Summer 2007 President's Letter

From Angelo Iafrate...

There is an excellent discussion thread about our organization on the AAW website Forum. However, since some members do not have access to the Internet, I’d like to take this opportunity to discuss some topics here.
First, I can say with certainty that the entire AAW board of directors welcomes member participation in its activities and decisions. And the website forum is a good vehicle to do that. Any member can contact any board member directly by using the e-mail addresses or phone numbers posted on the website (the same information is available in the AAW Resource Directory.)

Historically, the nine elected board members have been a working board. What does that mean? If a director received board approval for a new program, it usually meant that the director with the idea was responsible for the additional work required to put that plan into action. As we transition into a governing board over the next three years, board members will have less program oversight.
Additionally, all of the board members were (and still are) on the symposium committee each with a list of duties to make symposiums come together. We set up the lathes, wired the cameras, emptied the trash, and generally ran around frantically for three days with the help of local chapters and a core group of volunteers.

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Happily, that is no longer the case. The directors have hired a full-time executive director (Larry Sommer joined the AAW staff in September 2006) and a professional conference coordinator. If you attend the Portland symposium, you’ll have a chance to meet Carol Kuc, who is responsible for getting the facility ready for our symposium.

When asked about AAW benefits, most members can speak easily about the quarterly American Woodturner, the symposium, and the liability insurance policy for AAW chapters and members. What is not immediately apparent is the strong networking available through the 265-plus local chapters. In my view, everyone who attends a local chapter meeting is taking part in one of the biggest and best benefits of the AAW—its chapters. It’s here where members and new woodturners take part in the camaraderie and the shared knowledge that makes the AAW such a vibrant organization.

We have been asked if the AAW could negotiate for equipment discounts for members. If the AAW entered into the business of negotiating discounts, then we would be responsible for resolving problems that could arise from such an endorsement. We see this as a logistical and bureaucratic nightmare for our staff and a burden for our budget. The good news is that many local chapters already negotiate special pricing for members.

For ideas that work, follow the links on the AAW website to “Local Chapters” and then “Best Practices.”

Angelo Iafrate
President AAW