Greetings from your new TxSSAMT president.  First off, I want to thank you for electing me to office.  I look forward to working with the new board of directors and to serving the membership.  I want to thank the board members from the last term for support and guidance while we make the transition to the new board.  Pat Westbrook, our past president, will remain on the board and I will continue to look for her guidance as I take over the duties of President.  She will be a hard act to follow! 

My apologies for not being able to attend the Spring 09 meeting in Abilene.  I had the opportunity to work as a lab mentor in Tanzania, Africa, as part of the Laboratory Improvement Project sponsored by Abbott Fund.  And although the timing conflicted with the meeting, this was an opportunity that I did not want to refuse.  It has been an incredible experience to work with the regional laboratories and the staff to truly make an impact on the healthcare of Tanzania.  I supported a brand new laboratory and it was so exciting to see the renewed enthusiasm from the staff.  A special thanks goes to the officers, board and members that helped bring the Spring meeting together in my absence! 

Just a reminder that the National meeting will be in Minneapolis June 22-27.  For those shoppers in the membership, this is home to the Mall of the Americas.  If you have never been to a national meeting, please make every effort to attend.  I know the economic downturn may present some challenges for travel and vacation, but the camaraderie between the members within and throughout the states and the experience of seeing old friends and meeting new ones is worth the expense.   

Lastly, I challenge each of you to embody your profession, whatever your discipline, by attending meetings, becoming involved and making a contribution to your organization.  Each of us has talents and abilities that can be used to further our profession.  Professional strength in our members translates to continued strength in our state society.  Texas is the largest state society with the most members and we are very proud of that. 

On a sad note, we will all miss Ray Schiffer’s presence at all of our meetings and activities.  He was a cornerstone of the state society and AMT and he will be greatly missed.  This ever-changing profession has been a real blessing with AMT friends and activities being a very important part of this journey that continues to generate priceless memories, and Ray is a big part of those memories. 

 

See you in Minneapolis!