Page 4 - 2015 A2LA AnnualReport

Message from the Chair
Vision:
Accreditation Accepted
Everywhere
Mission:
Providing independent,
world-class accreditation and
training programs that inspire the Times of London predicted that, by the middle of the
confidence in the quality of
services and acceptance
of results from accredited
organizations.
4 2015 Annual Report
Over the past year, I’ve spoken with Association
members about the changing landscape of the
accreditation industry and the Board’s responsibility to
set a forward-looking vision on the bow wave of that
change. In the 2014 A2LA Annual Report, I alluded to
disruptive technologies like the mass produced Ford
Model T, which obsolesced the horse drawn carriage
virtually overnight. In 1984, nearly a century after
Karl Benz’s invention of the first gas-powered automobile,
20th century, “horse pollution” would rise above the first
story of every building in the city. Indeed, change is very On behalf of those at A2LA and across the accred-
often a good thing.
Dramatic change can be hard to predict because
it usually requires just the right concoction of human
ingenuity (the assembly line), circumstances (a looming
public health disaster), and policy (new asphalt roads),
with a dash of serendipity to foil the pundits. For the
past several years, the Board has been preparing the
Association for dramatic change. We redefined many
of our governance policies to help clarify our vision
and goals, and we set in motion our succession plan
to pave the way for the next generation of leaders.
Peter Unger, A2LA’s President and CEO for the past two
decades, took on a new role as President Emeritus. He
continues to represent A2LA internationally as Chair of
ILAC. Peter was one of the first three employees at A2LA,
shepherding the growth of the Association by driving the
industry toward a common set of quality standards and
worldwide acceptance of private sector-driven confor-
mity assessment body accreditations. Teresa Barnett and
Trace McInturff, with a combined 40 years of experience
at A2LA, stepped into senior executive roles and have
directed a nearly seamless transition.
Roxanne Robinson, A2LA’s former Vice President,
continues to serve the organization by performing peer
evaluations and assessments on behalf of A2LA and
contributing to the revision of ISO/IEC 17011. She joined
the Association shortly after Peter and wrote the first
A2LA quality management system and SOPs (the basis
of which are still used today). Daren Valentine was also
one of the first employees at A2LA, and plans to retire
in August. Daren built the first customer/accreditation
tracking database at A2LA, established its public training
program and was our first instructor, and served as our
ISO/IEC 17025 (and prior ISO Guide 25) guru in interpret-
ing the Standard.
itation community: Thank you. We owe a great debt of
gratitude for your service and contributions.
In the coming months, a new CEO will be challenged
with the daunting task of filling the shoes left behind. To
their credit, the outgoing leadership left a house which
is very much in order. In 2015, A2LA achieved record
growth in new applicants and revenues; rolled out a new
CRM and state-of-the-art accreditation management
system; developed five new accreditation programs;
and established several new domestic and international
partnerships in training and accreditation. Turnaround time
from application to accreditation is at an all-time low.
We still have a lot of work and new milestones ahead of
us. The past year marked a period of unprecedented
consolidation in our industry, as ABs strive to garner a
competitive advantage through increased scale and
reach. In this new era at A2LA, we will be focusing less on
responding to change and more on fostering a culture
driven to be an agent of change in its own right.
For the Board of Directors,
Bob Whitehead