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A special reminder, just in case you were not at the September meeting - Our next meeting will be THE FIRST MONDAY in OCTOBER, which is October 1, 2012.   This one-time deviation from our traditional meeting schedule was part of the year-long meeting schedule negotiated with the Marriott 18 months ago.  It didn’t seem like that big of deal way back then, but now that it is upon us, I want to make sure the word gets out.  Speaking of the Marriott, Brad Hernandez, our outgoing Branch Secretary, is currently negotiating with the Marriott for an extension through 2013.  The feedback I have received is positive and I look forward to staying put.

This October meeting is our formal annual meeting.  Ralph O’Quinn, the Texas Section President, will be at the meeting to install our new officers for 2012 - 2013.  As a reminder, the results of our elections, which were closed on September 10, 2012, were:

•    President - Sean P. Merrell, P.E.  
•    President Elect - Kristin Green, P.E.  
•    Vice President - Angela Matthews, P.E.
•    Past President - Douglas L. Smith, P.E.  
•    Secretary - Mir Ali, P.E.
•    Treasurer - Anu Kancherla, P.E.  
•    Branch Director - Alison Smith, P.E.  
•    Technical Director - Edward M. Penton, P.E.
•    Texas Section Director - Brad Hernandez, P.E.

I have had the pleasure to work with each of these individuals over the last few years and can say without any reservation that this slate of officers will do a great job.  Also, Sean Merrell still needs to fill a few committee chair and member positions, so join me and volunteer if you would like to help the Branch.  And keep in mind, with 2013 being our Section and our Branch centennial year, there are many extra volunteer opportunities.

For me personally, this past year has been a very enlightening and rewarding experience.  I have had the chance to work will several outstanding people, who otherwise I might not have had the opportunity to know as well.  While I cannot name everyone who has helped make this year a success for ASCE, there are a few people who have put in more quality time and effort than you can imagine.
   
From the Board, these include Sean Merrell for his 15+ well-executed duties, Faisal Syed for filling in as Past President when Jeff Hawkins moved to west Texas, Kristin Green and Ed Penton for an outstanding joint DFW meeting, Brad Hernandez for all the hotel coordination and board meeting super-minutes, Lena Peter and Anu Kancherla for more branch final changes than we have had in 10 years, Angela Matthews for all the coordination with the Texas Section, and Alison Smith for our Younger Member lead meeting.

We have also had several committee chairs who stepped up or that have been very active this year.   Andrew Ethcison took over as Hospitality Chair for Ashley Kelly who moved to Denver mid-year, Edra Brashear arranged and coordinated 12 meeting programs, Matt Ludwig organized a record number of educational and outreach programs for Dallas area students, Cissy Silo and Sophia Harvey helped to move our scholarship program to the next level, Kayla Lorentz somehow predicted rain and secured seats under cover at Friday’s Ranger game for our Younger Members, and Dharmesh Shaw took over as newsletter editor when Nadeem Moulvi moved to India mid-year.  Our Technical Chairs provided many quality professional development hours, and our sponsors helped carry the financial load.

There is nothing like watching a team function well and I have had the pleasure to see that this year.  Like any organization, we have had a few bumps and stumbles, but this is just a sign that people are doing something, working toward a goal, and trying to make things better.  It has been an honor to serve the Branch, and I look forward to continued opportunities to serve in the future.

See you at our next Meeting on Monday, October 1, 2012.   What’s that? .  .  .  Monday, October 1, 2012!

Douglas L. Smith, P.E.