The APCO International Convention & Expo kicked off Monday’s opening general session in a big way, capped off by a keynote address from esteemed former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright.

APCO International Executive Director Derek Poarch welcomed members with some impressive news: The group now has 25,011 members – the largest number in the 81-year history of the association.

Poarch also lauded the association’s efforts to help effect change over the past year.

“APCO published six new standards and two revisions this year, and our Agency Training Program Certification, formerly known as P33, implemented new web-based evaluator and agency training,” Poarch said. “We’ve also made great gains with E9-1-1 Location Accuracy.

. . . After seven months of negotiation, APCO was proud to join as a signatory with its partners to a “Roadmap for Improving E911 Location Accuracy” that focused on providing a dispatchable location and putting 9-1-1 solutions on track with advances in commercial technology. Soon thereafter, the FCC adopted an Order that substantially embraces the Roadmap agreement.”

Poarch said the association exceeded its financial goals, in part to increased membership and strong growth in areas such as the APCO Institute, the association exceeded its financial forecast for the year.

KEYNOTE ADDRESS

In a 25-minute speech followed by a brief question-and-answer period, former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright was insightful, intriguing, and at times humorous as she told of her journey from a young girl arriving in the U.S. with her Czechoslovakian immigrant parents to becoming the first female Secretary of State under former President Bill Clinton.

Albright told the audience of emergency services personnel that what they do is among the most important jobs in the nation.

“Your presence here is so important; there is nothing more important to our nation than the security and safety of our communities,” Albright said. “Whether you work in an emergency dispatch center, or help support first responders in other ways, each of you plays a critical role in ensuring public safety, and for that you have all of our deepest gratitude and respect.”

Albright opened her speech with a lighthearted account of how she’s no longer as famous as she used to be. She told the APCO audience how she recently returned from a trip and was in the process of going through the security check when an airport employee recognized her. He was Bosnian, and wanted to thank her for her work as Secretary of State to help Bosnia become a free, democratic nation – a feat Albright later said she considered one of the proudest accomplishments of her career. He asked for a photo. When Albright returned to collect her things, a woman she had previously had a conversation with asked her what the commotion was about. Albright replied: “Well, I used to be Secretary of State.” The woman’s response? “Of Bosnia?”

That generated a lot of laughter.

Albright implored the audience to remember that everything that happens in the world now could have an effect on their communities and jobs.

“In today’s interconnected and technology-driven world, what happens anywhere affects people everywhere,” she said.

Now an author and professor at Georgetown University, Albright told the audience she’s an optimist who has serious concerns about the state of the world.

“The world is a mess, there’s no denying it,” Albright said.

Albright said the way to make better decisions is to put always put our assumptions to the test, finding ways to challenge what you believe, not always searching for ways to confirm what you believe.

Albright told the APCO audience to always remember that it takes planning and “team” to manage a crisis.

“No one can solve a crisis alone,” she said. It has to be teamwork.”