Question: What was the biggest challenge you faced as president?
Wade: Time management between family, work and ASHRAE. They all demand quality attention and it is tough to balance when you are running the show. I would like to think I did okay overall. Many might think it would be the economy and its impact on a non-profit volunteer organization – but I think that our chapter banded together, did the best we could with the situation and stayed positive.
Q: What is your best memory of your presidency?
W: There a few things that stand out – the attendance at our meetings thanks to Rich and the Amy’s getting the information out there (including 60 people on National Championship night for football), having 9 submissions for the Tech Awards for CTTC, having a meeting between Society President Bill Harrison and UCF Vice President Bill Merck about getting ASHRAE and UCF working together, but the one that stands out the most is the reaction of Rich King when all our Chapter’s efforts were recognized at the CRC Awards lunch. It was funny.
Q: How did your volunteer service as an officer of this chapter affect your life both professionally and personally?
W: Professionally it helped me understand what it takes to run a business from all aspects – secretary keeping people informed, treasurer to see all of the money that flows in and out and taking care of taxes, running and organizing events, publicity of events by running the website and then being the “final voice” on a lot of issues trying to balance all viewpoints. Personally – I know a lot more people in the industry in Florida – but more importantly I have become friends outside of ASHRAE with good people like Rich King, Megan Tosh, John Miller, Mike Dillard and Jason Alphonso.
Q: Were there any chapter traditions started during your presidency that you hope to see continued?
W: I don’t think I set out to start any new traditions, except the dinner for the officers and committee chairs after CRC. In Argentina we went out to dinner as a chapter thanks to Mike Dillard, and so I guess it isn’t tradition until it happens a second year and is planned to happen that way. We all went out after CRC in St. Pete and had a great meal celebrating the ASHRAE year and our efforts. I hope that is something that Rich will carry on in some form. Oh, and the emails to the Regional Officers they love so much that Rich has continued.
Q: What are you currently doing for ASHRAE?
W: Well, as all past presidents know, you are supposed to stay around and help and not disappear – which is tougher to do than it sounds. I have made 2 meetings so far which means I could break a record for immediate past-president attendance. Fortunately (or “un” depending on how you look at it) I volunteered to be the Vice-Chair for the Host Committee for the Winter Meeting happening in Orlando this January. I also asked to be the 2010 CRC Vice-Chair. This past October I became the Regional Nominating Alternate and attended the fall meeting for that committee – I can’t say anything of course – but it is interesting to see the process. For Society – I am the Secretary for TC-9.10 Laboratory Systems and am on track to eventually be the Chair in a few years for that technical committee. And right now as I type this, I am avoiding creating my presentation for Seminar 17 that I am speaking in at 1:30 pm on Sunday January 24th at the Winter Meeting.
Q: What advice would you give to future chapter presidents?
W: Learn how to assign tasks to volunteers and get them to follow through. No one makes a chapter successful by themselves – it takes a lot of people and their hard work to achieve the desired results. Oh, and be prepared to inform your spouse that “you have an ASHRAE thing” which you forgot to plan ahead….they really love that!!!
[...] An Interview with Wade Conlan, PE (Past President 2008-2009) [...]