Dear Colleagues,
Thank you to all those involved in making the very first WBA virtual conference a huge success. Thanks to our sponsors who stepped up to help make this happen and to continue the great works of the WBA. Our board worked tirelessly in organizing and producing the event. I was amazed at the effort required for such an event and continue to be impressed by the work ethic of the WBA Board.
You, our members, really made this virtual meeting outstanding. Those of you who volunteered to present, we thank you for providing such interesting content and generating thoughtful discussion.
I would also like to recognize ICAO and EASA for their recognition and participation. We appreciate their keynote addresses and look forward to working together in the future. Without their support, the WBA would not be as effective.
As briefed by WBA Vice President Lalilta Vaswani, we propose a change to how the board will be selected by the membership. We suggest that the WBA Membership nominate then elect a president-elect to serve as vice president for a two-year term. After the two-year term, the president-elect will ascend to the position of president and appoint their board, while the membership nominates/elects a new president-elect. Look for correspondence via email regarding these statute changes and your overall view of the WBA virtual meeting. Your feedback is very important to us.
As you know, there were some initiatives proposed in the meeting. I urge all members to check the WBA website often for any information regarding upcoming meetings/initiatives. I also encourage members to log-in to the secure side of the website for members-only information.
Again, I would like to personally thank our sponsors and you, our members, for continued support of the WBA. As a pilot, I thank all of you for your participation which enhances aviation safety and ultimately helps to protect our precious environment.
Gary Cooke, President
World Birdstrike Association