As your President, I know that ARCRA has made a lot of progress recently and hope our members agree. Past President Dave Therkelsen is to be commended for the work that has been done during his tenure.

Some improvements, like the new membership database, were not very visible to members but are essential for expanding member benefits. Others, like the introduction of the eNewsletters and the creation of the Advocacy and Education Committee, are visible and have generated positive feedback. David takes too little credit for our accomplishments and I’m going to make sure he continues to play a leadership role in the association.           

I’m confident, with good reason, that we’ll keep our momentum going through 2017 and beyond. To an already stellar board, we’ve added exceptional new the new Directors including Jack Campbell, Armand Mascelli, Ann Byrnes, Carolyn Kean, and Phil Hansen who will serve as our liaison to the ARC field. Equally encouraging, many ARCRA members have offered to pitch in and we’re going to add them to our committees and have the benefit of their fresh ideas. Thanks to Dave, Judy Hull and others who dug in to get our fundamentals right, we’re now in a position to ask key questions like “What do our members really want from us?” And “If there are ARC retirees who are having a tough timer, is there something that we can do to help?” It’s an exciting time for ARCRA and I’m privileged to be part of the team.