I hope this message finds you all back on your campuses refreshed and ready to start preparing for the fall semester. I was so impressed by this year's conference sessions and hope that you were able to learn as much as I did!
The annual conference is a time of transition for AHEAD. The board meeting that follows the conference is the final for departing board members. Although they are leaving the board, we will definitely be tapping into their knowledge and skills moving forward. The following people have completed their terms on the board:
Paul Grossman who has served on the board for six years as a director and has been extremely helpful in providing his expertise concerning legal and policy issues. Not only does he provide countless presentations, but he also has been extremely important in board business as someone who is privy to a variety of perspectives and has shared those with the board to make sure we are aware of what is happening in the world outside of higher education.
Chester Goad who has served on the board for three years as a director and liaison to the Standing Committee on Public Policy. Chester is the kind of quiet leader who continually volunteered to work on projects and kept the board focused by frequently asking the question "what do our members want?" He is also one of the people who helped come up with the idea of the wildly popular AHEAD Talks that started last year and had a full crowd this year (even at 8am!).
Adam Meyer who has served on the board for three years as a director and liaison to the Standing Committee on Professional Development. Adam has taken on the leadership initiative including planning the leadership strand for the AHEAD Conference as well as other leadership training provided by AHEAD. Adam continually encouraged the board to think of new ways of thinking about our work and supporting the organization members to do the same.
And finally, Jamie Axelrod who served one term as a director before becoming president elect for two years and then president. Jamie is a leader among leaders. In addition to presenting frequently about legal issues and modified attendance (as well as other topics), Jamie devoted his time as president to developing those around him including not only the board members, but also the association members. During his tenure, both ATHEN and the Coalition for Disability Access in Health Science and Medical Education became affiliated with AHEAD, and Jamie also worked closely with the publishing industry to promote accessible instructional materials. I personally had the benefit of Jamie's mentoring in preparing me to take over as president and I am eternally grateful. (And in case you missed it, Jamie is an excellent dancer also!)
Please let these four individuals know how much you appreciate them. They all contributed mightily to AHEAD and kept us moving forward. Thank you Paul, Chester, Adam, and Jamie!
Kristie Orr
AHEAD President