Cover Story: An Interview with New National Board Chairman Jack Given
The National Board’s new Board of Trustees Chairman, Mr. Jack Given, sat down with the BULLETIN to discuss his thoughts on the pressure equipment industry, National Board programs, future projections, and much more.
The following is a preview of the interview. To read the full article, look for the fall issue of the BULLETIN coming in October.
National Board: Some chairmen bring with them an agenda for the National Board. Do you have one?
Jack Given: There are two areas I would like to improve upon during my tenure: increasing member support and developing a greater sense of member unity. Times are tough economically in North America and that translates to jurisdictional restrictions on such things as travel and participation in outside professional programs.
While I can fully understand the need for austerity, I must also emphasize the importance of member involvement on essential National Board and ASME committees. The input of our members is vital. That’s why I would like to see more jurisdiction latitude permitting our members to be more involved on a larger stage; that is, beyond their primary responsibilities at home.
To this end, we will reach out to jurisdictions in an effort to communicate and reinforce the message of necessity – the necessity of professional involvement and contributions from all National Board jurisdictions. If we make significant progress in this area, I think our goal of improved member unity will also be achieved. It is difficult to obtain unity in any organization where the membership gathers only twice a year. Increased committee involvement, on the other hand, helps build critical communication bridges among the membership. But let me be frank: attaining increased member participation will not be easy. Most jurisdictional cutbacks are across the board affecting all government departments. Justifying an exception for one program will take appreciable time and effort.
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