ASNT — Becoming a Stronger Professional Society*
by 2007-2008 ASNT President Victor L. Hernandez†
I want to start tonight by thanking my wife, my best friend, Rose. Those who know me well realize there's no Victor without Rose. She has always been a big part of my life and one of my biggest supporters when it comes to ASNT — I love you.I also want to thank my son, Victor, who is here with us tonight, and my daughters, Christie and Lissette, who couldn't join us. I know they wanted to be here, especially considering all the dance recitals and school activities I had to attend over the years!
I stand here tonight very humbled by your support. It's hard to describe, but I feel a heavy sense not only of gratitude to all of you, but of responsibility. More than anything, I stand here tonight tremendously excited and exceedingly optimistic about the opportunities that lie ahead for ASNT.
This is a moment of great personal honor for me, but also one of deep responsibility. I do not take this responsibility lightly. I have always been proud to work in NDT, and especially proud to be a part of ASNT. I will take pride in the position of leadership that has been entrusted to me, one that has a direct effect on the Society. The power of ASNT, its true greatness, is the work we accomplish when we work together. The work our volunteers and staff do in certification programs, publications, training materials, conferences and local sections directly effects the quality of the workers, the development of new technology and the utilization of nondestructive testing by industry. NDT saves lives by protecting the public. We all know this, but it's good to remind ourselves of this basic truth from time to time.
I am proud to be an ASNT volunteer because it is an organization that is recognized for what it does, as well as what it says. We could not have a more apt mission than creating a safer world. I will work with you to make this world a safer place.
Tonight, I want to discuss my vision of what we need to do, our strengths in undertaking these activities, and our challenges. The challenges are especially important: it is against these areas that the adequacy of our performance will be measured.
Safety is not an abstract issue, but a concrete reality that touches individuals and communities.
I have great optimism for the future, but, having worked in nondestructive testing for more than 30 years, I have no illusions. Our work is more complex than it has ever been. We have made great strides in some areas, but seem to be standing still in others. I am sure we have the power to do the work required of us, but we need to be smart in our planning and priority setting, and street-wise in our actions. Safety is not an abstract issue, but a concrete reality that touches individuals and communities.
What matters most to me is people. This is an organization for all types of NDT workers, representing the range of industries we work in. Our services need to represent this range as well. We must devote our energies to all of our core products and services: publications, certifications, membership and conferences. Our commitment to results is only relevant if we can demonstrate a positive effect, throughout our user industries, of our core products and services.
Threats to safety and a lack of adequate NDT usage are global and directly effect economies and societies. There is a fundamental prerequisite for NDT for safe infrastructures, aircraft, pipelines, nuclear and petrochemical facilities, and consumer products. However, we need to keep in mind that all the certification programs, publications and conferences in the world won't do any good without market need and utilization. We must stay in close touch with our user industries' needs: their input and our cooperation in working with them are necessary for our mission to succeed.
The world is not always going to seem like a fair place as far as NDT is concerned. Progress in NDT technologies and applications race ahead, yet the commitment to ASNT from the public and private sectors may lag behind. The way to meet the challenges, establish priorities and select the best strategies for reaching our goals is through ongoing forums for discussing relevant issues. This requires an active and engaged membership. Members are central to our ability to accomplish our mission. They are our cornerstone.
Technology transfer and the dissemination of information are things ASNT has always done well, but which it can now do even better. When we, as members, work in partnership within our Society, our work becomes easier. Today, collaboration to achieve ASNT goals is no longer simply an asset: it is a necessity. We need to develop an approach to collaboration that emphasizes the management of diversity and complexity. We will continue to engage strategically in partnerships for strengthening relationships and creating greater alignment among those partnerships. We should work closely with sister societies, other professional organizations and our user-industry constituents to further and enhance our effectiveness.
Performance is the challenge of making ASNT act more efficiently and effectively, getting our Board, councils and committees to work more cohesively. Hopefully such efforts will continue to motivate volunteers and staff. I believe that we are results based, but can improve accountability and transparency.
As I have said, I am immensely proud to volunteer for ASNT, an organization that wields tremendous influence around the world. Our mission is a huge responsibility, but it also brings us unique assets. This is the source of our strength. The issues we address are of value to every person on earth. This makes our work matter and gives us universal relevance. Also, our work is based on a clear and common value system. We share the strong ethical foundation of the NDT profession. This is a caring, science based profession dedicated to creating a safer world. This gives us our moral authority, and a most noble system of ethical values. When I think about these unique assets, I get a clear picture of what ASNT must do, what we can do and what we should not do. Science and ethics tell us what we must do when we know — with solid proof — the size of a problem and its cause, and when we have a moral imperative to act.
We have several exciting initiatives on which we are making progress: addressing workforce needs, developing our membership, sustaining relevant certification programs, and engaging in NDT advocacy, research, education and training. These initiatives are guided by our strategic plan and strategic objectives.
In terms of what ASNT can do, we can increase our global significance by using our relevance, our information authority, our ethic, and our broad engagement to influence a worldwide NDT agenda that makes compelling good sense for all stakeholders in our industry today. We can give greater cohesion to the multiple partnerships at work.
Here is what I think we should not do. We must not spread our resources too thin. The temptation is great. The utilization of nondestructive testing is broad, and the opportunities for ASNT are multiple. We must know our advantages, however, and stick to activities that ASNT is uniquely well suited to perform. We must not duplicate the work of others and we must not try to do everything on our own.
I firmly believe that ASNT should not follow a "full menu" approach. But we do need to see what's on the table and do our utmost to ensure that nondestructive testing gets its place on the plate. Again, we can do this by using our enviable technical expertise to contribute to a global NDT agenda and ensure that the best practices are being followed.
ASNT is not the implementing agency, but can support organizations and authorities who set priorities. ASNT's greatest asset is our role as stewards for nondestructive testing. We can provide certification programs, publish reference materials and facilitate symposia to address those priorities and help identify resources.
This, then, is the unique source of our strength as a professional society. These assets give us the power to attain the most and the best results.
I want to tap the views of industry experts, corporate partners, members and staff, all of whom represent diverse disciplines and schools of thought. We need to influence people's hearts and minds, hearts based on ethical principles and minds based on sound technology, science and practice. If we influence people's hearts and minds, and inspire the confidence of our members, constituents and stakeholders, we are well on our way to more successful years.
In the years I've worked in NDT, I have seen many heroes. The true heroes these days are the NDT workers, whose caring work ethic is an inspiration to us all. They are determined to make the world a safer place, and they work with impressive dedication and often under difficult conditions. The world needs many, many more of them. I thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve as ASNT president. And I also thank our heroes — the NDT workers around the world — for all they are doing. With all of us working together, I know we will do it. We will attain results for ASNT and NDT. We will make this world a safer place.
Thank you.
* This is the text of the speech delivered by incoming ASNT President Victor Hernandez at the Annual Awards Banquet at the 2007 ASNT Fall Conference and Quality Testing Show, as edited for publication.† SBM Atlantia, 1255 Enclave Parkway, Houston, TX 77077; (281) 899-4386; fax (504) 818-5937; e-mail victor.hernandez@sbmatlantia.com.
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