Page 10 - Spring 2015

from the executive Director | Susan E. Fox
Over the course of the past 12 months, the ASA engaged in its first professionally facilitat- ed strategic planning process. The process began with the in- volvement of the Executive and Technical Councils in develop-
ing the first steps toward envisioning ASA’s future and it became known as our “Strategic Leadership for the Future.” Through online surveys, telephone interviews, one-on-one discussions, and group conversations, the process ultimately engaged the input of nearly a thousand ASA members and representatives from affiliated organizations. We thank those who took the time to participate. The commitment of members to the Society is remarkable and speaks well for the future of ASA and the profession.
With this rich response and background of data, more than 60 members representing all of ASA’s technical areas met at the Strategic Leadership for the Future Summit in Austin, Texas, on January 12-14, 2015 (visit: http://goo.gl/41yUEp for photographs). The participants focused on the question, “How will ASA need to change the way it does business, if at all, within a rapidly changing environment and uncertain publishing future, in order to maintain its position as the premier scientific society in acoustics?”
Working in large and small groups, the Summit participants developed proposals that organized the envisioned future into thematic areas and a draft set of goals. They further developed a detailed list of practical actions in each of the goal areas that could be taken to advance the strategic vision. Summit participants prioritized the list and emerged with a general consensus about which actions should be identified as critical and which should be considered important.
On March 30-31, 2015, at a meeting at ASA Headquarters in Melville, New York, the Executive Council then further refined the goals, defined as “outcome-oriented statements that represent what will constitute ASA’s future success," which fall into these general areas: awareness of acoustics, membership engagement and diversity, disseminate infor- mation and knowledge, and financial stewardship.
At the March meeting, the Executive Council discussed and assessed the list and developed it into specific objectives to- ward achieving the goals. The finalized plan with the goals and objectives will be shortly distributed to all members. This will form the basis of our focus, budgeting, and work in the next three to five years.
ASA is not alone among scientific societies in the challenges we face in the months and years ahead. By developing this agreed on focus through the collaborative engagement of as broad a set of members as possible and by collecting as much data as possible, the Society is now positioned to respond in- telligently, efficiently, and well to our known and unknown future. The biggest challenge ahead is in the execution of our intentions. Given the collective energy and expertise of members and staff, I have no doubt that we will succeed in meeting and exceeding our goals and become even stronger and more resilient.
As always, I welcome hearing from you and encourage you to contact me either by phone at 516-576-2215 or by email at sfox@acousticalsociety.org or any other member of the Ex- ecutive Council on this or any other matter. We are here to serve you and to work together to maintain and cultivate our vibrant and valued Acoustical Society of America.
8 | Acoustics Today | Spring 2015