CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE

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On behalf of your 2023 ITEA Board of Directors, we want to thank you for the privilege to serve the International Test and Evaluation Community this year. I am very honored to serve as Chairman of the Board for such an impactful organization that continues to make a difference in the exchange of technical information to testers and evaluators across many industries and countries.

ITEA has been on a great upward trajectory following some hardships brought on by sequestration, travel bans, and a global pandemic. And the reason for our recent success has been the exceptional leadership and volunteers that make ITEA possible. Of course, I’m talking about all our past presidents and their Board of Directors, but a special thanks to Bruce Einfalt and Pete Crump whom I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know quite well over the past few years. Additionally, ELK Management Group has been a key contributor and continues to make a difference to our successful operations – thanks Eileen, Lena, and Kathi! We have a great team!

The ITEA Journal has long been a high-end technical source and cornerstone for advancing the Test and Evaluation profession. This is our first issue in the new interactive online format and we’re very excited to share its many advantages including the ability to do keyword searches for specific topics enabling our readers to quickly find the information they need across our library. Stay tuned into the ITEA Journal in future issues as we roll out continued improvements!

This issue is all about Test and Evaluation Across the Acquisition Life Cycle and contains technical papers from senior leaders in our profession. Their topics are very relevant in the current environment so head over to Dr. Laura Freeman’s “Issue at a Glance” section as she always does a great job in focusing our readers in on the important content we provide to our members.

Your 2023 Board of Directors is focusing on the following three Strategic Themes as we plan for the next ten years : 1) Financial Performance – a fundamental theme to ensure ITEA has the resources to execute our mission, 2) T&E Workforce Development – we are an educational organization and this team is focusing on the future T&E workforce, and 3) Membership – ITEA needs a strong corporate and individual membership base in order to share information and this team is working building on the benefits we offer and meeting the needs of our members. If you are interested in getting involved in our strategic planning process, please reach out to eileen@itea.org and she can get you engaged with the right team.

I do have one request directed at our membership and that is to get engaged and make a difference in your professional organization. Present a technical paper at one of our many in person events, submit an article for the ITEA Journal, volunteer to support an event as a technical track chair, recruit a new member to ITEA or repatriate a former member, volunteer for one of our committees or Strategic planning Teams, or consider joining our Board of Directors. Engage in your local ITEA Chapter and get involved in setting up a local event in order to generate and award a scholarship to support the T&E workforce of the future. Look for a chance to mentor someone in the T&E profession whether that be someone junior or senior to you and consider nominating a colleague for the ITEA T&E Professional Awards program. Whether a big or small contribution, strive to do something to make a difference.

Please consider attending our many Conferences and Workshops this year. Visit our website at itea.org for more information about engagement opportunities to strengthen our organization, improve the T&E profession, and further your career. Thank you for supporting ITEA and we’re looking forward to seeing you at this year’s events!

Enjoy the Journal!