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Safety, growth and collaboration highlighted at UAA Annual Meeting

 On August 31, UAA members virtually witnessed the passing of the president’s gavel from Geoff Kempter to new leadership during the annual meeting webinar.

“As the outgoing president, the past year has been an interesting and fun experience,” Kempter said. “It’s been a huge privilege to serve the organization.

“The work we do as utility arborists has never been more important. For way too long we were relegated to tree trimmers or looked at as a commodity. As the organization grows, we’re trying to raise the profile of our industry and help people be aware of what we do. We are part of an organization that provides a critical service.”

New President Tim Walsh spoke of how the mission, vision and values define the UAA and outlined his goals for the coming year.

“Safety is what I do and who I am,” Walsh said. “Together we can change how safety is viewed and we should look at safety from a different perspective.

“We work with other organizations, so there’s value collaborating with them to drive us forward. Our revenue up and numbers are up, but let’s look to new ways of recruiting people into the UAA and make sure we encourage the people around us to join. There’s strength in numbers.”

Executive Director Dennis Fallon shared the many accomplishments for UAA in the past year, including professional service announcement (PSA) videos aimed at UVM arborists and those outside of the UVM space, new opportunities for recruitment and retention, and the importance of rebooting in-person meetings and events.

“The momentum of the recent past is returning and it’s an exciting time to be involved with the UAA and the UVM field,” Fallon said. “Let me know how you’d like to be involved.”

Matt Goff (Georgia Power Company) was introduced as the UAA’s incoming vice president along with new UAA Directors Dr. John Ball (University of South Dakota) and Tyler Sorensen (Rocky Mountain Power). We are especially grateful to Geoff Kempter for his leadership and gifting many hours to the UAA, and many thanks to our outgoing board members, Paul Hurysz and Stan Wageman.

Missed the virtual meeting? Log on to the UAA Member Portal and link to the recording under “Webinars”.

 

Yes, UAA Group Membership is a thing

Did you know there are group discounts for companies and organizations purchasing UAA memberships for their employees?

A commitment to enroll a faction from your employer helps us provide high-quality member services, and further engages us in the professional lives of those involved in arboriculture and vegetation management practices within the energy industries.

Want everyone at your organization to be a part of the UAA? Share the special rates in this helpful guide with your employer and find contact information for additional questions.