What on Earth do Railroads Have to do with Blood Banking?
I admit I was a bit skeptical when I learned that ABC's Meetings Committee had arranged to have Mark Fagan from Harvard deliver a two hour presentation on how the railroad industry offers us insights into our unprecedented environmental challenges. After all, what do railroads have in common with blood banks? Following the truly dynamic and interactive session by Mr. Fagan at last March's ABC Annual Meeting, I (and I believe other attendees) awakened to the incredible wealth of knowledge other industries could offer in helping us thrive in difficult times. Based on the immensely positive feedback on this session, the Meetings Committee planned for the August ABC Interim Meeting in Milwaukee to build on the discussion started in March by welcoming Mr. Fagan back to help guide us through a discussion on how ABC should deliver value to you - ABC's member blood centers.
ABC has a long standing tradition of serving its members. Over the past few months, the ABC board has championed (and the ABC staff has expertly led) a shift in emphasis aimed at focusing on ABC's core values: Advocacy, Education, Data, and Innovation. At the same time, we are searching for a new CEO to lead ABC into the future. The August Interim Meeting therefore is a great opportunity for members to come together and engage in thought-provoking, creative, and meaningful discussions designed to chart our course forward; in essence the board is asking you to join in designing the architecture for the ABC of tomorrow. What matters most to your centers? How can ABC best leverage the interests and assets of center's supplying more than half the nation's blood supply to enhance the membership's ability to serve our communities? How do we define, measure, and deliver value? How do we fund these activities? These are tough questions but we are confident that tackling them together, will produce the clarity of purpose and collective resolve to continue delivering the value ABC members want and deserve.Most importantly, however, we need you to bring your ideas to this discussion.
If you are already scheduled to attend the August session with Mr. Fagan, we look forward to seeing you there. If you are not yet committed to attending, we ask you to reconsider and join in this important dialogue. We are eager to chart our roadmap forward together.
Dave Green, Board President; [email protected]
Posted: 07/19/2013 | By: Dave Green, Board President | Permalink
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