President’s Message

AIG President, Melinda Miguel

I hope you all are well and enjoying the holidays.

I am so pleased to report that 2012 has been a terrific year for the Association of Inspectors General.  Our conferences in Anaheim and Clearwater were incredibly successful, as were our Florida-based Certified Inspector General Institute. There is no question that the Inspector General community is growing and very supportive of our Association.

Plans are well underway for our upcoming events in 2013.  In light of the budgetary constraints that many of OIGs are facing, we decided to hold only one conference this year, but I can assure you that our 2013 conference in New Orleans will be something special. I want to thank New Orleans Inspector General Ed Quatrevaux and his dedicated staff for the considerable work they have already put into planning the conference, which will be held the week of November 4, 2013. Please mark your calendars, and I hope to see you next Fall in the Crescent City.

Also, our 2013 institutes are quickly approaching! The winter institute will be held in Austin, Texas, February 25th to March 1st and our spring Institute will be held in Honolulu, HI, May 20th to 24th. Please contact the AIG Office for more information. The seats for Austin are rapidly filling up.

With the recent election of our new Board of Directors, I would like to take a moment to thank the members whose terms have ended, for their vital and greatly appreciated service to the Association. A special thanks goes to Elizabeth Archer, David Ray, Vicki Fisher, John Moriarty, Tracy Smith and Betty Vega. I also would like to take this opportunity to welcome and congratulate our newly elected and re-elected board members: Debra Rayna Alexander, Tom Caulfield, Cedric Johnson, Barry Kluger, Milton Mayo, Jr. Ricardo Meza, Austin Onwualu, Howard Schwartz, Sheryl Steckler and Stephen Street.

As we begin a New Year, one of the Association’s top priorities is building and strengthening the IG community.  To do this, we need your input. Please let us know what you are thinking and tell us how we can continue to improve our services.  We do listen. In response to the survey we conducted in 2012, we have plans to begin offering online training opportunities for our members to earn CPE credits. We hope to start by offering video presentations on current IG related topics. Please stay tuned.

As always, we encourage members to get involved and consider volunteering on a Committee of the Association.  Committee work is tremendously important to our future success.  The committees are as follows: Certification, Training, Membership, Conference, Legislative, Professional Standards, Peer Review, Strategic Planning, Integrity, Treasury and Finance and Chapter Development.  Please email our Executive Director if you are interested.

Speaking of our Executive Director, I want to thank Phil Zisman and his staff for all their hard work and leadership in administering to the needs of the Association.

As we enter a new year, please be mindful of the things that enrich our lives the most such as health, family, friends and freedom. Let’s embrace the opportunities that are before us, foster service to our communities, and work to enhance public trust in government – TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Happy holidays to you and yours.

Respectfully,

Melinda M. Miguel, President