Page 13 - i1052-5173-30-10 + Annual Report

Letter from the Executive Director

To all GSA members and GSA staff, worked or volunteered for GSA to leave
such an iconic space, but we understand the
Even though the Society has weathered fiduciary reasons for such a decision. We
members from industry. But GSA has pandemics and wars and social strife in its have begun the process of assessing the val-
technical expertise across applications long past, we who are here presently are ues of the many GSA belongings and reduc-
science through at least the Hydrogeology, experiencing most of these challenges for ing our warehoused materials.
Environmental and Engineering, and the first time. I want to applaud GSA staff As GSA President Don Siegel notes in
Geology and Society Divisions, so there for their professionalism and grit in stepping his report, much of the second half of this
remains untapped opportunity. I hope to up to keep our operations going expertly fiscal year has been consumed by respond-
initiate more conversations about possibili- and smoothly. I also want to recognize GSA ing to the global crisis. Being in response
ties to expand our membership beyond leadership for their crucial support and mode brings on anxiety and frustration,
curiosity-driven science when I serve as advice as we weather the challenges of whether you are trying to keep your career
past president this coming year. COVID-19. afloat or trying to maintain your family life.
It is clear that the new generation of The fiscal year started out in July 2019 GSA has stepped up to offer as much assis-
young geoscientists wants to be engaged in with our directions firmly in place. GSA tance to our members and the geoscience
decision-making processes earlier than my Council had approved the broad Decadal community as we can during these stressful
generation had expected and has different Strategic Plan (https://www.geosociety.org/ times. We have conducted a special student
societal needs and expectations of what documents/gsa/about/2019-strategic-plan assistance grant program (GSA COVID-19
membership means than mine (albeit per- .pdf), and we at headquarters were deep into Assistance and Relief Effort for Students
haps not as expressed in consensus fashion developing the detailed implementation [GSA CARES]), extended the term for early
yet). GSA needs to respond to changes in activities. This work included prioritizing career professional membership, made our
expectations and the social cultures of our objectives and goals and identifying and many educational and career resources
membership, while respecting those of the redirecting resources. Throughout this open to all, reached out to our Associated
past if we want to remain relevant. I have annual report, you will see examples of Societies to offer webinars and information
every expectation we will do so. initial implementation of strategic plan sharing, and, in general, worked to be a
actions especially in the meetings and resource for the geosciences. We will con-
events; diversity, equity, and inclusion tinue to do so of course.
actions; membership benefits and retention; Our focus now is to define the “new
and geoscience policy. These were some normal” for GSA and the geosciences and to
of the areas where we have already made fit our long-term plans to it. Along the way,
advances, but it doesn’t stop there of course. we will continue to serve you, our members,
Donald I. Siegel In line with strategic actions, GSA and the geoscience community. You can
GSA President Council approved the recommendations of help with that by volunteering to serve as
the Ad Hoc Campus Vision Committee that GSA leaders, nominating deserving col-
it was time to relocate the GSA operations leagues for awards and medals, encouraging
headquarters. This includes selling the your students and early career colleagues to
existing GSA headquarters campus located join and participate, and certainly using
in Boulder, Colorado, USA. The almost GSA’s publications and meetings to share
50-year-old building and surrounding your science.
grounds require major renovations to be
useful for occupation and to comply with
the city of Boulder’s exacting energy and
sustainable building standards. It simply
would not be in the best interests of GSA to
invest funds that would take decades to
recoup if at all. The plan is to sell the prop- Vicki S. McConnell
erty and lease a more efficient office space GSA Executive
GSA 2021 MEMBERSHIP somewhere in the Denver-Boulder corridor, Director
Renew by 1 November— using the dividends from the endowed sale
Save 15%* off dues funds to cover expenses. As with most busi-
nesses in the world right now, GSA staff are
https://www.geosociety.org/ working almost entirely remotely, and we
members are finding that space needs assumptions we
made in January are already out of date. It
* applies to those in high-income countries/territories
will not be easy for many of us who have
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