Alyssa Reynolds, P.E.

Alyssa Reynolds PE,

Western District Secretary-Treasurer

On February 5, 2010, Western District Board members, committee chairs, section leaders and honored guests met at the Tuscany Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada for the 2010 Western District Mid-Year meeting.  The normally sunny Las Vegas weather was overcast and unseasonably rainy, keeping the 27 attendees indoors and working hard during the day-long meeting.  International Past President Ken Voigt was also able to attend the meeting and provided International ITE’s perspective on the state of the Institute and transportation

President Michael Sanderson opened the meeting by thanking all members in attendance, discussing the past meeting minutes, and introducing the items on the consent agenda.  His report included recent committee appointments and section travel.  His primary discussion; however, centered on a newly revitalized strategic planning effort.  A recent member survey provided insight on members’ needs and desires in relation to District services and programs.  Part of the Board’s focus over the remainder of this term will be to align the District’s goals and committee organization with the needs of the membership.

Much of the Board’s discussion centered on the WesternITE and communication mediums in general.  WesternITE Managing Editor and International Director, Zaki Mustafa, discussed the transition to electronic format, changing roles within the WesternITE structure, and the need to balance duties to create a sustainable operating unit.  Changes to the website hosting mechanism and file storage capabilities were the focus of Webmaster France Campbell’s report, but he also discussed the integration of the website with the electronic newsletter.   Regarding WesternITE revenue, Nate Larson, the Advertising Manager, discussed the changing paradigm for advertising and a potential pricing structure change.

Vice-President Edgar Perez and Secretary-Treasurer Alyssa Reynolds provided updates on the current state of the Western District budget.  Mr. Perez summarized the 2008-2009 fiscal year and related tax return, while Ms. Reynolds summarized the current budget situation.   The Board voted to include support for the Western District candidates for International Vice-President and the International ITE 80^th Anniversary Fund.

A discussion followed regarding the financial state of the Endowment Fund, which is nearing $220,000.  Endowment Fund Committee Chair, Cathy Leong, and International Director, Dalene Whitlock, provided a three step process for moving the fund into a long-term investment plan.   First, the Committee will identify a professional investment advisor. Next, the Committee will develop an investment policy with advisor, and upon its completion finalize the investments at the Annual Meeting in San Francisco.  The Board directed the committee to proceed and President Sanderson created a task force to oversee the fund’s investments.

The current slate of candidates was announced and accepted during Past President Monica Suter’s report.  Candidates are as follows:

• President: Edgar Perez
• Vice-President: Alyssa Reynolds
• Secretary-Treasurer:
• Doug Smith
• Walter Okitsu
• International Director:
• Nate Larson
• Jennifer Rosales

Ms. Suter also presented the nominations for the Individual and Lifetime Achievement Awards.  Winners will be announced at the 2010 Annual Meeting.

The District’s three International Directors Zaki Mustafa, Ken Ackeret, and Dalene Whitlock, provided summaries of their activities over the intervening months between Board meetings.  Together, the International Directors were able to visit seven Sections and Chapters and four Student Chapters.

During District Administrator’s report, Jenny Grote submitted the revised bylaws for the Riverside-San Bernadino Section, which were unanimously approved by the board.  Ms. Grote encouraged everyone in attendance to remind their local sections and chapters that the bylaw template is complete, and a change is necessary to enact electronic voting.  Ms. Grote also discussed the “Western District” name transition, and the challenges of storing numerous District and Section documents.  She will be working with Webmaster Campbell to utilize the District’s new on-line storage capabilities.

Based on comments from members, President Sanderson elected to create a Traffic Bowl committee.  The task force will be responsible for developing the traffic bowl questions and ensuring the accuracy of the answers.  The task force will also be assisting the Student and Faculty Initiatives Chair, Danielle Scharf, with the 2^nd Annual Student Traffic Bowl.

In other committee news, Advisory Committee Chair, Jennifer Rosales, summarized her research into the Board and Committee hierarchy.  Karen Aspelin summarized the activities of the Technical Committee including the winners of the Student Data Collection RFP.  Gary Hansen, Chair of the Membership Committee, reported a significant increase in student membership.  The legislative forum provided a summary of numerous legislative actions, and a full report is provided on-line.  Licensing and Certification Chair, Walter Okitsu, received direction from the President to monitor continuing education credits in each of the Western District States.  Career Guidance news, provided by Chair Patty Camacho de Cano, included a mentoring program status report and proposed deadlines for the Committee’s awards.

Four Local Arrangements Committee (LAC) Chairs provided reports to the board.  Nate Larson, Denver LAC Chair, tallied the final attendance numbers for the Denver meeting and provided a financial report. San Francisco LAC Chair, Mark Spencer, outlined the registration cost matrix for the 2010 Annual Meeting and announced several exciting features of the meeting including the mITEy Race.  Anne Brooks, Alaska LAC, and Tom Mericle, Santa Barbara LAC, provided status reports and proposed features for their upcoming meetings. Attendees concluded the meeting on time and under-budget , resolving to meet again in San Francisco!