As the chairman of the IAEI CEO/Executive Director Search Committee, I am pleased to report the process of recruiting a replacement for James Carpenter is complete. While it has been a lengthy task of great importance to the association, the committee was committed to making a selection based on a dedication to the future of IAEI. Throughout the process, it was a pleasure to see so many people dedicated to the future of IAEI, as well as observing the quality of our membership.
We began the process in November of 2008 and closed the application submission window on June 1, 2009. We received seventeen cover letters and resumes from three countries and nine states. In July, we interviewed five very qualified individuals for the position.
On August 14, 2009, the IAEI Board of Directors named Mr. Dave Clements as the new CEO/executive director. Dave was born and currently resides in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He will retire in 2010 from Nova Scotia Power as its chief electrical inspector. Dave has been an active IAEI member at the local, section and national levels of the association for more than twenty-five years.
Dave served as international board member from 1995 until 2007 when he served as our 2007 international president. Dave also chaired the Fiscal Affairs and Long Range Planning Committee, a committee he was instrumental in forming as a board member in 2002. The Long Range Planning Committee was formed to develop both a business plan and strategies to ensure the association would continue as a leader in promoting electrical safety and the delivery of training materials to the electrical industry.
During his tenure as chief electrical inspector, he was a voting member on the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), Technical Committee on the Canadian Electrical Code, Part 1, a member of the Regulatory Authority Committee and member of the Canadian Advisory Committee on Electrical Safety. Dave has also served on seven CSA technical sub-committees.
Dave is a certified engineering technician and received a certificate in management from the Canadian Institute of Management through Saint Mary’s University.
Dave has one son who works in New Brunswick, Canada. His wife Jacquenette (Jaci) was born in California, reared in Hawaii, and received her degrees at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Jaci who worked in adult-education and association-management related programs in Michigan and in New York, recently retired from a Halifax university where she was an education administrator.
Dave’s vision of and commitment to IAEI is best illustrated in his article published in the November 2007 IAEI News. Dave related a time when he was asked, “What guides you in making decisions at the board level?” His response to that was, “Before I enter any discussions, I ask myself, what’s best for our members?”
A Message from the New CEO/Executive Director
This is my first message as incoming CEO/executive director of the IAEI. I would like to begin by thanking the Board of Directors for providing me this honor. I look forward to working with the IAEI staff and having the opportunity to work with our members to continue the success our association has as one of the leaders in the electrical industry.
Looking forward to becoming the CEO has also provided me the opportunity to look back on my long association with and commitment to the electrical industry and IAEI. One of the best and most personal-fulfilling decisions that I have made was to choose a career in the electrical industry. From the beginning, my involvement with IAEI has enhanced my career through its training opportunities, excellent articles in the IAEI News, the publications and, most significantly, the network of professionals (and now friends) that I have met through the association.
My apprentice electrician training was completed through the Nova Scotia Institute of Technology, and in 1977, I received the certificate of qualification as a construction electrician. After several years working with a Halifax electrical firm, I took a position with Nova Scotia Power as an electrical inspector and several years later was promoted to electrical inspection specialist. In 1982, at the encouragement of Nova Scotia Power’s chief electrical inspector, I joined the Nova Scotia Chapter of IAEI and quickly realized that I could learn from the knowledge of other members as well as gaining confidence as a young inspector. Twenty-eight years later, I’m still learning from IAEI members and chapter and section seminars, including the past twelve years as NSPower’s chief electrical inspector.
The chief electrical inspector who encouraged me to join IAEI left a lasting impression on me about the importance of mentoring others to join IAEI and the educational benefits that can be derived from participation in its programs. As chief electrical inspector, he took seriously his responsibility for ensuring that the inspectors kept abreast of code changes and for applying them uniformly in a manner that ensured consumer safety. He saw IAEI as one of the vehicles for code and safety training. As NSPower chief electrical inspector I, too, see the professional development benefits derived from division chapter and section participation and take every available opportunity to encourage electrical inspectors, contractors and engineers to join IAEI and participate in its programs. I strongly endorse the IAEI Certified Electrical Inspector program as a way to advance our profession internationally. A future goal is to ensure that employers are aware of this program and understand that inspectors voluntarily participate in this program and those who earn certification have gained a standard of professional excellence and knowledge important to their work.
IAEI has served me well over the years. Today the organization continues to benefit its membership and the electrical industry but we face many challenges that will need to be addressed over the next few years. Overcoming any negative fallout resulting from the recent recession that may have impacted member participation in programs, identifying efficient and affordable ways to continue to communicate with our members and developing membership programs that consider the potential loss of a large number of members due to retirement are some of the immediate challenges. One can look at these as negatives; however, I prefer to look at them as opportunities for improvement.
Our greatest asset is our members, and for this reason one of my first priorities as the new CEO is working with the board and IAEI staff on membership development and retention. This is critical in order to remain a healthy and vibrant organization. A board committee will be struck with the responsibility of developing a new five-year strategic plan to guide our association in its long-term vision of remaining the “Keystone of the Electrical Industry.”
We will continue to support training programs and educational materials that keep members informed of the latest regulations and promote work place safety related to the electrical industry and will explore innovative ways to provide training. With a strong membership, a unified voice, excellent educational programs and informative publications, we can make a difference in the prevention of electrical incidents in making our communities safe. Together we can make a difference.
Building strong partnerships with our key stakeholders will benefit our members and is critical for the future of our organization. Our website has become an important means of direct communication with IAEI members and we will continue to build on that success.
I am strongly committed to the IAEI and consider that I am very fortunate to be working for the organization. I look forward to working with the board, members and staff.
Congratulations to James Carpenter on his recent retirement and on his hard work, dedication and commitment to the IAEI. I wish Jim and Mary Anne all the best on their return to their North Carolina home.