In a letter to the industry, Kathy Fulton, ALAN director of operations and interim president, restated the purpose and mission of the organization, and outlined the role of its officers. The letter follows, in full:

Dear ALAN Partners:

Perhaps you have already heard about the untimely passing of our dear friend and ALAN President, Jock Menzies. Thank you to everyone that has called, sent a text or email expressing your condolences.

Jock dedicated an enormous amount of time, creativity and enthusiasm to disaster relief and resilient supply chains, and his shoes will be hard to fill. But I want to reassure you that ALAN continues as a strong organization with an important mission: to support disaster recovery by engaging industry to address the unmet needs of relief organizations, communities, and people. To honor Jock's memory, we intend to move forward with the same energy and commitment that he dedicated to the cause.

ALAN has always been a network of networks, and our strength comes, not from one or a few individuals, but from our associations and their members, our partners, our volunteers, and our donors. Whether we face a major disaster or a personal loss, our collective capacity"”our combined strength and willingness to help one another"”is the key to recovery. Together we are strong.

So, we at ALAN will continue to provide disaster relief and to build the relationships and networks that make it possible. For the near future, I will be serving as interim president, and will be the primary connection for issues concerning disaster relief and logistics support. Please don't hesitate to contact me at the address and phone below, or at [email protected], with requests or offers of support.

Our Director of Development, Patrick Rofe, will be the contact for fund-raising, resource development, marketing, and communications. Kindly direct any questions about memorial gifts to his attention at [email protected].

Mark Richards will be serving as interim chairman of ALAN's board of directors. Mark has been committed to ALAN since the beginning; as chairman of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals in 2005-2006, he helped found our organization. Mark can be reached at [email protected] or 714-538-5990.

You, too, have a role in helping to see us through these challenging days. You can volunteer your time to help ALAN fulfill current disaster relief requests. Please visit our web portal at www.alanaid.org/how-to-help/offersupplies to see a current list of needs. During September, you can participate in National Preparedness Month activities in your community -- www.ready.gov. You can also make a donation to ALAN in Jock's memory by visiting our website or by calling Patrick Rofe at 360-515-6264.

Please know that, as always, we deeply appreciate whatever assistance you can offer"”in whatever form. By working together, we can surmount even the most difficult challenges.

Sincerely yours,
Kathy Fulton
Director of Operations & Interim President

Source: ALAN