By Cindy Hands, CCP

Value to members, relevance to the industry, and membership growth – these are the core focus areas of the AACE Membership Advisory Committee (MAC). The MAC was recently established through the adoption of the updated AACE Bylaws as a means to develop and maintain strategies for membership acquisition and retention at the Section, Region, and international levels. I serve as the chairperson and Ghaith Al-Hiyari, CCP, serves as the vice chair.

As a committee that serves the members of one of the leading organizations in the fields of Project Controls and Total Cost Management, the MAC is charged with creating and implementing these strategies in tandem with AACE’s mission, vision, and overall strategic plan. The MAC brings together volunteers representing a diverse group of AACE global membership, including its 10 Regional Directors, for in-depth conversations and serves as a think tank for member engagement. This effort aims to expand opportunities for all of our members to make contributions to AACE, as well as to learn more about getting the best value out of their membership and using that for their personal and professional goals.

In the fall of this year, the MAC took its first steps by conducting workshops with its members. The charge of these sessions has been to engage the committee in transforming the MAC vision into tangible targets and deliverables, including short-term, mid-term, and long-term objectives. Committee members will design an action plan for the MAC that resonates, is appropriate for the cost engineering community and focused internally and externally. Additionally, the committee will provide leadership support to the AACE Sections and Regions to support sustained growth.

These workshops and other initiatives currently in development are just the beginning of the MAC journey. The MAC will serve as a conduit for feedback from members globally to the AACE Board of Directors and Associate Boards. We’re looking forward to hearing all your thoughts and ideas! Please reach out to learn how to get involved.

Cindy Hands, CCP is a Project Controls Manager, Western Canada WCA with Hatch. She serves as the Chair of the Membership Advisory Committee and a Director at-Large on the AACE International Board of Directors. She can be contacted at cindy.hands@hatch.com.