Mission Statement

AEA is a nonprofit Association of publicly owned facilities providing environmental services to the people of the State of New Jersey.  The mission of AEA is to assist its members – who treat wastewater, handle solid waste and supply the public with clean water – to pursue their common goals of protecting and enhancing public health and the natural environment.  AEA serves its members by:

• Educating environmental facility managers and professionals
• Promoting and advancing responsible, efficient scientifically based programs that serve and enhance the public interest, and
• Providing information and representing members’ concerns to the Legislature, regulatory agencies and general public.

Committee Structure

Using the mission statement as a guide, the Long Range Planning Committee reviewed the function and structure of each AEA committee.  Each committee must serve the membership but each committee also provides the volunteer energy so necessary to make the Association’s mission possible.  Committees are the lifeblood of AEA’s future leadership.

The following committees comprise the nucleus of AEA activities and require the participation of the Board of Directors and members at-large.

House Committees oversee functions such as by-laws, audits, nominations, awards and strategic planning.  Virtually all of these functions are the responsibility of the Board of Directors and, as such, these functions should be totally staffed by Board members.  Once or twice a year this committee meets to discuss Association governance issues.

The Conference Committee helps implement AEA’s mission by planning education conferences and seminars.  This requires a continuing commitment by committee members and Association staff because of the cost and planning required to provide conference programs and activities.  Budgets for these activities should be approved by the Board of Directors and the Board Executive Committee.  The Board’s first or second vice chair should serve as co-chair and at least two other Board members should also serve on the committee.

The Legislative Committee helps the Association communicate quickly with elected representatives.  When the Board cannot assemble, the Legislative Committee provides the flexibility to deal with important public policy issues as they arise.

Constituent Committees exist for each of AEA’s most important issue areas:  Solid Waste, Water and NJPDES.  Members generally have expertise in these areas.  Because these issues are so important, one member from each of these committees sits on the Legislative and Conference committees.

The Board establishes Task Force Committees from time to time as needed to deal with significant legislative, regulatory and policy issues.  During 1998, these committees formed to review developments in alternative dispute resolution, electric aggregation, watershed management, benchmarking and the revised state procurement law.

Role of the Board

AEA’s ability to move forward will depend on the accomplishments of an energized Board overseeing energized committees.  The Board will lead the Association in promoting interest and participation in Association projects and activities.  AEA must improve links between Board members, committee chairs and members.  The following structure is designed to accomplish that goal:

1. Each Board member will be assigned to serve as liaison to 10 member Authorities to promote Association programs and activities and facilitate understanding of legislative issues.
2. Board members will volunteer to serve as liaison to seven key committees and oversee the implementation of a work plan through those committees.
3. At each Board meeting, Board members will report on the progress of initiatives involving their specific committees.

In 2001, the Board approved the revised Mission Statement and adopted this plan for seeing AEA into the next decade.  The Board also ratified the following description of a member of the AEA Board of Directors.

AEA Directors

The function of the Board of Directors is to establish and review major policy and plans of the Association.  

Board members have specific legal and fiscal responsibilities to the members of the Association. Each Director works in cooperation with the President and officers, the other Directors, the Association’s Executive Director, staff and members.  Regular members elect Directors as their representatives representing water, wastewater, solid waste, sewage collection and improvement Authorities.  Associate members have a voice on the Board, as well, by electing representatives of the various professional firms that serve Authorities and municipal facility managers.

The Board speaks addresses the interests of the whole Association first, and those of individual constituents second.

Board Directors are expected to:

1. Know the membership they are serving and reach out to members to seek their views.
2. Work to change bylaws to reflect the changing needs of members.
3. Lead staff and members in studying important state and federal legislative and regulatory issues, and facility and public management.
4. Bring important concerns and issues before the entire board.
5. Help prepare Authorities for the future.
6. Set Association priorities, make long-range plans and approve budgets that implement them.
7. Assume responsibilities for implementing Association initiatives.

In 1998, the Board set the following goals for each Director:

1. Contact 10 regular and/or associate members regularly and develop contacts for future legislative campaigns, encouraging these members to become active in the Association.
2. Through these new contacts, develop ideas for articles in the Authority View newsletter, as well as for conference programs and for income-producing seminars, workshops and other events.
3. Chair or participate as a member in one or more AEA committees and inform the committee about the work of other committees to enhance the overall effort.
4. Take responsibility for a task that needs to be performed by several committees.
5. Be an ambassador for AEA by encouraging new members and by being prepared to speak publicly on Association activities and accomplishments.
6. Greet attendees, speakers and public officials at seminars and conferences, thank exhibitors and talk with them, and generally get to know those who attend our events and try to understand how their concerns intersect with the Association’s.