NORTHBROOK, Ill., OCt. 16, 2002 -- AMRA announced its 2002-2003 board members and committee chairs during the AMRA 2002 International Symposium, held Sept. 29-Oct. 2 in San Antonio.
2002-2003 officers are: Maritza Jackson of Badger Meter Inc., president; Robert Westfall of RFW Consulting Services, president-elect; Brian Pollom of Puget Sound Energy, vice president; Terry Kessinger of Volt-VIEWtech Inc., secretary; Dave Gorton of We Energies, treasurer; and Ron Chebra of RW Beck Consulting, immediate past president.
AMRA's 2002-2003 board of trustees are:
Jim Andrus, ABB Metering Inc.
Dennis Zentarski, Cleveland Heights Water Department
Don Schlenger, Cognyst Consulting LLC
Robert Green, DataCom
Kevin McDonald, Georgia Power Co.
Henry Morgan, Houston Lighting & Power Co.
Peter Lukens, North Wales Water Authority
John Yanek, PPL Electric Utilities
Sandra Fernstrom, TWACS by DCSI
Stephen Carrico, Wisconsin Public Service Co.
AMRA's 2002-2003 committee chairs are:
Education Committee
Jim Andrus, ABB Metering Inc.
Exhibitor Committee Co-chairs
Becky Lorentz, Hunt Technologies Inc.
Peggy Richmond, Siemens Metering
Industry Liaison Committee Chair and Vice-Chairs
Alvin Silver, ADEMCO
Robert Green, DataCom
Bob Richardson, TWACS by DCSI
International Committee
Peter Lukens, North Wales Water Authority
Marketing/Membership Committee
Ron Chebra, RW Beck
Program Committee
Dave Herchko, IMServ
Publications Committee Chair and Vice-Chair
Vicki Trees, Hunt Technologies Inc.
Terry Kessinger, Volt-VIEWtech Inc.
AMRA/IEEE Standards Coordinating Committee 31
William Rush, Gas Technology Institute
AMRA Volunteer Leaders Earn Honors
Each year, AMRA officials recognize individuals who truly stand out for their service to the association and the industry. 2002 award recipients are:
* James Andrus - The Distinguished Service Award is presented to the individual who has made significant contributions toward the mission and goals of AMRA, and has demonstrated outstanding support for the association through exceptional dedication and service. For his 14 years of enthusiastic leadership within the organization, this year's award went to Jim Andrus of ABB Metering Inc. Andrus has been involved with the organization since 1989. He has served on the AMRA program committee since 1991 and was chair from 1996-1997. He now is a member of AMRA's board of trustees and is chair of the AMRA Education Committee, where he is playing an instrumental role in developing AMRA's Regional Seminars.
* Jim Ariz - Ariz, formerly with Enbridge Consumers Gas Co., received the AMRA Special Recognition Award. He was AMRA treasurer from 1994 to 2000, and was an AMRA Program Committee member from 1992 to 2001. He announced his retirement from the AMRA Board of Trustees this year.
* Ron Chebra - AMRA's immediate past president was acknowledged for his extraordinary leadership during the 2001 symposium, which was interrupted by last year's terrorist attacks. "We were fortunate to have a wonderful staff and group of volunteer leaders who stepped forward to help all of us through that hard time," AMRA President Maritza Jackson recalled as she presented the plaque. "There is one person, however, who provided the soundtrack to those events. As events unfolded, this person helped us to cope, provided solutions and opportunities to be of service," she said. "Thank you for being a pillar of strength and a voice of courage."
Upcoming AMRA symposia:
AMRA 2003 International Symposium
September 7-10
America's Center
St. Louis, Mo.
AMRA 2004 International Symposium
September 26-29
Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Ctr.
Kissimmee, Fla.
AMRA and e-amra.com are nonprofit organizations founded to address standardization, justification and deployment practices in the application and advancement of enhanced customer-service and resource-management technologies. The groups' mission is to provide AMR information and educational resources worldwide by advocating standards and the use of advanced metering technologies. Members of the associations receive numerous benefits, including newsletters, AMR reports and updates, and discounted registration fees for educational events.