Time is flying! A message from the WLIA President, David Buehler

Hard to believe it is almost the end of June and the end of Q2.  The last few months have been a busy time for the Board.  Trust me when I say this Board has hit the ground running with lots of fantastic work being done.

The Spring Conference wrapped up in May with a fun and informative time in Ashland. Your Spring Education Chair, Pam Ledin, brought in a lot of great varied content and provided networking opportunities for everyone.  There was a great 1920s themed social night with lots of us dressing up and a walk to the end of the ore dock.  Pam also helped one of our presenters, Mitch Winiecki, Account Manager, ESRI, complete a goal of speaking at all the conferences in his region.  All in all, it was great time.

Our Summer Virtual Workshops will be returning in August.  We have two great workshops planned for you, each on a timely topic in GIS.  You will not want to miss them, so stay tuned for more news on those. Later in the year, we are partnering with Geospatial Professional Network (GPN) for our Fall Conference in Milwaukee, October 12-15, 2026.  Monique Hassman and Chris Dickerson, along with a host of other great WLIA representatives, are hard at work integrating the essence of WLIA into that conference.  Things are a little different with this conference.  There are two important items to be aware of:

• Hotel reservations are available now.  There are two different types of reservations that can be made, so pay attention to which one you select.
• Early bird registration is open and ends August 1^st.  For the best rates register now.

For the latest news on about the 2026 Fall Conference, check our periodic news blasts and the Fall Conference Event Page.

The Board as a whole has been hard at work as well.  The Board recently updated our Code of Conduct.  Highlights of that include minor language changes to include our guests.  Believe it or not, we have a fair number of guests that attend our events, either in full or partial.  We want to be welcoming and inclusive with our guests.  You can do your part by reaching out and engaging an unfamiliar face in a respectful and polite manner.  If you remember the theme of the 2026 Annual Conference, it doesn’t hurt to keep “Growing Your Network” both professionally and personally.

The Board has also been heavily focused on passing the budget for next year.  We successfully navigated that process to a conclusion in May.  One awesome piece to come out of that process was a forecast model to help with the annual budget process by showing trends in revenue and expenses. It helps WLIA look forward 5 years and is used to help us plan our financial strategy with forward thinking in mind.   Just like many of us, WLIA as an organization has experienced increased pricing and costs.  This impacts what experiences we can bring you based on the locations that can handle the size of our organization.

The Board does their best to balance price increases and cuts.  For 2027’s budget, the Board looked at every option (including some pretty off the wall options) to balance the budget.  Options ranged from making cuts to services to increasing prices, with the ultimate goal of keeping WLIA in good financial health.  Ultimately, it was a combination of both.  As much as we didn’t want to do either, it keeps WLIA in good financial standing.  More information will be coming out about that shortly to help everyone plan for next year and beyond.

One silver lining to come out of the budget process is we have begun the process of investing in transitioning from a 501(c)6 organization to a 501(c)3 organization.  This, if everything progresses smoothly, is just another tool in the toolbox to help bring cost effective experiences to you.  We also want to hear from you about conference and travel budgets within your organizations.  We are working on a survey to help make better informed decisions when it comes to WLIA’s budget and help tailor what we can provide.

On a fun note, it is time to revisit the WLIA strategic plan.  We are in the infancy of planning to get that underway.  This plan will not be completed overnight and will take a couple of years to complete.   It will be a great way for you to get involved and give your insight of where you would like WLIA to go in the future.   If you would like to be involved in that process, please let me or one of the other board members know.

I am sure there is more I could tell you about because we have been busy.  I will end with this though, I do encourage you all to step up and join a committee and get more involved.  This organization isn’t just the board or the same people always on a committee, but each and every one of you.  We cannot do all of this without your talents and resources, and many hands make light work.  To get involved with a committee, start here to read about them, then click the “Join a Committee” button to join the committee(s) of your choice and the Committee Chair will reach out to get you involved.

As always, you can find information about WLIA on our website including details on upcoming events, our Board of Directors, and the various committees that support this wonderful organization.  The association financials and an update on our scholarships are also available online.

I am available if you have any questions.  Feel free to reach out anytime. 

Thanks,

David Buehler, WLIA President