PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE What a Year!
J. Todd McFarland, CPG-11348
todd.mcfarland@
woodplc.com
I can honestly admit that I did not expect my year as presi-
dent to go in this direction. It has been an interesting year to say the least. I have been working from home since March and while the transition was difficult at times, my work progressed as usual for the most part. Travel is a part of consulting, so I was already set up with a laptop, cloud-based access to work files, and the necessary equipment for the conference calls that fill up my calendar most days. However, all of us were not so lucky. Especially our headquarters staff. The Colorado stay-at-home order provided the staff a short amount of time to completely change their working environment from office- based to a mobile work force. This required an enormous amount of effort by the staff and they did not miss a beat, so we all owe our thanks and appreciation to Aaron Johnson, Wendy Davidson, Cathy Duran, Cristie Valero, Dorothy Combs, Mona Scott, Kathy Glivar, and Lauren Zeek. Thank you all for the work you do and for keeping AIPG running smoothly from home.
We held the first virtual Executive Committee meeting in
June. Although the meeting was successful, we were planning to be in Minneapolis where I know the Minnesota Section had some great activities planned for us. I hope we get the oppor- tunity to visit the Minnesota Section soon. The uncertainty of when states will open back up also led to the postponement of the annual meeting in Sacramento scheduled for October. There was some discussion about making this a virtual meet- ing, but we ultimately made the best choice for AIPG by postponing the meeting. The interaction with fellow members, interacting with students, and the field trips are integral to our annual meetings, and I will look forward to attending our 2021 annual meeting in Sacramento. Thanks to the California Section meeting committee for their hard work planning for the 2020 meeting – you are ahead of schedule for 2021!
In addition to our meeting postponement, I was sched-
uled to present at the GSA NE/SE Joint Section Meeting in Reston, Virginia at the Geoscience Careers for New Geoscience Graduates session chaired by AIPG members Ron Wallace and Mike Lawless. This was also cancelled, which was a dis- appointment as I always enjoy presenting to students eager to start their careers. It is always a great opportunity to recruit new students and early career professional members. Additional cancellations included the EFG spring meeting in Serbia and Geoscientists Canada 64th meeting, which I was able to attend virtually.
Our next executive committee meeting is scheduled for
October 2020 and is typically an integral part of the annual meeting. The committee meeting includes opportunities for Section representatives to provide updates and we plan to continue to provide the Sections this opportunity in October. However, it will be virtual this year. Additionally, we will need to elect our 2021 Advisory Board representatives. The Advisory
www.aipg.org
Board is a critical component of the Executive Committee as they provide routine communication between the Sections and the Executive Committee. This will be a challenging year for the elections, so if you are interested in running, please reach out to your Section Executive Committee and get on the ballot.
It has been a year of firsts for most of us. I transitioned to
work from home in March and will do so through the end of 2020. Our office will undoubtedly be downsized with many choosing to stay at home permanently. My son started virtual school in August and the timeline for transitioning to inperson school is still being developed. The only thing constant in this life is change, so all we can do is embrace it.
I will admit this is not how I hoped my year as president
would go, but everyone’s plans have changed this year. I was looking forward to representing AIPG at EFG and the GeoScientist Canada meeting. As many conferences have been cancelled this year, we will need to double our efforts next year to continue to recruit Student Members and Early Career Professionals as they will drive our membership growth in the coming years. I have said and truly embrace the idea that stu- dents and early career professionals should be receptive to the wealth of knowledge that professional members can convey,
“
The only thing constant in this life is change, so all we can do is embrace it.
but also acknowledge that this is a two-way street. All of us should be open to other opinions. Professionals will inevitably disagree but should do it professionally. Disagreements should only be opportunities to improve. Disagreements should not be an attack on another person.
It has been an interesting year for us all. Furthermore, it
has been a disappointing year for me due to the pandemic that has limited my ability to represent AIPG at various meet- ings. However, nothing has been more disappointing than the defamatory and derogatory letters and e-mails I have received from a few members this year directly aimed at myself and other members. I am not going into the specifics because senders deserve no notoriety. It is a supreme disappointment on a professional level to know that we have members in this organization that not only condone this behavior but promote it. I pride myself on my integrity and I know what I do is mor- ally and ethically right. Unsolicited opinions from members that have never met me have no chance of changing that. If you plant ice, you’re going to harvest wind.
Oct.Nov.Dec 2020 • TPG 39
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64
