Professional Resource
MOAA acts to bring more value to your membership.
By Vice Adm. Norbert R. Ryan Jr., USN-Ret.

Take a moment and think about why you joined MOAA. Chances are you wanted to help the association’s grassroots lobbying or take advantage of its many products and services. Perhaps you were impressed by a presentation from one of MOAA’s officer placement service representatives. As for me, I remember picking up this magazine while visiting my father-in-law, a career Army officer. He recommended MOAA membership to me.

But it wasn’t until I joined the staff in 2002 that I fully appreciated the wide variety of benefits available to members. And though different benefits appeal to different members, more than 300,000 MOAA members have one thing in common — we stay members in part because we realize MOAA is an organization that treats us like the military professionals we are.

As a military professional who serves or has served our country, you deserve professional treatment, and I guarantee you’ll receive it from MOAA’s staff. But your chairman, the board of directors, and I also want MOAA to be seen as more than a strong advocate for its members. We want everyone to view MOAA as the professional military association.

You’ll be seeing MOAA more actively involved in areas such as keeping you abreast of the latest in military thinking about national defense. To do this, the association will be forging connections with military service schools across the country. And to help cement these connections, we’ve begun a program to recognize the best and brightest students at these military educational institutions (see page 31).

Additionally, MOAA has plans to sponsor issue forums in our own publications and in other media. For example, annual MOAA meetings might include a panel of experts to discuss thought-provoking military issues of the day. And perhaps MOAA will compile bibliographies that can contribute to the continuing professional development of MOAA members.

Again, these programs will be designed to follow through on MOAA’s vision of being your professional association. Additionally, MOAA has added Capt. John Plehal, USN-Ret., as deputy director for Professionalism in the Contract Services and Marketing Department to implement these and other ideas.

MOAA’s efforts to enhance military professionalism won’t produce overnight results, and the association will move deliberately and with care to ensure it’s headed in the right direction. But we fully expect to realize, in due course, a tangible payoff — you’ll be part of a stronger, more broadly respected association that brings even greater value to you, the member.