Kicking Off 2018 with INTA Week

 INTA Staff during INTA Week    I am truly honored and proud to serve you all as INTA President this year.  

My involvement at INTA started 18 years ago. Over the years, I’ve participated on many different committees, project teams, and, eventually, the Board of Directors. These varied experiences have provided me with a strong foundation to lead the Association through its first year with the new 2018-2021 Strategic Plan. In the January 15 INTA Bulletin, I shared with you all my priorities for the year and my vision for our community.  

To kick off my year as President, I traveled to the INTA headquarters in New York City for “INTA week.” In a newly established INTA tradition, all of the international staff travel to New York for a week of in-person meetings, team building… and a little fun! This is the third year that all members of the INTA staff have come together for INTA week. It was an extremely busy and productive five days, setting the tone for the year ahead in INTA style! As a newcomer to INTA week, the enthusiasm is contagious. It was like a family reunion in the office with positive energy radiating throughout the hallways.  

During this time, I had the opportunity to meet with the various departments, including education, finance and administration, marketing and communication, legal resources, external relations, membership, policy, and our regional representative offices. Talk about information overload-I learned so much! It was humbling to see just how knowledgeable, strategic, and dedicated the staff are. It was also very insightful to learn from staff who oversee the myriad of initiatives we will undertake in 2018 and to hear how they will work with the many member volunteers to implement the goals of our new strategic plan. We’re in good hands!  

Of course, we took some breaks from our work too-as part of the team-building program, staff spent time filling backpacks with winter necessities (i.e., hats, gloves, energy bars, etc.) for those in need this winter season in New York City. These have been given to a local charity called Care for the Homeless. It was a great to watch staff come together to give back. This is an Association with heart.  

While I learned a lot about the staff and their work, I also took some time to share with them a little bit more about me, which I plan to do over the course of the year with the membership at large. INTA is a community, and I have been fortunate to make so many wonderful friends throughout my many years as a member. For those of you whom I haven’t had the chance to meet, I’d encourage you to stop me in my travels over the next year and introduce yourselves or simply say “hi” in the hallways of INTA’s Annual Meeting in May.  

I am your President this year, and I will work to make sure that your voices are heard. I’ll leave you all with my welcome video so that you can learn a bit more about my professional career, my involvement with INTA, and my thoughts on the year ahead.