HIGHLIGHTS ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | OCTOBER 2023 51 than continually questioning. I have spent a significant amount of time aligning the role of the board during my year as president of ASM, where the board has adopted, at times, a more operational role than is required. While getting governance right is challenging, it is essential to ensuring our future success. The Governance Modernization Task Force, which I formed this year, will be working to address gaps in our governance model to ensure clear and consistent roles for our volunteer leadership. The board and staff executive leadership are well aware of the financial challenges we face and are working in partnership to address them. The executive staff are preparing financial model revisions to help the board see different alternatives for achieving a balanced budget. We are looking at all of our income streams—publishing, events, education, conferences, and the role of the Dome and asking: Are these pillars that we have relied on for much of the last century still essential? How should they change? Should we no longer pursue them? While many organizations focus solely on expense reduction and elimination, we are looking strategically at what will help us increase the profit margin of current bellwether programs along with introducing new offerings. While growth strategies are not a panacea, they represent our relevance to the changing needs of materials engineers and scientists. There is much good work to be done, and to be done in partnership. I leave all of these and other tasks to the incoming president to work with Sandy and the staff at ASM International who are well equipped to face these challenges. ASM President David B. Williams, FASM david.williams@asminternational.org FROM THE FOUNDATION Maldonado Keough FROM THE FOUNDATION Changing of the Chairs At the ASM Materials Education Foundation board meeting taking place at IMAT, we will pass the gavel and leadership of the ASM Foundation. One of us will leave the role of chair of the Board of Trustees and the other will assume the chair. Having worked together with the rest of the board and ASM Foundation staff members for the past two years, it is likely the strategic direction will not take a significant turn but we will accelerate our mission. At the handoff, the ASM Materials Education Foundation will report positive operating numbers and a growing investment fund to fuel continued expansion of our outreach activities into the future. Our enthusiasm comes from knowing that the ASM Foundation has the best tool in the box for reaching teachers and students, and for increasing the number of students choosing the materials field—makers, engineers, managers, and educators. The Foundation is focusing efforts to boost participation in the ASM Materials Camps and develop associated year-round programs to increase the depth with which we can benefit teachers and students. Some of our other work is highlighted in this issue of AM&P, including scholarship and award winners who will be recognized at IMAT. If you are attending IMAT, please take time to attend our event on Monday, October 16, for our big announcement and see the other exciting programming the ASM Foundation is offering there. If you are not attending, you can learn more about the ASM Materials Education Foundation’s activities and mission by visiting www.asmfoundation.org. We will also be in touch soon to share some of our big news with you. We are thrilled to be leading the ASM Materials Education Foundation during this critical and exciting time and look forward to working with everyone involved as we continue the path of hands-on, minds-on programs for teachers and students. We are honored to lead this organization that is cultivating the next generation workforce in the materials field. As you may or may not be aware, the ASM Materials Education Foundation is a separate organization from ASM International, with its own board, budget, mission, and vision. In order to continue our work, we need your support. Please keep this in mind as we reach out to you through the rest of the year. Thank you for the outstanding support you continue to show for our work! John R. (Chip) Keough Julio G. Maldonado Outgoing Chair Incoming Chair Board of Trustees Board of Trustees ASM Materials Education ASM Materials Education Foundation Foundation
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTYyMzk3NQ==