During my last 3 years, my first term on the BOG, I familiarized myself with the duties and responsibilities of the office. I believe I represented the interests of members and was a voice of reason during discussions. I understand the goals set forth by Dr. Williams and I strongly support them. I attended all Board meetings. I was appointed to two committees of the board: Compensation and the Web Engagement Steering Committee (WESC). I am vice chair of CMPD.
Regarding Compensation, the committee is complex and it took time to fully grasp the metrics and historical workings. Financial machinations are not my strong suit and perhaps I asked too many questions because I was rewarded with the chairmanship. I will continue to learn and I am confident that I can be a fair, receptive and vigorous participant over my tenure.
The WESC committee is in evolution. In close alliance with vice chair Raj Dash, the committee has become emblematic of how staff and members can work together to create opportunities for members to be more closely aligned with College activities through web-enabled initiatives. But what was initially a focus on member-engagement turned out to be a rather remarkable opportunity to learn from and collaborate with staff. The committee was successful and I hope that its new iteration will be even more remarkable.
Being part of CPMD allows me to focus on my first priority, membership. I do not have a growth strategy but advocate for a value-strategy. This is the focus of the MSS and I strongly support this effort.
Finally, I firmly believe that a Governor of the Board should be as engaged as possible with all levels of the College but in particular its major initiatives. I have attended the Policy Meeting and spent very productive days on the Hill. I attend the annual meeting not just on the day that the BOG meets. I am there for the entire meeting and attend as many functions and CME courses as I can. I think it is important to be visible, even Wednesday afternoon when the hallways are mostly empty.
A Governor should be front and center, representing the College beyond the formal Board meetings. I attend state and local pathology meetings including API, TSP, CSP, DPA, ASCP, and FSP. And I attend because I truly enjoy these interactions and not to simply get signature pages completed.