NTrain
2009 – National Operating Committee (OPCOM) Meeting
Article and Photos by Mel Borofsky, Editor SITREP
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| 04 OPCOM |
Thursday, January 29. The National Operating Committee (OPCOM) meets in combined forum, closed door forum at least twice a year, once at NTrain and again at the National Conference (NACON). The committee meeting is chaired by the National Chief of Staff Steve McElroy and attended by the various Department Chiefs and National Bridge.
There were some new faces at this year’s two day meeting but this did not slow down the work or progress of the committee members. “The first ninety days of our term has been successful, the interaction between Department Chiefs has been phenomenal,” NCOS McElroy said. “It is evident by the hard work already expended, our working as a team will prove beneficial to our members,” he said.
The purpose of the OPCOM meeting is to provide an opportunity for all of the Directorate Commodores and their respective Department Chiefs to present their current programs and plans for the coming year. By meeting as one body each Department Chief is able to interact with each other and share ideas and seek assistance for their program’s needs.
Open floor discussions, behind closed doors, allow the meeting’s attendees to be open and frank and engage beneficially in problem solving. These face to face conversations allow for constructive comments and idea sharing. Often these discussions include solutions and answers to pressing questions.
Reports from the Coast Guard Office of Boating Safety by Mr. Wayne Stacy, the Legislative Committee by Auxiliarist Chris Ware, and Auxiliary Association matters by the Executive Director Mr. Marty Phillips were heard by the OPCOM.
CAPT Mark Rizzo, USCG, the Chief Director of Auxiliary and Boating discussed some of the issues that came up in his separate meetings with the various Directors of Auxiliary.
Each of the members of the National Bridge offered their comments which were unanimously complimentary about the work of the committee members and the progress being made in their Department’s programs. “There is tremendous energy coming from this OPCOM and the meetings of the District Commodores. Our goal is to capture this energy and use it to benefit our members,” National Commodore Kerigan said.
Members of the National Operating Committee (OPCOM) are:
National Chief of Staff - Commodore Steve McElroy (chair)
Department Chief- Legal (L) – Don Krispin
Directorate Commodore-Operations
– Commodore Mark Simoni
Department Chief- Marine Safety (M) – Greg Kester
Department Chief- Operations (O) – David Elliot
Directorate Commodore-Recreational
Boating Safety- Commodore Robin Freeman
Department Chief- Boating (B) – John Potts
Department Chief- Education (E) - Anne Lockwood
Department Chief- Vessel Exam and Program Visitor (V) – Peter Urgola
DC Urgola could not attend; Deputy Department Chief Kelly Johnson attended.
Directorate Commodore-Member
Services – Commodore Ed Sweeney
Department Chief- Marketing and Public Affairs (A) – Robert Nelson
Department Chief- Information Systems (I) – Bill Prichard
Department Chief- Personnel Services (P) – Dante Laurino
Department Chief- Training (T) – Ken Kendall
~IJLA