Looking to the Future
An organization must have vision to move forward.
By Vice Adm. Norbert R. Ryan Jr., USN-Ret.

To move forward, to stay successful, an organization and its leaders must have vision. Standing still isn’t an option.

This association has been fortunate over time to have farsighted boards of directors and presidents who kept MOAA moving ahead—whether by changing the name, adapting new technology to serve members better, or aligning the staff to meet new requirements. 

I’m pleased to report that the Strategic Planning Committee, led by Lt. Gen. George Miller, USAF-Ret., and the MOAA staff have developed an outstanding roadmap to exploit the opportunities presented with the name change and to start on the urgent challenges we confront. MOAA’s noble mission—as stated in each month’s edition of Military Officer— is unchanged. The goal is simply to improve on our record of performance in every area from advocacy (please mail your concurrent receipt postcards today) to delivering value-added services. 

Accordingly, five staff administrative functions have been realigned into new positions to move us forward. MOAA is hiring a financial planner in the Benefits Information department, a Guard and Reserve program manager to focus on better serving members from those key components, a deputy director for professional association (to fulfill the long-term goal of making MOAA the professional association for every military officer), a marketing assistant, and an additional media professional to make our two prize-winning magazines even better. These changes are not for the sake of change, but because we see opportunities to serve you better and make MOAA a better information source for you.

The board of directors also is reviewing the association’s governance structure, as it does every few years, including membership categories and the board’s own composition—potentially controversial subjects, to be sure, but we can’t afford to overlook any opportunity to make even better use of MOAA’s resources and our potential. Of course, when the board’s recommendations are in, you, the members, will decide the association’s future course.

While attending a recent ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice, I was struck by the fact that in many ways our visions of the future are connected with the past. MOAA’s heritage and future are inextricably linked with its primary mission—to promote a strong national defense by furthering the interests of the men and women who serve and have served in uniform. Let me assure you, that focus always will dominate the association’s efforts. Seeing the magnificent veterans at this ceremony and remembering their sacrifices and the sacrifices of others who couldn’t be there strengthened my resolve to continue to promote the visionary thinking that will allow MOAA to serve you more effectively.