President’s Message
Leadership and Service
BY MICHAEL T. BRANDT, AIHA® PRESIDENT
“And so, my fellow Americans, ask not
what your country can do for you; ask
what you can do for your country.”
—President John F. Kennedy,
Inaugural Address, January 1961
President Kennedy’s words inspired a
generation of Americans to serve government, contribute to volunteer causes,
and recognize that, collectively, we can
achieve great things by working together. I remain hopeful about the future
of our profession and our ability as an
association to progress toward our vision
of “eliminating workplace illnesses.”
AIHA has intentionally adopted a vision
that can never be achieved. But by committing to our members and contributing
to scientific and technical progress, we
will continue to make a difference in the
health and safety of workers.
Duty and Commitment
A board of directors must understand the
needs of its members, whether they are
leading the field or just entering it. AIHA
is fortunate to have a board that represents a wide range of perspectives and
experiences, including academics and
practitioners from government, industry,
and consulting. This past summer, your
Board demonstrated its unwavering
commitment to our collective purpose by
reshaping our mission (Creating Knowledge to Protect Worker Health) and by
identifying mission-oriented strategic
goals to drive AIHA’s structure, governance, staffing, and budgeting.
Commitment requires consistent
focus, coherent communication, and extended effort on issues of value to members. This constancy of purpose and
clear direction will help future leaders on
the Board, on technical committees, and
in local sections to focus their energies
around the priorities established under
each of our three goals—professional
community, advocacy and value, and
knowledge and learning.
Last summer, a significant breakthrough occurred during AIHA’s strategic
planning session. The Board and invited
guests from the American Board of Industrial Hygiene, the Academy of Industrial Hygiene, and the American
Industrial Hygiene Foundation recognized that what distinguishes industrial
hygienists from other public health and
safety professionals is that industrial hygiene is an exposure risk assessment and
exposure risk management discipline
within the profession of public health. I
consider this a breakthrough because, for
many years, discussions within the profession centered around our professional
identity. Recognizing that our strength
rests with exposure assessment and risk
management will help us focus our efforts, particularly as we evaluate the existing products and services offered by
AIHA and supported by the sweat equity
of our members.
This newly acknowledged focus,
combined with our vision of eliminat-
ing workplace disease, is helping the
Board make decisions about the scien-
tific and technical content we will
offer members in the future. A team of
volunteers and senior Board members
is evaluating our current products and
services to determine which ones align
around our new focus. At the May
2011 Board meeting, this team will
present its findings to the Board. This
process will help us devote shrinking
financial and volunteer resources to
products and services that you value
the most.
Shared Strength
Of course, the value of AIHA membership, and AIHA’s strength as a professional and scientific society, stems from
the nearly 1,000 volunteers who devote
their time and expertise to our technical committees and local sections. This
collective effort not only represents a
significant professional development
opportunity for volunteers but also
benefits all members. Without volunteer contributions we would not be able
to support all of the products and services we offer our members, and AIHA
would not be the strong organization
that it is today.
But what about you? Have you considered volunteering your energy, expertise, and talents to AIHA? Your
involvement will enrich other members’
experiences while contributing to your
professional development, and you’ll
have access to the timely, high-quality
assistance you need to be successful in
protecting worker health and safety.
President Kennedy recognized that a
nation is only as strong as its citizens’
commitment to common goals. Similarly, an association is only as good as
members’ willingness to contribute to its
collective success. If you don’t already
volunteer for AIHA, consider adding
this to your New Year’s resolutions.
The need is great, and the opportunities are many.
MichaelT.Brandt,DrPH,CIH,PMP,istechnicalchief
ofstaffforOperationsatLosAlamosNationalLabo-ratoryinLosAlamos,N.M.Hecanbereachedat
(505) 667-1228ormtbrandt@lanl.gov.
