Volume 6, Number 2
December 2008

Inside Insights

By Scott Vance INMM Vice President E-mail:savance@tva.gov

As vice president of the Institute, it is my privilege to update you on the recent activities of the Executive Committee and provide you with the information that you need to get involved.

The INMM Executive Committee met in November 2008. President Steve Ortiz chaired the recent Executive Committee Meeting in San Diego, Calif., where the following discussions took place:

Finances
The Executive Committee reviewed INMM’s year-end financial statement, and, thanks to some great workshops conducted by technical divisions and regional chapters, we ended the year in a strong financial position. This was encouraging as we considered the FY 2009 budget, since no one is sure how the current economic situation may affect attendance at future workshops or the INMM Annual Meeting. Nonetheless, we were able to develop and pass a budget for next year that reflects the Executive Committee’s belief that INMM will remain a strong organization.

Committee/Division/Chapter Reports
The Executive Committee heard from the various technical committees, technical divisions, and regional chapters regarding their activities. Among other significant reports, the Executive Committee was told:

• Plans for the Annual Meeting are progressing well. The 50th Annual Meeting, to be held July 12-16 in Tucson, Ariz., will be another great opportunity to interact with nuclear material management personnel from around the world.
• WINS is a reality. After an unexpected challenge in 2005 from Charles Curtis, president of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, INMM has brought the concept of an international organization dedicated to promoting best practices in nuclear material management to reality. Granted, we could not have done it without the assistance from NTI, the U.S. Department of Energy and the International Atomic Energy Agency, but there is no question that the INMM (and particularly the Fellows) were the impetus in the realization of this concept.
• In addition to the regular planning for the Annual Meeting, special plans are again underway to recognize the milestone of our 50th in Tucson. You will want to be sure to make plans to attend.

New Business
In addition to addressing several questions brought before the Executive Committee regarding potential future activities, the Executive Committee took time to consider our strategic goals. Grace Thompson, a member-at-large and strategic planning facilitator at Sandia National Laboratory, focused the Executive Committee on the key questions that we should consider as we map out our goals and plans for the coming years. The Executive Committee will continue to discuss this at future meetings, and I encourage all members to share their understanding of INMM’s mission, vision and goals with members of the Executive Committee.

If you are not currently active in a regional chapter or technical division, I encourage you to become involved. And, if there is anything that I can do to assist you in becoming involved, I look forward to hearing from you.

Find more information on our technical divisions and chapters, along with contact information.