2013 IEEE Secretary

1. Student Activities. I started volunteering for IEEE by founding the University of Zagreb Student Branch and serving as its first chair. This led to long and active participation in the organization and expansion of student activities throughout Region 8. I served on the Region 8 Student Activities Committee (as member and later chair) as well as on the RAB/MGA Student Activities Committee. Our most important achievements during this period (2004–2006) in the Region were: (a) enhancement and support of the biennial Student Activities Conference, which brings together students from more than 60 countries for intensive training and networking; and (b) starting new activities in student branches. On the global level, I have organized and supported several IEEE contests, including the first three editions of IEEEXtreme, the 24-hour global programming competition. I helped with the publication of Student Paper Contest papers in technical conference proceedings and the IEEE Potentials magazine.
2. Membership. I have initiated several successful Region 8 member engagement and development projects that resulted in significant membership growth. Realizing the importance of supporting our members’ careers, I have emphasized Professional Activities as an important objective of Region 8 action plans, and I formed the Region 8 Professional Activities committee. I have initiated several joint GOLD/Student programs and organized the IEEE Region 8 Student Branch and GOLD Congress 2006, which brought together over 300 IEEE volunteers from all over the world. Recently, I led efforts in harmonizing Region 8 with the vision and mission of MGA as well as the broader IEEE. In this arena, I am also content with the models I developed, with my fellow committee members, during the operation of the 2008 IEEE Alternative Membership Models Ad Hoc Committee. It is inconceivable that we will forever maintain the status quo in membership, and the work done in 2008 is likely to be the basis for future efforts to modernize and reform our membership structure.
3. Smart Grid. I was an active participant in IEEE’s efforts to develop and expand activities in this important emerging area, and to ensure IEEE’s leadership during its expansion. I participated in development of the IEEE Smart Grid World Forum (I served as General Chair, Steering Committee Member, Steering Committee Chair, and Program Committee Member); IEEE Innovative Smart Grid Technologies Europe (as International Technical Program Committee Member and Advisory Committee Member); and IEEE ENERGYCON (General Co-Chair, Honorary Chair, and Technical Program Committee Member). I am especially happy with the progress we made through the IEEE Smart Grid World Forum. The innovative program and the interactive use of new networking technologies to enhance the forum offer a roadmap for future IEEE conferences.
4. Governance Activities. I participated in projects aimed at improving IEEE governance at several levels. In Region 8 I worked on an overhaul of the Region bylaws and on authoring (and obtaining approval for) an Operations Manual. On the Board Transformation Ad Hoc Committee I was an active member of the group that authored various drafts of a new structure for the IEEE Board of Directors. While this effort did not ultimately result in changes to the Board’s structure, I believe it created the basis on which future efforts will be built.

I am a long-time IEEE volunteer and currently serve as IEEE Delegate/Director. I have served on many standing committees and ad hoc committees of the Board. My participation in a variety of member activities, technical activities, and Board initiatives (from organizing local student branches to organizing major international conferences) provides me with useful and relevant experience. Through this experience, I developed thorough understanding of the multitude of different areas where IEEE is active, and the diversity of its objectives, structures, and volunteers. Most importantly, I have adopted the practice of building consensus among members and volunteers and working with people across the globe, with sensitivity to cross-cultural and transnational issues. Arguably the most relevant experience I have garnered for the position of IEEE Secretary was during my intensive participation in the 2009–2010 Board Transformation Ad Hoc Committee. This experience acquainted me with the IEEE governance structure, the needs and desires of different organizational units and constituencies, and a large number of relevant documents: IEEE’s articles of incorporation; relevant New York law, and our governing documents: constitution, bylaws, and policies. More importantly, this long and complicated discussion highlighted areas where we need improvement; discovered potential for short-term progress; and identified governance issues that require longer socialization and consensus building. Of similarly great relevance to the position of Secretary was my experience with the IEEE’s strategic planning efforts. I currently serve as a member of the Strategic Planning Ad Hoc Committee (2011–2012). On one hand I was able to much better appreciate the increasing fluidity of our position as publisher and organizer of conferences. On the other hand, I learned to recognize our governance-related assets and impediments. It is clear that we often lack the flexibility and agility to respond in a timely manner to changes in the business climate. The restrictions that we have self-imposed on our operation often slow us down to a pace that makes the life of our competition much too easy. (If you are looking for an example, notice how IET was able to announce a general Open Access journal in July 2012 before we did.) While I have a lot of respect for our system of checks and balances, our recent decision-making history made me realize that we need to re-tune and modernize. Finally, I would like to briefly mention the IEEE Alternative Membership Models Ad Hoc Committee in 2008. This is another example of how our governance limits our growth and development. We worked hard on alternative models but at the end could not facilitate any changes. This membership-reform attempt convinced me that our governance (and governing documents) should be rethought and redirected in the next decade to ensure continued relevance, growth, and leadership for IEEE.

1. The need to achieve good balance in the Board’s activities between major initiatives and governance-focused efforts.
2. The need to support timely decision making and effective implementation of Board decisions.
3. The need to simplify procedures, clear "bottlenecks," and revise and modernize arcane procedures that are either unworkable or are stifling progress. As the Chair of the Governance Committee, and as 2013 Secretary, my focus would be on achieving these three goals. I will strive to accomplish them by changing the mode of operation of the Committee. By and large the Committee plans its activities and spends its time on reacting to submissions received from Board members and the major organizational units. While the requests sent by these bodies are undoubtedly important, and while the Committee must continue to process them in a timely and diligent manner, I believe the Committee is well positioned to become much more proactive in assisting the Board. Through dialogue with the Board, the Committee should define the major governance challenges that IEEE faces and seek ways to develop long-term solutions, as opposed to reacting to what we find in our "inbox." Necessarily, this approach would touch on difficult governance and (re)-organization matters, but if we shy away from addressing them, we would not be doing service to IEEE in the long term. 

1. Developing and supporting action plans that would ensure IEEE’s competitiveness in the quickly evolving area of digital publishing and professional networking.
2. Becoming a leader in developing the Conference of the Future.
3. Establishing a significant role for IEEE in the continuing-education and certification arenas.
4. Providing support for timely decision making; our current processes are overly deliberative and slow, and they harm our competitiveness.
5. Managing efficient and honest reviews of major operations, with an eye toward better focus on key activities, elimination of redundancies and persistently unsuccessful activities, and allowing for experimentation and pilot efforts toward new models, services, and products. As a member of the Board in 2013, my plan is to assist the President and my fellow Board members in keeping the Board focused on these matters. To the extent practicable, I would like to help steer the Board toward these major objectives and away from low-level administrative decisions and short-horizon tactics.