interesting that the incoming president would be the chair of the long range planning activity and thus ultimately responsible for following through on the implementation of the plans. Most Societies have a separate long-range planning chair, or enlist the services of the past president. Using my interest in golf as a metaphor, could I have mismanaged my handicap negotiation even before I’ve teed off? I hope not, and I really don’t think so - besides I have strong support for the issues from the Board. Better still, the Board developed the ideas!
I start my tenure with the financial health of the Society at an all time high. Our current net worth is approximately $950K. The projected surplus from the Seattle symposium is $150K and for Washington, DC is $117K. The budget for 2000 shows a projected $148K surplus. We are clearly in good shape financially to address new initiatives to foster our growth.
Looking ahead, the Board of Directors will meet in Phoenix, Arizona on March 24th, Montreal, Canada on June 9th, Washington, DC on August 20th and 24th, and finally in Tampa, Florida on November 16th. I look forward to meeting representatives of the local chapters at these locations as well as at other EMC symposia worldwide that I hope to attend. If you have any questions or comments regarding the Society’s activities, please feel to stop and introduce yourself to me as I wander around the world, or call, fax, or e-mail me at the Chomerics Division of Parker Hannifin, 781-939-4267, 781-938-5071 (fax), jbutler@parker.com.
NOTICE: BYLAWS CHANGE The EMC Society Board of Directors, at its November 1999 meeting, approved a motion to delete the Society Bylaws paragraph 12.2 entitled “Typical Standing Committees.” The “typical” content was general information and not a Bylaws procedural type statement. The deletion is an editorial change to simplify the Bylaws document. This change will become effective after approval by IEEE and publication of this notice.