Our chapter was formed in 1988 by a core group of people led by Tim Leahy and Bob Pazzano. We represent PDA members from the 6 New England states: MA, NH, RI, VT, ME and CT. Generally our meetings are held in the greater Boston area on the second Wednesday of the month. Beginning January 10, 2007, we alternate between having a business meeting one month, followed by a dinner-meeting the next. Each dinner-meeting will have sponsors that help defray the cost of the meetings. In return for sponsoring an event, the vendor will reach our membership by prominent placement in the meeting flyer and at an exhibit table during the social period and meeting. See our sponsorship policy for full details.

Our dinner-meetings have the following general schedule:
6-7 pm: Registration and social hour with discussions at the vendor exhibits
7-7:30 pm: Dinner
7:30-9 pm: Two presentations on the event theme
9 pm: Final visits to the vendor booths

Many times we will also include a tour of a local facility. This will take place before the main meeting, generally at 4-5:30 pm. We now have a reduced price policy for retired / unemployed members and full-time college students. See the details at the upcoming events link.

2007-2008 Chapter Goals:
For the 2007-2008 period we plan on
1. Concentrating on PDA Technical Reports during our dinner-meetings
2. Expanding our meeting locations to include areas outside the greater Boston area
3. Expand the reach and content of our Newsletter, including sponsorship opportunities.

Policies:
The NEPDA board has a series of policies published at our policy link. These cover sponsorship, privacy, speaker and event fees. These have been established so that we can best serve our members and sponsors.

Contact Us:
Our current system is that a PDA member is elected to a 2-year President-Elect term followed immediately by a term as President. This system allows for a continuity of leadership and a systematic rotation. Historically, the outgoing President has assumed one of the Member-At-Large positions after their term is over. We have a Treasurer that keeps track of finances and coordinates meeting registrations. We also have a secretary that records the meeting minutes and coordinates the NEPDA Newsletter.