Abstract
Successful associations like ALA represent the combined forces of two very important groups of seasoned professionals—volunteers who offer scientific and technological experience, knowledge, and insight; and staff members who offer association management expertise. Together, these two halves create a whole. Essentially, while volunteers establish and nurture the vision toward which ALA initiatives strive, staff members manage the logistics required to get the jobs done.
For example, while the LabAutomation Scientific Committee is defining scientific and technological trends, exploring potential speakers, and designing a meaningful educational curriculum, staff is negotiating contracts with the hotels and convention center; designing marketing plans and producing marketing materials; processing membership applications and conference registrations; processing vendor invoices and tracking budgets; and keeping the database and Web site up-to-date.
As executive director of ALA, I serve as the chief staff executive and ultimately am responsible for the performance of ALA's nearly 20 full- and part-time association management professionals. I am pleased to announce that the ALA staff team now includes several new faces. Carla Helton is on board as the ALA Director of Membership Services, responsible for general and member administration, association operations, and data management. Carla also joins forces with me in developing meaningful new products and services for ALA members. Also on board is Webmaster Todd Newell, who keeps ALA's online operations and data in good working order. Functional and efficient electronic communication is essential as the ALA staff team is a virtual team. Nan Hallock, for example, works from her office in Manitowoc, WI; Todd Newell contributes from his office in Washington, DC; while Carla Helton and I occupy the new ALA Headquarters office in historical downtown Geneva, IL.
The ALA Board of Directors and I conducted an exhaustive search and chose to locate our headquarters office in Geneva for a number of reasons. Geneva, Chicagoland, and O'Hare International Airport offer a central location that's easy to access from anywhere across the U.S. or around the globe. In addition, the region is strategically important in terms of lab automation research and development, and there are a number of leading corporate, academic and government organizations nearby. Although quaint and quite historic, Geneva also is a very progressive community that offers first class professional amenities for those who conduct business there. We are proud of the new ALA Headquarters office, and invite ALA members to stop in and say hello anytime.
Sincerely,
