Wow, what a year!
We started off the year deep into COVID and did our best to keep safety information and meetings flowing. In addition to COVID and additional workloads caused by COVID, many of us experienced family member loses during the year. It was just amazing to watch our “ASSP Family” step up to the plate and fill in for one another throughout the year.
Being an “old guy”, I can honestly tell you that in our lifetimes we end up having “multiple” families. We have our home family, our work family (where we spend most of our work-life time), and for us lucky ones we have our “Safety Family – our ASSP family”! Over the many years I have been associated with ASSP I have found that “safety professionals” have the largest hearts and are always willing to step up to the plate when others are in need. It is that caring heart that makes each of you a very special person and as a group makes us fantastic family.
Thank you, 2020-21 officers, for all your help this year; without each of you stepping up and filling in when needed we would not have succeeded. It has been an amazing year, each of you has been a blessing, helping me though the year and though life.
We have all been looking forward to the end of COVID and getting back together “face to face”. It will be fantastic when we do! With that said, I think the South Texas Chapters greatest accomplishment this past year was sticking together to keep safety information flowing to our members. We not only operated successfully; we laid the groundwork for a fantastic future. “Going VIRTURAL” has allowed us to expand our chapter footprint. Monthly meeting participation has increased, and we have been able to bring in speakers from around the country. Virtual meetings have allowed many of us to attend the meetings despite our increase travel schedules.
I am personally looking forward to watching and helping this new (younger) group of officers move the chapter to the next level. COVID has changed the world and this new group of South Texas ASSP Officers will be the ones to use that change to improve safety, improve communications, and to grow our chapter. They have already stepped up to the plate and started filling the monthly speaker roles and are constantly working to set up facility tours to improve safety education/interest.
Your 2021-2022 officers!
Zach Northcutt – President, Jeff Kirkwood – VP, Damon Shodrock – Treasurer, Paul English -Secretary, Forrest Richardson- Awards and Honors, Scott Lapier – Membership, Maggie Anaya – Communications / Social Media, Hank Austin- Government Relations, Don Drake – Historian, Matthew Herron- Student Services (Area 3 Director) Karen McClenny- Meeting Coordination Chair,. Larry Peterson/Stan Gregory-Delegates
Thank you all again for everything you have done and will do to support the STX Chapter!