2. Strengthen and develop strategic partner- ships to advocate member interests Another theme I heard was the need to raise awareness of the importance of the work we do, not just to the public, but in many cases within our own agencies. I would like to see more part- ner and stakeholder engagement in the manner we have begun engaging with NASDA. Besides engaging and advocating for our members at the federal level, I am hopeful that our Associate Mem- bers can collaborate with us in new ways that add value for our membership. 3. Ensure a sustainable organization As with any successful organization, and now that we are meeting in person again, the NCWM Board of Directors will be reviewing and updating our strategic plan to ensure it keeps pace with the changes around us. I understand NIST OWM is undertaking a similar effort. Don and I are commit - ted to engage collaboratively with Dr. Katrice Lippa and NIST leadership over the course of the year to discuss updating the decades old MOU between our two agencies, so that it is more reflective of our current operations. Moving forward, strategic planning will require a focus on innovation, along
the NCWM Distinguished Service Award. The honor to serve as Chairman of the NCWM is especially meaningful to me because unlike many of you, my background was not in weights and measures. I began my career in the early nine- ties as an environmental consultant in the midwest working on petroleum release cleanups for the petroleum industry, and then in 1999 joined the Colorado Division of Oil and Public Safety (OPS) as an environmental protection specialist over- seeing much of the same. I was first exposed to weights and measures in 2002 as our Petroleum Laboratory Supervisor and then more so in 2003 as a Field Inspection Program Manager. While vaguely familiar with the NIST handbooks, I was for the most part unaware of the NIST OWM and the NCWM, until Kristin Macey who was then at the Colorado Department of Agriculture, invited me to participate in a NIST Administrators work- shop in Denver in 2004. That meeting was so impactful in opening my eyes to the scope and importance of weights and measures, and the resources available through NIST and the NCWM. I left that workshop feeling rejuvenated, proud, and optimistic about my work in ensuring Equity in the Marketplace, and knew right then that I needed to get more engaged in regional and national confer- ences. I also immediately started making improve- ments to our program to align with national prac- tices. I attended my first NCWM Annual Meeting in 2005 in Orlando, Florida. The hot topic then was temperature compensation. Little did I know then that my experience at that conference, and all the other NCWM meetings I have attended since then, would have such a profound impact on shaping not just my career, but more importantly the ca- reers of many of my staff at the Colorado Division of Oil and Public Safety. As I mentioned in my remarks at the annual meet- ing in Tacoma, the COVID pandemic has trans- formed nearly every aspect of our world. It has caused dramatic shifts in our jobs, our lives, and the choices we make as consumers. Working from home, online shopping, and curbside pickup have become the norm. E-commerce and contact-
with leadership adjustments that include an ex- panded vision, broader inclusion of membership, and milestone markers for accountability. It needs to be our compass to guide us into the future, so that we can continue Ensuring Equity and Uniform Standards in a Changing Marketplace. I am looking forward to seeing many of you again at your regional meetings, or at the 2023 NCWM Interim Meeting in Savannah, Georgia on January 8th -11th, 2023. Between now and then, I would love to hear from you with any questions, concerns, ideas, or suggestions for improving the NCWM. Your opinions always matter. Sincerely, Mahesh
less payments are here to stay, and these chang- es touch the work we all do. The marketplace will continue to evolve and we need to be agile and innovative to stay relevant. As much as we would all want to “get back to normal”, I think we need to embrace innovation to create our “new normal”. Innovation requires thinking outside the box, ex- perimenting and trying out new things. Thankfully, the NCWM Board of Directors has been doing just that. We have utilized technology to ensure that our annual and interim meetings continued, and have demonstrated agility holding them virtually, in hybrid settings, or in person with live stream op- tions. Contemplating changes like voting twice a year, recognizing the use of field reference stan - dards or master meters and other devices like digital density meters are exactly the kind of things we need to be doing. Adopting the Priority Item on EVSE is also indicative of our ability to utilize our consensus process to effectively react to changing marketplace conditions. I am very optimistic about the future of NCWM. I think the annual meeting in Tacoma was evidence that we are on a trajectory to our new normal. I would like us to gain momentum on this trajec- tory and continue with some of the things Ivan has rolled out like inspection manuals and marketplace surveys, and pilot some new ones. To that end, I plan to focus on the following three areas that tie into my theme for this year: Collaborating with partners and stakeholders for a greater measure of equity. 1. Providing assistance to the membership One common theme I heard as I attended regional meetings was the need for education and hands on training, especially for new employees coming on in these times of the Great Retirement. I would like us to explore opportunities to collaborate with NIST and subject matter experts from industry and regulators to develop some new training offerings. Maybe laying the groundwork for a future educa- tional NCWM Technical Conference and Trade Show.
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Available Exams: •
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• LPG & Anhydrous Ammonia Liquid Meters • Vehicle-Tank Meters • Medium Capacity Weighing Systems
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NCWM-News 3
2022 Issue 3
2022 Issue 3
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