DEPARTMENTS​
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
This Is Our Journey
BY CYNTHIA A. OSTROWSKI, AIHA PRESIDENT
The AIHA Board of Directors approved a new strategic plan in July, which you can download from AIHA's
website
. The strategic plan guides us as we journey toward our end goal—protecting workers from occupational hazards. The new strategic plan covers the years 2019 through 2021. It identifies objectives that the Board deems to be high priorities. These objectives fall into five domains.
In addition to our traditional volunteer group activities, we will be using an open call process for all future working groups, task forces, and advisory groups.
CYNTHIA A. OSTROWSKI, CIH
, is AIHA president and owner of CAO Consulting near Detroit, Mich. She can be reached via
email
.

COMMUNITY
Our goal is to foster engagement and interaction among our members. In addition to our traditional volunteer group activities, we will be using an open call process for all future working groups, task forces, and advisory groups. These volunteer opportunities will allow members to guide the Board and staff to achieve our strategic objectives. Another goal is to strengthen relationships with our local sections, students, as well as allied professionals like product stewards and other individuals with interests in industrial hygiene. 
AWARENESS
This domain has two facets: promotion of the IH profession and promotion of AIHA. The former concept involves articulating the value of the profession to the general public, business executives, and legislators, as well as secondary and college students and career/guidance counselors. To promote the association, the strategic plan calls for us to identify potential members and create messages that speak to their unique and specialized needs.
ADVANCEMENT AND DISSEMINATION OF KNOWLEDGE
Our strategy is to explore, develop, and provide educational resources to advance our members and allied professionals. These resources will be designed for targeted audiences—including those living or practicing globally—through multiple delivery options. 
INTEGRITY OF PRACTICE 
The strategic plan specifies several strategies for achieving excellence in industrial hygiene practice. AIHA will continue to support and contribute to new consensus standards. A major focus area involves our laboratory accreditation, proficiency testing, and registry programs. We plan to explore and expand these programs to maintain the integrity of our profession. Through our partnership in the Center for Safety and Health Sustainability, we continue to collaborate with ASSP to develop new leading metrics on occupational health, which underscores corporate social responsibility.
ADVOCACY 
This area addresses our efforts to influence public policy. We will develop coalitions with other organizations and professionals who share our priorities to support our positions on key issues. 
CALLING ALL MEMBERS
Following the Board’s strategic planning meeting, we held our annual leadership workshop. The leadership workshop brings together the leaders of our local sections, student local sections, and volunteer groups, which aligns with the community domain of our strategic plan. They were the first to learn about several new volunteer positions being sought to assist the Board and staff in future endeavors. As promised, open calls to the entire AIHA membership were sent via email and posted in Catalyst last month. I hope you saw these opportunities and volunteered to participate and shape our future. If you missed them, not to worry. We have much on our strategic plan. We are going to need your help to succeed. Keep an eye on your email and the AIHA website for information about future opportunities. And I hope to see you in action!