Dear Colleagues:
Happy New Year! I hope that you had some time over the holidays to relax, spend time with family and friends, and take care of yourself. Like many people, I have been trying to focus both in my personal and professional life on things that I am thankful for. When it comes to AHEAD, the AHEAD staff top the list. Most of you have interacted with them either at the annual conference, when you are making a payment, when you are purchasing a publication, when you have computer issues, when you are submitting a conference proposal, etc. They truly are the best of the best! And speaking of the best of the best, your AHEAD Board are all top-notch professionals who care about the profession, each other, and all of you as members. Please feel free to contact any board member (https://www.ahead.org/about-ahead/about-overview/board) at any time that you have questions or concerns as they really are committed to representing all of you. I am also thankful for all of you. I have learned so much from my colleagues at AHEAD and can’t imagine a group of people who better support each other through advice, suggestions, and care.
Speaking of the AHEAD Board and membership, I wanted to let you know about some of the decisions that were made at the fall board meeting. The board traditionally has one in-person meeting in the fall, one in the spring, and one in the summer following the annual conference. This fall we met in Dallas and spent some time getting to get to know each other and to learn about equity and how that impacts us in our work with students and each other.
One item of business was the proposed Faith and Religious Spirituality Special Interest Group (SIG). In reviewing the proposal, the board looked at the definition of a SIG and decided that the board needs to review the purpose of SIGs and also look at models for developing affinity groups as some other organizations have done. As a part of this process, small groups of board members will be reviewing the current SIGs to make sure that their purposes are in alignment with AHEAD. When this process is completed, the board will request that the proposal be revised and re-submitted in keeping with the purpose of a SIG. Be on the lookout for more information in the future and for additional ways for AHEAD members to connect.
Another exciting item of business was a proposal by the REDD SIG to rename the AHEAD Award for Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion to the Duraese Hall Award for Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion. Duraese was a founding member of the REDD SIG and was a leader in AHEAD’s efforts to increase diversity and inclusion among the members and bring issues of equity and inclusion to the attention of the leadership. We are proud to name this important award for her!
Finally, in looking at the AHEAD strategic plan developed in 2015, the board decided that it was time to develop in a new strategic plan. This spring, we will be undergoing an extensive exercise to update and revamp our strategic plan to prepare our organization to better support you in the future.
As always, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns about AHEAD. I have loved getting to know many of you and am excited for the future of AHEAD.
Kristie Orr
AHEAD President