With the holiday season upon us, it provides each of us a time to reflect on the year. It also provides an opportunity to be thankful for the things we have in life. I hope you are able to find time to reflect on your year and find the time to relax with family and friends.

I know as I look at the past six months, I am thankful to lead Tri-State, our association. Even with the changes we face in the industry, the association is still able to provide trainings, high school workshops, networking sessions, newsletters, and conferences. Board members, committee chairs, and committee members are busy organizing events that will benefit you and your colleagues. I hope you and your colleagues are able to take advantage of the great opportunities Tri-State offers.

Continue to watch the listserv for association announcements. The spring will be a busy time for the association. Already in progress is the planning for EASFAA training, the winter workshop, our spring training/conference, and summer training. The list does not include any FAFSA sessions. Also, if you have any suggestions for training, please contact the PD&T chairs or myself to share your idea. We want to hear from you. We want to provide trainings that help you and your staff.

As I look at the association, I'm thankful to have volunteers who are willing to help plan and organize our events. We cannot do what we do without volunteers so thank you to all our committee volunteers. As you know, our association is only as strong as its members. Therefore, it's not too late for you to join a committee. We have approximately 70 volunteers serving at some capacity on a committee, however, we need more. Looking at last year's data, we had over 350 members and this year I anticipate we'll fall a little short of that figure. Using the figure of 70 volunteers and 350 members, our volunteer base is 20% of our membership. We can do better. Most committees do not require time out of the office.

Lastly, I'm thankful to have a board that supports me and makes my job easy. From the state presidents, to the treasurer, to the secretary, vice chair, chair elect, committee chairs, and past chair, we all started as a volunteer and love what we do and are thankful for our association. I thank you again for the opportunity to lead our association. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Conference Committee