The Academy Executive Committee met in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on 24 January 1999 in conjunction with the Health Physics Society (HPS) meeting. Incoming President Herman Cember informally announced his goals for the Academy involving the "soft side" of health physics. He has promised to provide an expansion of this in a later issue of the "CHP Corner." Outgoing Past- President Jerry Martin was recognized for his leadership and many contributions to the Academy.

The American Board of Health Physics (ABHP) reported on its activities since the Minneapolis meeting, particularly its experience with the 1998 examination process. The ABHP report also addressed a potential initiative for partnering with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission as an examining body for determination of regulatory RSO qualification under 10CFR35. Both the rule and the initiative are still in early stages of development. An ABHP question development workshop planned for Albuquerque and a content validation workshop held during the HPS meeting were also briefly discussed. Ellen Hochheiser is actively recruiting CHP sponsors to host additional regional question development workshops.

There was considerable discussion concerning the previous Academy decision to sponsor the health physics portion of the American Board of Medical Physics examination. (See letter to the editor, and responses, on page 8 of this Newsletter.) No action was taken, in part because those present recognized the importance of obtaining additional input from CHPs active in clinical practice of health physics.

Ron Kathren reported on an enticing idea for the Academy luncheon and scientific session to be sponsored as part of the upcoming annual meeting in Philadelphia. (More on this to follow also . . . for now just plan to be there.) Frank Massé reported on Ron's idea for a joint meeting of all North American societies associated with radiological safety. Frank's report indicated that a combination of the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors meeting with an HPS midyear may be viable early in 2003.

Other interesting initiatives brought forward for consideration included a proposal to video tape and rent copies of continuing education courses--with credit awarded for viewing the tapes. The Continuing Education Committee also recommended a policy revision to allow carry over of up to ten credits from one recertification period into the next.

Incoming Academy President-elect Chuck Roessler's qualifications were challenged when it was noted that he does not meet the stringent hairstyle precedent established by Academy Presidents Jerry Martin, Ron Kathren, and Herman Cember.

Web Master Scott Medling submitted a report on his research into the posting of CHP résumés on the Academy Web site. His report also introduced the recently added bulletin boards. The posting of examination results on the Web site appears to be a great success . . . the first hit came at 3 minutes and 12 seconds after he had uploaded the information.

The draft Academy strategic plan was "finalized" by the Executive Committee and has since been posted to the Web site. It is expanded from the 1996 draft to include input from the workshops held in San Antonio as well as additional supporting objectives and implementation ideas approved during the Albuquerque session.

From Ron Kathren

As my year as President of the Academy draws to a close, I wish to thank all the members of the Executive Committee and the ABHP, the members and chairs of various Academy and ABHP committees, and indeed all of my fellow Academy members who were kind enough to share their ideas, viewpoints, and concerns with me. The time and effort that you have so freely devoted to the Academy have greatly strengthened our organization and I am personally grateful for your contributions to the Academy during this past year. Since its somewhat shaky inception nearly two decades ago at a meeting in Las Vegas, the Academy and the certification process have gained strength and respect both within and outside of the health physics community. I look forward to the 1999 Academy year under the leadership of President Herman Cember, and to serving my final year on the Executive Committee under his leadership. Our Academy will continue to grow and to gain stature, influence, and recognition as the preeminent professional arm of health physics. It has been a pleasure, honor, and privilege to have served the Academy as President during 1998; I hope that all of you feel that I have well served you and our profession.