On October 17-18, 2013, the ACEC Board of Directors met in Berkeley at the historic Claremont Hotel. Your Sierra Chapter members in attendance included Ted Hopkins, Steve Greenfield, Tom Blackburn, Eddie Kho, and myself. Below are some major highlights from the meeting:

Executive Director Search – Paul Meyer announced his retirement in July, and ExCom has hired a recruitment firm to help with the process. 37 resumes have been collected, and ExCom has selected 13 resumes for phone interviews. In-person interviews by ExCom will happen the week of November 11. The process should be concluded by the end of November, with the new Executive Director starting in January 2014.

Policy Platforms – The Water & QBS policy platforms are currently being developed at the ACEC California committee level. The Contracting Out and Infrastructure Funding policy platforms have been developed by ACEC California staff and are currently being reviewed. For the High Speed Rail and Alternative Delivery policy platforms, ExCom is soliciting volunteers from the Board and membership.

Chapter Award Program – There was a strong impressive response from the chapters this year, with nine chapters applying. This year, the Bronze Award was given to the following chapters: North Coast, San Diego, and Sierra. The Silver Award was given to the Los Angeles Chapter, and the Gold Award was given to the Orange County Chapter.

ACEC National PAC – So far this year, members of ACEC California have donated about $22,000 to the ACEC National PAC (which is separate from our state PAC). Our statewide goal is much higher ($83,000). The good news is ACEC California gets back more than we raise, but there is pressure to improve our statewide numbers.

ACEC National – ACEC national ended the fiscal year with a balanced budget, and membership has remained relatively constant. Major issues include engineering education, state licensure, tax reform, SEC registration, infrastructure finance, and the commissioning of a study about costs associated with contracting out.

Annual Conference Committee – The annual conference is April 7-10, 2014 in La Quinta. The theme is: “Ready, Set, Grow.” The conference committee is currently looking for break out session speakers.

Grassroots Committee – A Legislative “Call to Action” campaign has been implemented through the grassroots committee in an effort to engage ACEC California members (by sending local legislators individual letters when support is needed). There has also been initial preparation for the 2014 Legislative Visit Day scheduled for February 4, 2014.

Legislative Review Committee – The committee nominated Assembly Member Connie Conway for the 2013 Legislator of the Year award.
Next Board Meeting: February 3, 2014, Hyatt Regency, Sacramento.

Next Board Meeting: February 3, 2014, Hyatt Regency, Sacramento.