From the Executive Director
Walter Bacak, CAE
walter@atanet.org
ATA Board of Directors: Top row, from left: Directors Christina Green, Chris Durban, Melinda Gonzalez-Hibner, Geoffrey Koby, Faiza Sultan, Frieda Ruppaner-Lind, and Evelyn Yang Garland | Bottom row, from left: Secretary Jane Maier, Treasurer Ted Wozniak, President David Rumsey, President-elect Corinne McKay, and Director Lois Feuerle
The American Translators Association’s Board of Directors met July 30–31, 2016, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Here are some highlights from the Board meeting.
- Treasurer’s Report: Treasurer Ted Wozniak reported on the positive state of the Association’s finances and noted the elimination of ATA’s net equity deficit. Related, the Board approved updates and revisions to the ATA Investment Policy. (The Investment Policy provides guidelines and regulations about how ATA funds may be invested.) The Policy will be available in the Members Only section of ATA’s website.
- Budget: The Board approved the $3.2 million final budget for July 1, 2016–June 30, 2017, as well as the draft budgets for 2017–2019.
- Active Membership Review Audit: The Board approved reclassifying the membership status of members who did not complete an Active Membership Review audit. The status of these 10 members was changed from Active/Corresponding to Associate. In November 2015, the Board approved and established a policy and procedures to audit members who had completed the online Active Membership Review process. This Board action is the result of the first audit that was conducted in the spring (April–May 2016).
- Certification Program: The Board approved eliminating eligibility requirements to sit for the certification exam starting January 1, 2017. The Certification Committee also reported that starting January 1, 2017, all exam passages would be general in nature and no longer necessarily scientific/medical or business/legal.
- Government Relations Committee: The Board approved the establishment of the Government Relations Committee. The GR Committee will coordinate ATA’s advocacy efforts with federal, state, and local agencies as appropriate. In addition, President David Rumsey was approved as the chair of the committee.
- Ethics Committee: The Board approved the appointment of the members of the Ethics Committee: Ted Wozniak (previously approved as chair), Odile Legeay, Connie Prener, Susanne van Eyl, Jill Sommer, Catherine Christaki, and Michael Collins.
- Member Resolutions: The Board approved the Member Resolutions Policy and Procedures, which spell out the types of resolutions and deadlines for members to request that ATA recognize an individual/organization or recommend a position or an action.
- Jamie Padula: The Board recognized and thanked Chapter and Division Relations Manager Jamie Padula for his 10 years of service.
The Board meeting summary and minutes will be posted online once they are approved. Past meeting summaries and minutes are always posted online at www.atanet.org/membership/minutes.php.
The next Board meeting is set for November 5–6, 2016, in San Francisco, California. As always, the meeting is open to all members, and members are encouraged to attend.