NEWTOWN SQUARE, PENNSYLVANIA, The 2008 Board of Directors for the Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI^®), the world’s leading member association and advocate for the project management profession, will take office January 1, 2008, following a year in which the organization surpassed a milestone of more than 250,000 active members in 164 countries. PMI is governed by a volunteer board of 15 directors-at-large, who are elected by the membership and who guide the organization through strategic direction. Officers of the 2008 PMI Board are:

Chair Philip R. Diab, MBA, PMP, of Amman, Jordan – Diab served as PMI board vice chair in 2007, secretary/treasurer and Performance Oversight Committee chair in 2006, and Strategic Planning and Program Alignment Committee chair in 2004. In addition, Diab has served as an officer for the PMI Baton Rouge Chapter and the PMI Central Iowa Chapter. He has also served in leadership capacities for a number of PMI Specific Interest Groups (SIGs), including the Financial Services SIG, Assembly of SIG Chairs and the Marketing and Sales SIG, which he founded.

Vice Chair Yanping Chen, MD, PhD, PMP, of Washington, D.C., USA– Chen was instrumental in the introduction of PMI and the PMP credential to China and served as a team leader on the translation of PMI’s global standard, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge into Chinese. The PMBOK^® Guide is the global standard for accepted project management knowledge and practices. She also served on the PMI Certification Committee and the Registered Education Provider Advisory Group.

Secretary/Treasurer Eugene C. Bounds, PMP, of Alexandria, Virginia, USA Bounds has been an active member of three PMI chapters and was a founding member of the PMI Mile-Hi Chapter. In addition, Bounds served on the initial working group for Organizational Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3^®), which enables organizations to assess the maturity of their project management practices and create a roadmap for further development. Bounds was a founding member of the Information Systems SIG.

“Our board sets a clear course through strategic planning and the establishment of policies that position PMI as the global authority on project management,” said Greg Balestrero, PMI Chief Executive Officer. “Outgoing Board Chair Linda Vella has been a driving force behind our success in 2007, and we have great appreciation for her leadership on PMI’s behalf. I look forward to working closely with Philip Diab and the 2008 board of directors to continue this momentum.” 

In 2007, the PMI Board of Directors led the institute through a period of significant growth, with global membership increasing by more than 13 percent over the previous year. The Latin American region experienced the largest increase, with nearly 22 percent growth. Europe/Middle East/Africa and Asia Pacific saw similar growth, with membership increases of approximately 17 percent each. North America recorded growth of approximately 10 percent over the course of the year.

The 2008 PMI Board of Directors is composed of accomplished and dedicated project management professionals from around the world. In addition to Diab, Chen, Bounds and Balestrero, 2008 PMI Directors are Frederick A. Arnold, PMP, PMI Fellow, of Beaver Falls, Pa., USA; Iain Fraser, PMP, Fellow PMINZ, of Wellington, New Zealand; Mark Owen Mathieson, MS, PE, PMP, of  Fresno, Calif., USA;  William Moylan, PhD, PMP, of Farmington Hills, Mich., USA; Beth Partleton, PMP, of Milwaukee, Wis., USA;  Bruce Rodrigues, BScEng, MBL, PrEng, PMP, of Johannesburg, South Africa; Kathleen Romero, MBA, PMP, of Richmond, Va., USA;  Karen Tate, MBA, PMP, of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Martin C. VanDerSchouw, PMP, of  Littleton, Colo., USA; Ricardo V. Vargas, MSc, PMP, of Belo Horizonte, Brazil; 2007 chair Linda Vella, PMP, of Toronto, Canada; and Thomas Walenta, PMP, of Hackenheim, Germany.

About PMI

With nearly 250,000 members in more than 160 countries, Project Management Institute (PMI^®) is the leading membership association for the project management profession. PMI is actively engaged in leading the profession by setting professional standards, conducting research and providing access to a wealth of information and resources. PMI also promotes career and professional development and offers certification, networking and community involvement opportunities. For more than 38 years, PMI has advanced the careers of practitioners who have made project management indispensable in achieving business results. Please visit www.pmi.org for more information.