8 JUNE 2015 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG CHAPTER REPORTS U.S. Aquaculture Society It is with great excitement that I begin my first year as President of the United States Chapter of the World Aquaculture Society (USAS). I am thankful to the membership for giving me this opportunity and I am committed to working closely with the Board to enhance membership benefits while keeping the society in sound fiscal shape. I am extremely grateful that for the past 20 years I have enjoyed the benefits of USAS membership and participation in the annual Aquaculture America meetings. Attending these meetings has enabled me to expand my professional network, identify opportunities for grant development, publish in the Journal of the World Aquaculture Society (JWAS) and make new friends and colleagues while catching up with old ones from around the globe. The benefits of USAS membership cannot be overestimated. When I first became a member, I did not realize that behind the scenes were so many people volunteering their time and energy to keep the chapter moving forward. In a busy world it is easy to take service and volunteerism lightly, however the success of an organization such as the World Aquaculture Society requires each of us to step up and do our part. I am looking forward to those challenges and opportunities! The US Chapter had an incredibly productive 2014 under the thoughtful leadership of Kathleen Hartman. I cannot speak highly enough of her commitment and drive to improve the chapter. She was responsible for implementing a number of initiatives during the past year, including the expansion of industry support for six new student travel awards, the development of the Douglas Drennan II award that recognizes leadership in industry and the partnership of USAS with the Alltech Young Scientist Program. The US Chapter is fortunate to have her enthusiasm for another year as Past-President and the WAS is equally lucky to have her as a new Board member. Kathleen will be chairing our Elections Committee and will be soliciting nominations for President-Elect, Vice President, and two Member-at-Large positions this summer. Please consider serving in a Board position; it is an incredibly rewarding experience. There are also some notable departures from the Board this year. Reg Blaylock has served on the Board for the past six years, first as a Member-at-Large and then as the Secretary/Treasurer over the last two terms. His leadership of the Finance Committee was instrumental in the long-term financial planning and sustainability of the chapter. We currently have a stable portfolio of short-term and long-term investments totaling $262,000 thanks to his team’s thoughtful planning. These funds will allow us to further invest in member benefits, such as travel awards as well as education and training classes at our annual meetings. Steve Rawles served as a Member-at-Large on the Board and chaired subcommittee on Continuing Education and has coordinated the last three statistics courses held in partnership with AFS-FCS at the annual meetings. Steve continues to serve as chair of the Continuing Education subcommittee and is developing a plan for additional continuing educational opportunities for members. Chris Bentley served as a Member-at-Large and was chair of our Promotions and Membership Committee. Chris was responsible for much of the promotion associated with our 25-year anniversary celebration in New Orleans. Matt Hawkyard was our Student Liaison and did an exemplary job coordinating all of the student events, which had record student attendance at Aquaculture America 2015. He also continues as a member of the Student Activities Committee and will help to provide some continuity. If you get the opportunity to do so, please thank these individuals for their dedication to the betterment of our chapter. Our 2015 Board of Directors includes Gef Flimlin as President-Elect, Gulnihal Ozbay as Secretary/Treasurer, and Kwamena Quagrainie and Dave Straus as Members-at-Large. They join Dave Cline as Vice President, and Amy Stone and Luke Roy, the other Members-at-Large. Also joining the board is Jonathan Van Senten as Student Liaison and Evan Durland as Student Apprentice (see table). Please help these folks by serving on a committee, or by judging student abstracts and presentations at the next meeting. In addition, all Board members are looking for students to serve on our numerous and diverse committees. 2015-2016 USAS Executive Board President Mike Denson President-Elect Gef Flimlin Vice-President David Cline Secretary/Treasurer Gulnihal Ozbay Immediate Past-President Kathleen Hartman Member at Large Luke Roy Member at Large Amy Stone Member at Large Kwamena Quagrainie Member at Large Dave Straus Student Liaison (ex-officio) Jonathan Van Senten Student Apprentice (ex-officio) Evan Durland The benefits of USAS membership cannot be overestimated. When I first became a member, I did not realize that behind the scenes were so many people volunteering their time and energy to keep the chapter moving forward. In a busy world it is easy to take service and volunteerism lightly, however the success of an organization such as the World Aquaculture Society requires each of us to step up and do our part. I am looking forward to those challenges and opportunities! (CONTINUED ON PAGE 72)
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