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INCOSE-LA 2009: A Year of Continuing Excellence PDF Print E-mail
Written by Eric Belle   

As we close out the year and transition to the 2010 Board of Directors, it is fitting that we pause to reflect upon the successes of 2009 and recognize that they can be attributed to a long line of dedicated leaders and volunteers. The awarding at the International Symposium (IS09) in Singapore of the 2008 President’s Award for the Most Outstanding Chapter was the culmination of strong leadership and dedication over many years. In choosing us for this award, the Member Board cited our consistent high performance, which has resulted in Gold Circle Awards for almost every year since 2002. I consider myself fortunate to have been the President of record who accepted the award on behalf of the Chapter and wish to salute John David Boyd for his leadership during 2008 and his Board of Directors (BoD) for their strong support.

While IS09 may have been a defining moment of this past year, it is by far not the only shining moment of which we can be proud this past year. Thanks to the efforts of Shah Selbe and Dick Emerson and their Mini-conference committee members, we once again were able to offer an engaging and stimulating conference that served to expand our knowledge of the field of systems engineering. A full slate of speaker meetings, tutorials, and professional networking events also served to further the professional needs of our membership, and a dedicated BoD continued to keep you informed via newsletters, postcards, and Reflector emails and to keep us operating by performing the many tasks necessary to retain our Gold Chapter status. The factory tour of SpaceX in particular was immensely fascinating and gave the capacity crowd in attendance an interesting contrast to the highly structured world in which most of us operate. The amount of work and dedication that is put into this Chapter by the many individuals who serve the Chapter and its members is not easily explained in mere words. I would urge all of you to take a good look at the next-to-last page of this newsletter to understand fully the magnitude of what it takes to operate and run a successful Chapter.

Going forward into 2010, the Chapter once again finds itself blessed with a strong, dedicated BoD to be led by Rosalind Lewis of the Aerospace Corporation. It is my hope to follow the example set by my predecessor in continuing to remain engaged in the Chapter in my role as the Immediate Past President. I also thank all of you for your support in electing me as the new INCOSE Region II Representative — a role I hope will allow me to build greater engagement amongst the INCOSE chapters in our region. We do not plan to rest on our laurels in the coming year, and to be successful will always require that new individuals continue to step up and volunteer their time and abilities in support of the Chapter. It is my belief that you will find it an immensely rewarding experience that will pay back dividends in ways that you cannot begin to imagine. Should any of you have ideas that you would like to see implemented, please do not hesitate to contact any of the BoD members; this is your Chapter, and its strength and effectiveness are dependent upon the active participation of its members.

Thank you for the honor of choosing me to serve as your President in 2009. Please join me in supporting our new 2010 INCOSE-LA President and BoD.
Last Updated ( Sunday, 06 June 2010 13:09 )