The AUGI election is now part of history and the available slots on the AUGI Board of Directors have been filled.
Yoshi Honda is the AUGI President for 2005. Yoshi is no stranger to AUGI or its leadership, for that matter, having served as AUGI president in 2002. He brings strong leadership and sets clear goals for AUGI in the upcoming year. Look for a Q&A interview with Yoshi in the next issue of HotNews.
Serving two-year terms on the AUGI Board are:
Mark Kiker
Chris Lindner
Rick McNeil
Michael Perry
Mark Kiker comes to AUGI with more than 20 years experience as CAD manager and director of technology in the AEC industry. Mark is currently Director of Architectural/Engineering/MEP sales for KETIV Technologies, an Autodesk reseller based in Fullerton, California. He also edits a CAD management website, found at www.caddmanager.com, and publishes a monthly e-newsletter for CAD managers.
"As an AUGI Director, I want to be a voice to Autodesk that represents the real-world needs of CAD managers and users and a voice for all CAD managers who wrestle daily with technology," Mark says. "I would advance the AutoCAD community by focusing on CAD as mission-critical technology. I strive to provide the conceptual and practical information needed to successfully migrate and manage CAD and the advanced tools that Autodesk is producing."
Chris Lindner has some previous AUGI board experience under his belt. He accepted an appointment to the AUGI Board of Directors in 2003 to fill a mid-term vacancy. Now, after winning election for a fresh two-year stint, Chris is anxious to get to work on some issues he holds dear.
"I have long been an advocate for user groups. These are the "real" users, eager for knowledge, anxious to share (er, show-off) newfound knowledge, willing to admit mistakes, all for the betterment of the whole group. And AUGI's membership represents all of these people from around the world. It's like your local user group on steroids!" he says. Other goals include assisting in the expansion of product communities (at www.AUGI.com) and the AUGI Training Program (ATP).
Chris is director of CAD Technology at WD Partners, an Ohio-based design, architecture, and engineering firm.
What began as a spur-of-the-moment decision at AU to run for the AUGI Board of Directors ended in a successful election bid for Rick McNeil, who works for Naval Air Warfare Center in Maryland. In his 10-year active affiliation with AUGI, which included volunteering to work the AUGI booth at AU and participating in usability and Beta testing for Autodesk products, Rick has seen a lot of growth in the organization and wants to do his part to keep the momentum.
"I plan to get more involved with the Forums because that's where the daily action is," he says. "It's a place where you get to hear users' problems and get to respond with a probable solution. Its also a great learning experience for anyone involved.
"AUGI has grown over the last 10 years and is getting better all the time," Rick continues. "I think with the current board we can continue to grow our membership and carry on the great job of our predecessors. I believe a strong and involved membership is essential to any user group. My request to the membership is VOLUNTEER—you have the knowledge to help others."
AUGI welcomes its first international board member, Michael Perry, senior CAD technician in the Transportation Division of FaberMaunsell/AECOM (UK). Among Mike's goals for his term is to help AUGI grow its international membership. "I want to encourage these new members to become active in AUGI initiatives, programs, and the voluntary positions that AUGI offers. If we can achieve this, I believe AUGI will become an even better organization with greater depth and strength," he says.
Like fellow board member Rick McNeil, Mike plans to devote time to the AUGI Forums. "I believe the Forums are the heart of AUGI, where you find members helping members in their daily CAD lives. The old AUGI Guilds are what really got me involved with AUGI in the first place, and since those days I've enjoyed every minute of helping, learning, and getting to know members through the peer-to-peer support groups that AUGI runs. To me it's what AUGI is really all about."
AUGI is pleased to welcome these new board members, who will join the directors already serving terms—Robert Bell, Richard Binning, and Jill King. Together, they will move AUGI forward in 2005 and beyond.
