Time for the Lowering of Dues at the AANA?

I am posting this letter in hope of bringing positive change to the profession. I am not an insider to the inner workings of the AANA, but nonetheless, there are clearly inefficiencies noticeable to the outsider. Realize, this post is intended solely to bring about positive "change" and any inaccuracies are inadvertent. Every effort to be accurate has been made. After reading this post, use the contact information at the end to contact the board of directors to express your opinion.

It is clear to all that the AANA has accomplished many feats for the profession, and we owe a lot of gratitude to those who devote time for the greater good. With that being said, clearly, the economy has obviously had better days and it would seem ideal for the AANA to look at reducing dues by lowering costs.

1.)Dues $645/year: There are many people who do not get dues paid for by their employer, and even those who do, cutbacks in the economy may eliminate this benefit. Why are dues so high? What is the AANA's fiscal plan if there is a drop in membership?

2.) Employee Benefits: Employees are given off seemingly excessive days for the holidays including Thanksgiving (3 days), Christmas (3 days), and New Years (3 days). What other benefits do employees get? Is the AANA running a tight ship or living richly? Can positions be eliminated to save costs and reduce membership fees?

3.) Committee Meetings: Committee participants are flown around the country at the expense of the AANA and its members. What about video conferencing? Again, can costs be cut here to reduce membership dues? Many corporations use other modes of communication to avoid the costs of travel.

4.) Certification: CCNA results are sent via FedEx, but they are not consistently sent with the same level of service. For example, some are sent via FedEx Priority (arrives before 10:30 AM) and some are sent via FedEx Standard (arrives by 3:00 PM). Obviously the cost is different and the membership has to pick up the bill. Why not use the USPS overnight service which is the cheapest?

5.) Service: What is the actual service one is getting for the $645/year membership? The journal, news bulletin, & government relations. Additional services such as meetings and CE's are for fees.

In summary, it seems that the AANA can tighten the ship to reduce costs, and hopefully this will result in lower membership fees. A few examples have been provided, but undoubtedly there are more. In addition, the AANA needs to greatly clarify what the $645/year buys. Members appreciate much of the political activity the AANA pursues for its members, but at the same time are expecting the AANA to use our membership dues as efficiently as possible. Please contact the board of directors to express your opinion.

To contact the Board of directors, use the following information.

Jackie Rowles, President AANA jsrowles@earthlink.net
James Walker, President Elect jrwalker@anespro.com
Paul Santoro, Vice-President pwsantoro@asconsultants.com
Lawrence Stump, Treasurer lawstump@umich.edu
Steve Alves, Director Region 1 vapor22@verizon.net
Janice Izlar, Director Region 2 jjizlar@aol.com
Karen Eisberner, Director Region 3 serwinkae@yahoo.com
Gary Clark, Director Region 4 clarkga@charter.net
Todd Herzog, Director Region 5 twherzog@centurytel.net
Ronald Castaldo, Director Region 6 roncrna01@yahoo.com
Bruce Weiner, Director Region 7 bweinercrna@verizon.net