By Michael Pearsall, P.Eng., CVS, FEC – President, SAVE International
Since my last Value World message, I have been settling into my role as SAVE International President and getting acquainted with the new Board of Directors. So far, I have been able to attend my first couple of meetings with the Miles Value Foundation, a SAVE Executive Committee meeting and our first quarterly SAVE Board meeting with the new Directors. It has been a busy start; however, there is much to do.
Last month I reiterated my outlook for SAVE and the tasks ahead. A couple of members have asked me if I could summarize the key themes. After some discussion with Rob Stewart, Vice President/President-Elect, and the rest of the SAVE Board, here are the three top themes for the year ahead:
- Education – e-learning, update the training approach for VMF 1 and VMF 2, ensure that testing and certification are in line with the new education content and the VM Guide.
- Global Inclusivity & Diversity – continue shifting the focus of SAVE to be more global, accessible and open to the world. This means leveraging more virtual opportunities (training/education) and listening better to global issues and needs.
- Innovation & Change – focus on leveraging the web to deliver VM services, looking to build on our recent successes with virtual facilitation and other approaches. Also, looking at how we can build on the results of the three Tiger Teams.
I mentioned earlier the first meeting with the SAVE Board at the end of July. I came away from the meeting with a good feeling about the strengths of our current Board. All of the Directors have been confirmed in their roles and we have had discussions about their focus areas for the next year. I am particularly encouraged by how our newest Board members have dug deeply into their roles and responsibilities and are eagerly learning the inner workings of SAVE. I am comforted on top of that by how the members we are welcoming back on the Board have quickly stepped forward with support based on their experience and knowledge and are willing to roll-up their sleeves and get back to work for the benefit of SAVE.
Currently the Board is reviewing the past strategic plan work started by Mary Ann Lewis and continued by Kathy Bethany and Renee Hoekstra. At the next Board meeting we will update the strategic plan to reflect how we are going to carry on the work.
Looking ahead this month I am looking forward to my first meeting with the SAVE Certification Board. Some may see our certification program as ancient and byzantine; however, it is far from static and the Certification Board has been making many changes over the past five years to modernize yet keep it robust. It is not an easy task and I am thankful that we have a strong group of volunteers willing to put so much time into this. I look forward to seeing the latest developments.
If you are interested in volunteering, there are always opportunities with SAVE. One of the projects we have been working on is a potential rebranding update for SAVE. We have received some proposals and there are quite a range of options available. This month I would like to put a call out to anyone who would like to serve on a rebranding subcommittee. If you are interested, please contact the SAVE business office at info@value-eng.orgbefore August 18.
Let me conclude by wishing everyone a wonderful August. Where I live near Niagara Falls, it is summer and we have been having beautiful weather; some of the pandemic restrictions are easing and I see more and more tourists each day. For this I am truly thankful. Looking around the world, I know the situation is not uniform with some large wildfires and sandstorms, not to mention some pandemic resurgence. My heart and prayers go out to any SAVE members who are not enjoying a good summer and my hope is that this will change this month.
Many members have reached out to me so far to share their thoughts and ideas for SAVE. I continue to rely on your guidance and remain humble and thankful for your support and trust.
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