A new Mexican chapter of APPA is in the works. This venture, one of the many ongoing international efforts at APPA, is lead by Dan Johnson from the PCAPPA region, along with his two counterparts in Mexico: Eduardo Diaz Sanchez, Director de Planta Fisica and Juan Arvizu Vargas, Dirección de Planta Física, both with the Instituto Technologico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey. The task force from PCAPPA also includes Rob Quirk, PCAPPA president from CSU Long Beach, David Gonzales, University of California Santa Barbara, Hildo Hernandez, CSU Northridge, and Johnny Torrez, University of California.

     The initial meeting took place at last July's Educational Forum in Montreal, Canada. Dan Johnson, who attended the meeting, is very excited about forming the chapter, and sharing information with his colleagues in Mexico. Living in California, and in a town that is 85 percent Latino, Johnson feels it is a "natural connection." Of course, this is more than a personal connection. Johnson says that the thriving university and college campuses all over Mexico will have a lot of valuable information, best practices, and experiences to share with American campuses.

     Johnson hopes that the first thing affiliation with APPA can offer the Mexican chapter is education. The goal is for the key people in Mexico to attend APPA's Institute for Facilities Management, Leadership Academy, and Educational Facilities Leadership Forum. Not only will attendees from Mexican institutions receive valuable education and training, but hopefully they will provide feedback that APPA can use to modify or expand its programs to ensure their suitability for international members.

     The next steps are not yet decided, but the group plans to meet sometime in the beginning of the year. "Our region is very committed to making this opportunity fully develop," says Johnson.