About Us

November 7, 2024

 

We celebrated AEFAA’s 50th anniversary six months ago with Rod Swartzenberger leading us as president.  We unfortunately lost Rod to a brief battle with cancer on October 11, 2024.  Rod was an exceptional leader and a friend to many of us. His dedication, vision, and unwavering commitment to AEFAA were truly inspiring. 

 

I was fortunate to work closely with Rod over the past few years. We shared a passion for AEFAA and wanted to see it grow and continue providing value to its members.  I am thankful for the executive team that I have had the privilege to work with and supported me on my journey to become the current president. 

 

When the fires this summer left Jasper in a state of emergency we had to adapt and find alternative options for our fall workshop.  We had planned to be at the Jasper Park Lodge, but were fortunate to have the opportunity to move over to the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise.  We had a very successful workshop with our highest delegate attendance in recent history. 

 

I had a lot to learn when I started, and I am thankful AEFAA was there to support my professional growth.  Moving forward I want to ensure we continue to support our members with informative professional development so we can continue to grow our knowledge in educational facility management.

 

Looking ahead, we are excited to be back in Red Deer for our spring conference and working on an agenda that provides valuable professional development and networking opportunities for our delegates and vendors.  I remember coming to my first conference and participating in the round table discussion; I was amazed at the knowledge in the room.  Ten years later, I still look forward to those discussions as I still walk away learning something new.  Our demographic is changing; we continue to see new faces who have just stepped into their positions and round table discussions are great ways to share that knowledge.  Round table discussions will continue at the spring conference along with multiple facilities related professional development opportunities.

 

I’m looking forward to the upcoming year and am excited to work with the executive to continue the success of AEFAA.  We are a growing organization and I look forward to what the future holds. I'm thankful I had the opportunity to join AEFAA as it has been a pillar in my professional growth.  I look forward to seeing new faces at the spring conference as we continue to grow our membership. 

 

Regards,

 

Robert Krahn