CANDIDATE FOR AIPG NATIONAL PRESIDENT-ELECT
Candidate for AIPG National President-Elect
Dawn Garcia CPG-8313
Tuscon, Arizona
I want to introduce myself and give you an idea of what I’d like to achieve as President-Elect and then President. I know and appreciate the value of AIPG membership. I’ve been a member of AIPG for more than 25 years (awarded CPG in 1991) and have been active on both the state and national level. I have benefited from the generosity of AIPG members, who have provided mentoring and employment opportunities. I was very fortunate as a young geologist to be able to sit with senior geologists and learn how they interacted with groups and ran successful meetings. Even when I didn’t have those opportunities through work, I was participating in AIPG com- mittees with upper-level personnel. I participated in several Washington DC Fly-Ins, which were true learning experiences on how government works, plus wonderful opportunities to meet elected and appointed officials. I have been to many national AIPG meetings and have made life-long friends. Because I work internationally, I regularly use my AIPG seal on reports.
The year as President-Elect provides an opportunity to actively serve on the AIPG national executive board and gain more experience on the responsibility of the AIPG President. There is also time to move forward on initiatives that are new and ongoing. AIPG’s mission statement is to be an effective advocate for the profession of geology and to service its members through activities and programs that support continuing pro- fessional development and promote high standards of ethical conduct. My personal interest in providing services and activi- ties that members value is my most important objective, and it aligns with our mission statement. The CPG program and advocacy for the profession are services that members value and I will continue them.
AIPG, like many professional societies, faces a wide spec- trum of challenges to attract and retain members and to be a resource for its members. These challenges are well-known: What is AIPG? How can we best serve our membership? How can we offer value to our members? Offering tangible assis-
tance to the individual member and section leadership is part of the response. I would like to focus on the following tasks as President-Elect:
1. Provide the services that members value. There are many different reasons to join and stay as a mem- ber, but several reasons have been noted as the most important – maintaining the CPG program and provid- ing advocacy for the geologic profession. CPG status has been crucial for members who act as a qualified person under specific reporting requirements and in jurisdictions without state licensure. AIPG has been at the forefront of many efforts related to geologic issues, such as supporting state licensure and geologic surveys. Fortunately, we already have solid systems in place for these activities. Other common reasons for being an AIPG member include networking and section activities. Expansion of virtual webinars and network- ing opportunities will be an important focus for me on a national level, plus on a section level.
2. Student and Early Career Professional Member Opportunities. AIPG has made strong strides on recruitment of geology students and young profes- sionals, and assistance to these new members will continue to be a priority next year. Our new members are looking for opportunities to enhance their careers and they want to be mentored. I want to invigorate a mentoring program using an online platform that would allow for mentoring over either a short or long period (for example, do you need someone to help you reason through a short-term decision, or are you look- ing for longer-term career path help?). I am currently part of a committee that is looking into options. I also envision that AIPG would hold more student/Early Career Professional webinars that would cover topics such as interview techniques and career development plans. Our student page on the AIPG website would be expanded to include recordings of webinars.
3. Keep our members engaged. Everyone’s time is precious, and AIPG competes with many other entities in trying to engage our members. We can make our members feel included and informed through alterna- tive communication methods when holding face-to-face section meetings is difficult. Many of us live with our phones constantly in our hands. I will encourage short videos as part of national AIPG’s mobile communica- tions. A short video is a great tool and video creation is so much easier with our smartphones. AIPG has a Zoom license and a list of webinar speakers that sections can use when planning activities. We also have the means to coordinate webinars for national and international audiences.
I appreciate this opportunity to share my thoughts with the AIPG membership, and I look forward to serving as President- Elect and President.
20 TPG •
Apr.May.Jun 2021
www.aipg.org
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