Kentucky Association of Mapping Professionals
Executive Board Meeting
7 September 2007

The Executive Board of the Kentucky Association of Mapping Professionals (KAMP), meeting at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky, was called to order by President Michelle Ellington at 9:15 am.

ATTENDEES

Stephen Berry, KAMP President-Elect, Clark County GIS
Trisha Brush, KAMP President Emerita, Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission
Michelle Ellington, KAMP President, University of Kentucky, Physical Plant Division
Michael Greene, FMSM Engineers
Marc Pearson, KAMP Treasurer, FMSM Engineers
Kenny Ratliff, KAMP Director, Commonwealth of Kentucky, Division of Geographic Information
Earl Smith, KAMP Director, Georgetown-Scott County Planning Commission
Mark Wiljanen, KAMP Secretary, Commonwealth of Kentucky, Council on Postsecondary Education

OPENING REMARKS

President Ellington opened the meeting with reflections on some of the very real, but less tangible, benefits of becoming involved with KAMP. She noted that professional involvement brings about a greater appreciation of the profession and of one’s career within the profession, enhanced opportunities for personal growth, development of a sense of professional community, and the strengthening of those bonds through service to the profession.

President Ellington also expressed KAMP’s appreciation to Michael Greene for his work on the website.

TRANSITION OF OFFICERS

President Ellington asked all officers, present and past, to cooperate in a smooth post-election transition and encouraged new officers to establish user accounts in the discussion forum on the KAMP website.

Marc Pearson reviewed the arrangements for the transition of the Treasurer’s responsibilities to the newly-elected Treasurer. Michelle Ellington observed that KAMP is doing well financially and that there is a need to develop ways of directing existing resources toward the furtherance of KAMP projects.

Stephen Berry moved that KAMP purchase a recorder and microphone for use by KAMP officers, with a second by Marc Pearson. The motion passed unanimously.

Several commented that an informational packet should be developed for new officers. Such a packet should contain several pages of bullet points outlining the responsibilities, both official and practical, of new officers, essential organizational information, and lessons learned from past experience. These packets could be posted on the website and perhaps e-mailed to new officers.

It was acknowledged by all that the KAMP website should serve as the central repository and archive for all records and information concerning KAMP.

QUARTERLY MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS

The format of the quarterly KAMP membership meetings was discussed, with an acknowledgement that these meetings should balance the efficiency of a formal structure for the business-part of the meeting with the more relaxed appeal of informal invited presentations. All agreed that recent presentations have been good, but suggestions that the business meeting be completed first, followed then by presentations, were met by suggestions that the business meeting take place in an interlude between presentations. Another suggestion that meetings include a member feedback opportunity was met by a suggestion that member feedback could be more effectively accomplished in the discussion forum on the KAMP website. There was a general consensus that the business-part of the meetings needs to include reports from each of the KAMP committees, made in person by the chair or other representative of each committee. These should take the form of oral reports accompanied by a document in digital format. Committees need to make these reports even if the report is that there is nothing to report. Several noted that committee reports offer members opportunities to get involved, make a contribution, and provide effective feedback to the Executive Board. Whatever structure the quarterly membership meetings take, it was noted that there is wide-spread support for the continuation of these meetings.

The KAMP Secretary should obtain copies of all quarterly membership meeting presentations, if possible. If the presentations are available in ppt or pdf format, the Secretary will post them on the KAMP website. Options will be explored for posting presentations in digital video formats.

Plans were initiated for the next three quarterly membership meetings. The first will be held in Winchester in early November. Stephen Berry and Earl Smith will make local arrangements and develop a program focusing on educational outreach activities. This will be followed by a meeting in Louisville in February, coordinated by Michelle Ellington and Marc Pearson. A spring meeting (date uncertain) will be held in Pikeville, coordinated by Kenny Ratliff and Trisha Brush. All of these quarterly membership meetings will be scheduled for 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. The fourth quarterly membership meeting will be the KAMP annual meeting, held in conjunction with the Kentucky GIS conference sometime next summer.

ACTIVITIES

Michelle Ellington and Marc Pearson volunteered to collect information on GIS Day activities. This information will be posted on the KAMP website.

Everyone is encouraged to develop feature articles for the newsletter. And efforts should be made to invite non-members, individual or corporate, to meetings with the hope that they will become members.

The charge to the Library Committee needs to be modified to include a variety of web activities.

KENTUCKY GIS PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION

Considerable discussion was devoted to issues surrounding the development of a test as a requirement for the certification of Kentucky GIS Professionals (GISP). Many concerns were expressed about the propriety of such a requirement, the positive benefits of more rigorous professional standards, the effects on currently-practicing professionals, and the need to engage in an open and honest discussion of all of these issues. Several comments were made reflecting the desire of many KAMP members to have more input on these developments. It was agreed that this conversation needed to take place through multiple media, including the KAMP website and discussion forum, the KAMP newsletter, and in the minutes of KAMP meetings. The discussion forum on the website is particularly well-suited as a venue for this conversation. President Ellington noted that the Certification Committee, composed of Trisha Brush, Angie Jennings, Fred Miller, Kenny Ratliff, and John Snyder, is looking into all of these concerns.

We need to establish a GISP section on the KAMP website as a one-stop shop for GISP information. Kyle Snyder will assist in these efforts.

MEMBERSHIP ISSUES

President Ellington initiated a wide-ranging discussion of KAMP membership issues. In addition to recent membership cancellations and the salary survey conducted by the Membership Committee, several other membership topics were considered at length.

President Ellington mentioned that she had been approached by corporate members who wanted more than the customary three memberships allotted to corporate members. She raised the possibility of establishing a Corporate Gold Membership level with a large, or unlimited, number of memberships for several hundred dollars in annual dues.

The possibility of setting up an on-line membership management system was discussed. Such a system should include auto invoice, auto e-mail, and on-line dues payment capabilities. Michelle Ellington and Michael Greene will look into what might be available to KAMP.

While GIS professionals make up a considerable percentage of the KAMP membership, it was noted that our mission, as stated in the KAMP Constitution, is to be of service ?to all Kentucky professionals involved in the collection, processing, analysis, use and maintenance of geospatial information.? As an organization, we need to increase our efforts to reach out to all mapping professionals and welcome them into our organization.

KAMP PRESENTS AND PRIZES

President Ellington raised the question of what items are acceptable as KAMP presents or prizes to be given away at meetings. Can such items be accepted from non-members interested in promoting their products? Or should they only be accepted from KAMP (corporate) members? This could be viewed as a promotional opportunity open only to KAMP members as a benefit of corporate membership. Lengthy discussion revealed many complexities and complications surrounding this issue. While the original question could not be resolved, a motion was made addressing this situation:

Stephen Berry moved that all complimentary products donated to KAMP to be distributed as presents or prizes must be pre-approved by the Executive Board, with a second by Earl Smith. The motion passed unanimously.

DEPARTING THOUGHT

Stephen Berry encouraged everyone to think about KAMP’s core mission and what concrete actions can be taken to promote or advance that mission. It would be particularly positive to initiate a substantial and notable project that reflects the KAMP mission and demonstrates the collective skills of KAMP members and to which all KAMP members can contribute.

The meeting of the Executive Board of the Kentucky Association of Mapping Professionals was adjourned at 12:07 pm.

Mark Wiljanen
KAMP Secretary
Council on Postsecondary Education