View from the Chair

Congratulations to Lew Schatz, his officers and committee chairmen - they won the I.B. Hale award one more time! Was there any doubt? Also, congratulations to Nancy McKenzie for being named the RVP of the year. What an outstanding honor! The Newsletter and Kathy Goelkel are also to be congratulated - they have received Honorable Mention. The great tradition of the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter continues.

The first Executive Council meeting was held prior to the January luncheon meeting at the Biltmore Hotel. Information was shared and plans were made for the various upcoming events. As always, the committees need volunteers. The success of our chapter has come because many very busy professionals find the extra time, energy, and resources to contribute. A list of the committees and the chairmen are available in the Newsletter Please take the time to contact these folks and volunteer your time. It's fun and very satisfying to see the results from your hard work.

If you were not at our first luncheon meeting for 1999, you missed some good information. Dennis Raw presented the results of the Annual Audit and it seems that the chapter made money in 1998. Jim Cawood was the luncheon speaker and presented an overview of new developments in threat assessment. His presentation was meaningful, informative, and for those of you who know Jim, to the point.

February's meeting will mark the first workshop of the year. Greg Morill, the Professional Development Committee Chairman, provided the speakers who will be Ms. Justine Witt Milani and Mr. Thomas A. Counts from the law firm of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter, and Hampton. Their presentation will be on the topic of Workplace Investigations and cover what the current legal concerns and case laws are regarding the actual investigation process. The luncheon speaker will be the San Jose Chief of Police Bill Lansdowne.

Our 36th St. Patrick's Law Enforcement Appreciation Day luncheon will be held at the Marriott Hotel on Wednesday, March 17. Art Lesser, the committee chairman, promises to produce an outstanding event. Mark your calendars, invite your guests, and make plans to attend this historic and fun event.

Another outstanding event to be placing on your calendar is the Annual Seminar and Exhibits scheduled for May 20th. Brenda Knox, Paul Dubois (committee co-chairs) and this hard working committee are putting together what promises to he the best Seminar and Exhibits to date. Please note that the location has changed. The new location is the San Mateo Convention and Expo Center located at Highway 92 and 101. We want to see all of the chapter members at this information-packed event.

Changes are in the works for the chapter this year. The Program (luncheon) and Professional Development (workshop) committees are working hard to bring the members interesting and timely speakers, on a variety of topics. The officers are looking for a single location for the luncheon meetings making it easier for the membership to schedule and attend. Based on feedback from the January meeting, the Biltmore appears to be well received. We are doing our part to make the meetings interesting and informative and now we need you, the membership, to attend. If there are other things, which the officers and committee chairman can be doing to improve the meetings and events, let us know. Your comments and concerns are important to us. See you in February

By Kathy Schnake