APGO elections are coming up, with nominations closing in February 2012. My term as your President is flying by, and soon your Vice President, Ian MacDonald, will be stepping into the President role. At this time of year, Council typically discusses open positions on council and what committees need volunteers or chairpersons. Who will be the next leaders of our organization?

Would you get involved? I suggest you consider running for a position on Council. It’s not too difficult or time consuming. Everyone I’ve met on Council has said they get a significant return in terms of personal development and meeting new colleagues for their time. Serving on Council expands one’s horizons, and provides a new perspective on our profession.

Now is the opportune time to give some thought to running for a position. In 2012, two Councilor at Large positions will be open for election. A Councilor at Large represents the membership in general, and can live anywhere in Ontario. I started on Council in an at Large position myself several years ago. The time commitment is quite manageable. Information on standing for election can be found at the following link: http://www.apgo.net/2012Nominations_Call.pdf.

The role of President is one of the roles on Council with the biggest time commitment.

I’m writing to let you know that it’s not too difficult to handle, even for someone like me with a full-time position and a full plate already! Traditionally, the President has a number of management responsibilities, including chairing Council meetings (about 6 per year), chairing Executive Committee teleconferences (about 9 per year), representing our members at Geoscientists Canada (2 meetings per year), being the public face of APGO as needed, liaising with the Executive Director and other staff, and chairing our annual general meeting. Given that the term is only one year, it is certainly a busy year, but it is not out of reach for anyone to handle the role.   

Even if you can’t run for a Council position, you can still find a rewarding volunteer position on any one of a number of committees. For a list of committees that might interest you click on the following link http://www.apgo.net/committees.htm. No matter how much time you have to give, or what stage you are in your career, we could use your input to help to grow our profession. Consider volunteering. You can find out more about volunteering by visiting the APGO website:
http://apgo.net/members-volunteer.htm

My term as President is half over already, and it’s been a very rewarding challenge. I would certainly do it again, and encourage others to consider getting involved. It will add value to your life and return to you far more than you invest.