This was distributed last week to LEDES members regarding my decision to not run for the LEDES board in 2014:
“… After leading this organization since 2006, I decided not to run for the Board again this year. The principal reason is a rule in our by-laws that states that, after the maximum number of consecutive years of service, a Board member must drop off the Board and is not eligible to rerun for a 2 year period. Although I have not reached my maximum number of years of service, if I choose not to run this year, I will be eligible to rerun again next year. I believe any rule that limits the participation of members in a voluntary organization is arbitrary and ridiculous especially at a time when the ability of members to volunteer is so limited. Nonetheless, instead of attempting to change the rule for my own purposes, I have chosen to follow it.
During my tenure as President both the organization and our discipline have evolved significantly. The LEDES ebilling standards are now globally recognized as industry-specific EDI standards for electronic invoicing. This is a really big deal! The LOC leads the industry in creating and updating UTBMS standards, with the release of the Patent, Trademark, revised Project, eDiscovery, revised Activity and Expense codes and with two other UTBMS projects underway. We established utbms.com as the definitive resource for finding information on all known UTBMS standards, and added the ability to “Contact LEDES” or “Contact UTBMS” on our web sites. Participation by the LOC has been sought in a number of global and industry-wide efforts, most notably the Jackson project in the UK.
I am immensely proud of the achievements of this organization and believe our success is based on three things. One of the basic tenets of the organization is that no single constituency within our membership drives the conversation in the creation of standards, each perspective is given equal voice. This, coupled with the independence of the organization as a standards body, gives us credibility. Lastly, our success is due to the members who volunteer their time and expertise in participating in our efforts and let us know about initiatives under consideration by other organizations and get us a seat at the table.
I have been fortunate to meet and work with many of you during my period of leadership. I want to thank you for your generosity and trust in sharing what often is proprietary information in order to make our standards better. Long ago I stopped being surprised at how smart you are. It has been a privilege to work with you and to lead this organization.”