May 3, 2000
Hello, again everyone. I hope you all are having wonderful a year and that the year 2000 has been all it was cracked up to be. The warmth of Spring is in the air and with it comes a new energy and a strengthened desire by your Board of Directors to make SQA the best it has ever been.
Thanks to all of those who wrote or spoke to me following the publication of my last commentary in your regional newsletters. Your input continues to be important and I assure you that it does make a difference. The Society is only as good as its members make it, and judging by the discussions I've had with many of you, we have a great Society.
Several of the issues we talked about last time are still current ones. The move towards a more informational and current Web site has been underway. Much of this work has been accomplished through the efforts of SQA Headquarters staff member Chris Bailey. He has been responsible for providing updated information and monitoring requests for additional information to be placed on the site. The Board continues to move in the direction of minimizing the amount of mailings needed to disseminate information by placing as much as possible on the site. Any comments or concerns of yours are welcomed.
The Board also continues to review the possible re-structuring of the membership categories. It has received input from the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws Committee and will be discussing this important issue at its May 8, 2000 Board Meeting.
We are only six months away from our Annual Meeting in Montreal and things are really progressing smoothly. Randy Fuller has been doing an excellent job in planning the meeting this year and in taking care of all the details. I visited the meeting site in Montreal two weeks ago and it is great. I'm sure everyone will be pleased with the hotel accommodations and the lovely city of Montreal. We have obtained a rather lengthy listing of Canadian QA peers who are interested in starting a regional chapter, and I would like to thank Paul Sidney for all his efforts with this. A letter of invitation to join SQA has been mailed in addition to an invitation for them to join us at the Annual Meeting. What better place to meet our new Canadian members than in Montreal!
In keeping with my initiative of visiting regional chapter meetings, I am pleased to say that I have so far been able to attend meetings of the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and National Capital Area (training session) regional chapters. I am planning to attend a membership meeting of the National Capital Area and the Pacific Chapter in July. The Rocky Mountain meeting I wanted to attend had to be moved to a later date to accommodate the FDA so that still has to be rescheduled. I am trying to still schedule the North Carolina and New England Chapters. Hopefully, I will make it to them all! If not, I will be sure, as your President, to be there.
Here again is my contact information:
Ken Dammers Telephone:
973-235-6773
Fax: 973-235-4026
e-mail: kenneth.dammers@roche.com
So as they used to say, "Keep those cards and letters coming in", and if I don't talk to you before, I'll see you in Montreal!