This morning, the ARRL announced the election of our new CEO, Howard E. Michel, WB2ITX, of Dartmouth, Massachusetts. He will start on October 15. Michel is currently Chief Technology Officer at UBTECH Education, and Senior Vice President of UBTECH Robotics, a $5 billion Shenzhen, China, artificial intelligence and robotics company.
A BIG plus is that Michel has served as CEO of a member-based organization. In 2015, Michel was the volunteer president and CEO of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
What I really like was this quote:
In any large membership-led organization such as ARRL, its members and volunteers are its greatest asset, and a good staff-volunteer relationship is crucial to its success,” Michel said. “I intend to build on this relationship and multiply and amplify the efforts of both staff and volunteers in furthering ARRL’s goals to advance the art, science, and enjoyment of Amateur Radio.
As I’ve said before, we have a lot of talented people in the ARRL, and the ARRL, and amateur radio in general, would be a lot better off if we learned how to take advantage of that talent.
UPDATE 8/28/18
As you might expect, there’s a pretty active discussion in the MyARRLVoice Facebook group. One thing that popped out is that Michel prepared a PowerPoint presentation on membership when he was a VP with the IEEE. The presentation says a lot of good things about increasing membership and engaging the current membership. The ARRL needs both.
Steve, KB9MWR says
I like that quote too. Seems promising. I also like his interest in building and repairing radio equipment.
Ed KC8SBV says
Your podcast gets around, and people are expecting you to interview everyone, including the new president. Great podcast, and I agree…all the new candidates, and the new president, lots of topics now.
Dan KB6NU says
I have extended invitations to all of the other candidates, but only W2RU has agreed to be on the podcast so far. If I don’t hear from the others in the next couple of days, I’ll invite them again. Frankly, I’m surprised that the others have not only not taken me up on my invitation, but haven’t even replied to my email.