Presidents Message Janaury 2020

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Presidents Message:

By now, I suspect the current COVID-19 situation has affected you in some way. APWA has received notifications of cancelled local events and questions about upcoming meetings

As you are aware, the situation is fluid and changes occur rapidly. The health and safety of our members is of the utmost importance. For now, we will be moving our meetings and educational events to the ZOOM platform for obvious health and safety reasons.

We are open to suggestions on topics you are interested in seeing in the future.

As an organization, we are hopeful that sometime during the coming weeks and months, we will look at this difficult time in the “rear-view mirror.” When we do, it will be with immense pride in how we individually and collectively, responded.

I have copied the mission statement of the APWA below, as I feel it is as relative now during this unprecedented time as it was when it was first written.

APWA’s Mission Statement

The American Public Works Association exists to develop and support the people, agencies, and organizations that plan, build, maintain, and improve our communities. Working together, APWA and its membership contribute to a higher and sustainable quality of life.

The American Public Works Association is uniquely positioned to create valuable connections and solutions for those serving our communities through public works. As the only organization covering the breadth of public works, we offer our members an unparalleled network for information, education, professional development, advocacy, and social interaction.

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I believe for our Chapter to remain the best resource and network for those committed to public works, we must:

Bring together the full spectrum of professionals and practitioners who serve the public through careers in public works.
Help communities understand the critical role of public works in our lives.
Define the knowledge, skills, and leadership required to meet our communities’ evolving public works needs.
Provide a comprehensive approach to education, professional development, and continuous learning that prepares and qualifies those in public works to meet these needs.

Just as there remains much to be done in the field of public works, so there is much more to do to support public works professionals and practitioners than any one organization can achieve. As a result, we must carefully prioritize our resources to achieve those goals that APWA is uniquely positioned to meet. Utilizing the wide and varied expertise of our active and dedicated members, we will develop and provide programs, products, and services for the benefit of the public works community. We will also partner with other associations and organizations that support public works in order to meet other strategic needs and requirements of our profession, including advocacy, education, and information.

To ensure the future health and sustainability of our organization, we will seek to grow our membership base, as well as the engagement of new and existing members. To succeed at these complementary and reinforcing goals, we believe we must find new and innovative ways to recruit and serve members where they live and work.

I am proud and humbled by the uncommon loyalty and dedication that we demonstrate to each other and to the association. As leaders, volunteers, and staff we are committed to earn the local Public Works continuing engagement by offering the uncommon service and value that they deserve. Together, we are building a great Chapter, and through our service to our members, we make a difference in our communities.