Executive Director’s Message

COVID-19 A Personal Reflection as the Alliance Adjusts to a ‘New Normal’

By Collin B. Mooney, MPA, CAE, Executive Director, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance

Over the past 18 months, the pandemic abruptly turned all of our lives upside down and we hastily adjusted our lifestyles to accommodate a new reality. I can honestly say that this experience has been a struggle and the most prolonged stressful and challenging time of my life. Not only for me and my personal life, but also professionally as the one ultimately responsible for overseeing the dayto-day management of the Alliance when faced with the uncertainty of how this pandemic would impact all aspects of the organization.

As our fast-paced world of meetings, events and enforcement campaigns came to a screeching halt, I first want to recognize and thank my entire team for stepping up to the plate to address and tackle whatever challenge we faced. Their positive attitudes and creative approach to problem-solving was comforting as we collectively made decisions on the fly and pivoted to make sure that many of our programs and services were adjusted to a virtual environment, and that the new needs of the membership were addressed as quickly as reasonably possible.

Even though our commercial motor vehicle enforcement campaigns were paused as health and safety protocols were developed, most of our enforcement events resumed at a later date and only a couple were canceled in 2020. Currently, in 2021, I am very pleased to report that all of our enforcement campaigns have resumed at their regular announced and unannounced intervals.

As an interim solution, the virtual world of meetings and events definitely played a role in assisting the Alliance advance commercial motor vehicle safety and the mission of the organization. However, through this experience, we have learned that while virtual meetings do have a place, they will never replace the enriched discussions, relationship development and creative exchange of ideas that occurs during a face-to-face interaction.

As we continue to live through this pandemic and function as a community, it is important for the Alliance to begin the process of resuming our regular schedule of in-person meetings and events. By the time this edition of the Guardian magazine is published, we will have just completed our 2021 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Wilmington, Delaware, our first in-person event since our Cooperative Hazardous Materials Enforcement Development (COHMED) Conference in January 2020.

In order to stay in compliance with state, local and/or facility rules and regulations, the Alliance has had to develop a health and safety protocol for all of our in-person meetings and events. The Alliance makes the health and safety of all conference attendees a priority. As a result, we are committed to following all U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines as well as local health and facility protocols to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and will adopt enhanced health and safety measures at all of our in-person meetings, training courses, conferences and events.

As I look forward, I can begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and I am optimistic that the Alliance will be back to a ‘new normal’ with our regular slate of programming throughout all of 2022.

In the meantime, please take of yourself, stay well and we hope to see you at our next CVSA in-person event. n