Dear ISA Houston Section members,

I welcome you all to the new term 2019-20. As we transition from the 2018-19 term, new board members take up their roles with great motivation and some current board members switch roles in the board to continue with renewed vigor. I am honored to be your new president for the term and hope to serve the section with the knowledge and experience I have gained in my global career as an Automation professional, an ISA member and an ISA volunteer. My most immediate task at hand is to ensure a smooth transition to the new term.

My ISA journey has been a rewarding one, I’ve been inspired by the community members who have devoted their time to the society and to its advancement through education, standards, publications, divisions, geographic districts and sections. I have been involved as a volunteer in many different roles in Canada and USA and have been fortunate enough to attend several ISA technical & leadership seminars, conferences, expo’s and trainings. In short, I have served & experienced ISA to a great degree before being elected as the president of ISA Houston Section.

ISA’s current, much simplified Vision, Mission and Values statement resonates with my leadership and I, with my esteemed board members, will uphold it in everything that we plan and execute during the next 12 months. 

I am excited to share exciting news about some initiatives which I will be carrying forward from the previous term. 

  • The updated ISA Houston Section Website will be launched in the coming weeks which will usher our section to the state-of-the-art web experience while offering better service to our growing member base.
  • A fresh section sponsorship initiative will offer corporate partnership to our long-standing partners and bring their recognition and messaging to the forefront.

Following are some of the numerous fresh initiatives that are under development for the section, please stay tuned for further details:

  • New and updated plan for Education: ISA HS will be hosting classroom trainings and bringing titles high in demand in the Gulf Coast Automation market.
  • We will expand beyond the current program meeting format by moving some of the meetings to the evenings and diversifying the topics to include ISA themed interactive and team-building task-based programs for our members.
  • Bring fresh ideas to our section’s scholarship fund-raising traditions such as the Chili and Cajun Cook-offs and the Golf Tournament. Focus will be to expand the outreach and enhance our society’s vision and mission through these events.
  • Increase the support to our student liaison team, enhance ISA HS support to annual events such as FIRST Robotics competition and the Science Fair.
  • Increase involvement and participation by all our members by spreading the knowledge about the section’s activities on more regular basis through Social Media and upgraded website. 

I invite all Houston Section members to engage in their section’s calendar of events and voice their opinions via e-mail to me (president@isahouston.com). Your suggestions and opinion matter and help your elected board in shaping up our path for the term. Our main task is to serve you, the section members, so that you stay connected and involved with the Vision, Mission and Values of the society and together we take it to the next level.

I hope to hear from you!

Regards,

Iqtidar Khan

President – ISA Houston Section 2019-20