Letter from the President.

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June 9 marked World Accreditation Day, which is a global initiative — jointly established by the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) — to raise awareness of the importance of accreditation. This year's theme focused on how accreditation can be a global tool to support implementation of public policies. Resilience — the ability to anticipate, prepare for, and adapt to changing conditions, and recover rapidly from disruptions — has become the central theme of public policy for many nations. In fact, President Obama's Executive Order 13563 recognizes the critical role building codes (and effective enforcement thereof) play in improving a country's resilience. As the backbone of an effective code enforcement system, accreditation has become a key element of resiliency. At the May 2016 IAS Board meeting in Washington, D.C., Portland Cement Association CEO James Toscas and Laborers International Union of North America Vice President Rocco Davis took over as IAS Board chairman and vice-chairman, respectively, replacing John Barrios and Isam Hasenin. John and Isam served the organization with distinction for a very long period and both of them have left an indelible mark on the organization. Another feather in IAS' cap — we became the very first accreditation body in the world to successfully complete recognition by the Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (PAC) for accreditation of personnel certifiers under ISO 17024 standard. The final PAC vote was 16-0, with two abstentions. This area of our business will see strong growth in the coming years with the eventual launch of a world-wide Multi-lateral Mutual Recognition Arrangement. I applaud the outstanding efforts of the IAS staff (David Nelson, George Anastasopoulos, Mohan Sabaratnam and Raj Nathan) who worked tirelessly to manage the evaluation process and respond to the many questions raised by the PAC evaluators. May was also the month when IAS Assistant Accreditation Officer Kellee Fernandez and intern Mona Vargha received their bachelor's degree from the California State University, Fullerton. Their achievement is emblematic of the importance IAS places on educational endeavors and I salute them both for their persistence and hard work. I take this opportunity to wish you all a great summer season and hope you get the much-needed rest and quality time with your loved ones. C.P. (Chuck) Ramani, P.E., CBO President International Accreditation Service