When you receive this newsletter, I will have been on the job for about 40 days. The position of CIRI’s president and chief executive officer carries with it awesome responsibility. With a job so large, I felt it would be easy to be swept away by the every day demands and hard to keep the bigger picture in mind. To bring some order to my first days at CIRI, I quietly embraced a 100-day plan of transition, which I would like to share with you now.

My 100-day plan is simple. It involves three phases. The first is gaining knowledge of the company – largely through listening carefully, which I discussed in my first message to you. I have found that listening first is a powerful way to gain knowledge. I have had conversations with shareholders, board members, business and political leaders and senior staff at CIRI. I have met with the CEO’s of CIRI’s not-for-profit organizations. Throughout CIRI and its affiliated organizations, I have found dedicated people who are committed to doing their jobs well – and mindful of their respective missions.

The second phase of the 100-day plan is to develop an action plan based on the knowledge gained in the first phase. Soon the CIRI Board will meet in its planning retreat to develop CIRI’s next five-year plan. Together with CIRI management, it will take up the questions of “What kind of company do we currently govern?” “What kind of company do we want to become?” and finally, “What needs to be done to get us there?” This will cause us to test what is right for the enterprise we call CIRI and allow us to develop an action plan to guide both the Board and management in the future.

The third phase of the 100-day plan is to take action, or more accurately take active steps to move the organization in the direction the plan instructs. Obviously, no management team can implement a five-year plan in only 100 days. But, to achieve success in delivering on a five-year plan the right organizational structure and the right mix of resources and systems needs to be in place. Although an ambitious goal to be accomplished in 100 days, it is my intention to have a course set and an organizational path in mind in order to pursue the five-year plan.

While I am adapting to my new role at CIRI, CIRI’s business has not stopped. Rather, several important business initiatives are being actively pursued. First, CIVS VII, CIRI’s partnership with T-Mobile U.S.A., successfully participated in the FCC’s Auction 58, as you have read in this month’s cover article. This is another significant investment by CIRI in the telecommunications business. CIRI is also pursuing several promising leads in the government contracting business and is continuing its efforts to participate in the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline should that pipeline project be approved. I look forward to reporting to you on these and other business developments and the results of the planning retreat over the coming months.