Professional Development Committee (PDC)

Committee Description/Purpose/Objectives

The Professional Development Committee (PDC) will establish procedures and advise in providing technically sound and proficient educational courses and programs that enhance members’ professional knowledge through technical information exchange, facilitation of research opportunities, and encouraging diversity in professional development. The PDC also provides the Board of Directors (BODs) the Long-Range Education Plans and Implementation Procedures in accordance with IECA’s Strategic Plan.

Responsibilities

  • The PDC committee members, education committee members, and Peer Review Panel members are responsible for reviewing the technical merit of all IECA content; verifying content accuracy, relevance, and value to IECA educational delivery options.
  • Work with committee members and staff to recommend instructors, specific topics, and relevant ideas that may be developed into educational course offerings to include: IECA Conference courses, IECA on Location, webinars, and online educational programs.
  • Determine the education needs of industry and work with the Education Director to determine the best content delivery method. Also, determine relevance of content submitted by members and industry experts into IECA’s content library.
  • Solicit industry experts (members and nonmembers) to address courses to meet specific Educational Track area for the purpose of increasing membership through up-to-date and current educational content.
  • Serve as advisors to the Educational Track Sub Committee Chairs, the Educational Track Sub Committees, and the Reviewer Panel for the peer review process, including oversight of the educational review process.
  • Review submissions for pre-conference workshops for the annual conference.
  • Develop policies and processes for the BODs approval as they arise relevant to IECA’s educational courses and/or programs.
  • Develop instructors/presenters and IECA faculty qualifications, as well as recruit new instructors/presenters and IECA faculty that satisfy these qualifications.
  • Perform a quarterly review of the Education section of our website, specifically reviewing online content to determine industry relevance of our material.
  • Bring to the attention of the BODs any issues that require immediate action to implement the enforcement of the committee’s area of responsibility.
  • Yearly evaluate all IECA faculty and instructors/presenters based on established performance metrics.
  • Provide guidance for IECA Education by establishing an education matrix for essential courses for in-person and online environments.

Committee Goals

  • Enhance IECA conference education, looking for other resources outside our membership. This includes forming partnerships with similar associations and sharing their presenters, as we submit to present at their conferences and events.
  • Build our chapter speaker bureau. Search for outstanding speakers for our conference. As proven, effective speakers on the chapter level, will enhance our national and international education efforts.
  • Build a quality webinar delivery process for those who need immediate, affordable education.
  • Create a strong library of online content for members and nonmembers of IECA. Develop a strategy of delivering online material that includes basic, intermediate, and advanced material.
  • Engage our member educators by encouraging participation in an Educational Track that is within their area of interest and expertise. These will become Member Resources to our members and to IECA Education.

Meetings/Reports

The PDC committee will meet via teleconference at least every month from April until August and meet in the months of October, and December. The committee will have one face-to-face meeting each year at the annual conference in February. If the PDC Chair cannot attend a PDC meeting, the Educational Track Committee Chair shall preside over the meeting. If the PDC Chair and the Educational Track Committee Chair are not present for the meeting, then the Educational Vice President shall preside over the meeting. The PDC Chair will send a report of committee activity to the IECA Staff Liaison at least five weeks before each regularly scheduled face-to-face IECA BODs meeting. The face-to-face BOD meetings are February, June and October.

Membership/Qualifications/Term of Service

Members of the PDC play a critical role in ensuring that IECA’s educational program is of the highest quality. The PDC shall consist of six voting members and defined as the Chair, the Educational Vice-President of IECA as the BODs liaison, the Educational Track Committee Chair, IECA Faculty Instructor, and two IECA Members at Large. In addition, there will be a minimum of six non-voting members to the committee that include: the Education Director as the IECA staff liaison, a liaison of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a construction industry liaison, a Spanish Liaison, and two Members at Large. More details on the PDC positions can be found in a separate document.

Structure and Bylaws

The PDC Chair shall be appointed at the annual meeting to a two-year term by the current IECA President of the BOD when the complete committee slate is approved. The chair may not serve more than two (2) consecutive terms.

Professional Development Committee Roster

IECA is the foremost organization for those involved in or concerned about soil erosion control. Membership (in IECA) tells others you take erosion control seriously and you want to help make a difference.

Scott Velting, CPESC, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA