NAEP President's Letter

From Betty Dehoney, outgoing President

This letter is being prepared prior to NAEP’s conference and our change in leadership - I will be passing the gavel to our new President, Rona Spellecacy, and transitioning to the role of Past-President. Reflecting back over the past two years as President, depending upon whether the day passed at lightning or glacial speed, I could not have envisioned a more tumultuous period of time if I had tried.  Focusing on NAEP’s response to the massive political and social upheavals we have experienced, I feel moving out of the pandemic NAEP is on a sound foundation. We successfully weathered financial uncertainty by transitioning to a virtual conference format. The NAEP Annual Conference and Training Symposium represents a major portion of our annual operating budget and still we were able to increase our cash reserves. We kept our members informed of the ramifications of the extraordinary number of regulatory changes coming out of Washington D.C., provided our members with resources for diversity and inclusion, mobilized a new environmental justice practice group and inaugurated the Environmental Professionals Radio (EPR) podcast. Most recently, the NAEP established a Partnership with ESRI to cross-pollinate our organizations and share information on the latest technology resources to improve our efficiency and effectiveness in the work we do as Environmental Professionals. We could not have done any of these things without our volunteers- thanks so much to the Executive Committee, Board of Directors, practice group leaders, committee chairs and members, the NAEP Office, and the families who put up with all of you doing the work for the NAEP.

With that, I turn over my gavel to my colleague and very good friend Rona and offer her one piece of advice - read Dr Suess’ “Oh, The Places You’ll Go”. It has a lot of good advice, but the final line is the most important.

“And will you succeed?

Yes! You will, indeed!

(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)”.

Betty Dehoney, CEP, PMP, ENV SP
Outgoing President, NAEP

From Rona Spellecacy, incoming President

I am writing this as I prepare to take on the exciting challenges and somewhat daunting responsibilities as President of the NAEP. Having been involved in NAEP since the beginning of my professional career, when I think back on attending my first NAEP Annual Conference I recall being in awe of the many talented and experienced environmental professionals I met and saw speak. I wondered how I could ever hope to be as knowledgeable and successful as these amazing people! As I continued to participate in conferences, educational and networking events over the years, and as a volunteer on the Permanent Conference Committee, it seemed like the world of NAEP became smaller. Over time, the NAEP felt more like a family to me than a professional association. I cannot claim to have turned out to be as knowledgeable or successful as my fellow NAEP members, but I can tell you with certainty that my participation in NAEP has helped immensely in my career and professional development. The knowledge, skills, and relationships I have gained from my NAEP experience are invaluable, and I know many other NAEP members who would say the same.

During my tenure as President, my focus will be on making the most of our members’ participation in the NAEP and sharing the many benefits of the NAEP with new members. I implore every NAEP member to help me in this endeavor by taking an active role in our organization. In light of the many regulatory changes underway or anticipated in the near future, there is no better time to take advantage of the wealth of knowledge and state-of-the-practice information that NAEP provides to its members. As we hopefully move past COVID-19, there is no better time to renew relationships with colleagues and engage in the NAEP community by volunteering and attending events. Please join us because the time to act is now! The opportunity to Be Connected with NAEP is here. Or, as Dr. Seuss put it:

“Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!”
- Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

Rona Spellecacy, AICP, CEP, PMP
Incoming President, NAEP