It seems like the year has sped by for your 2004-2005 Board and we have the installation of the next team of leaders to be installed in September. This “changing of the guard” is always a momentous meeting as we all eagerly await the introduction of new ideas and the mission of the incoming board. I can truly say that this year’s Board has worked very hard to bring forth new initiatives and ideas. They have been enthusiastic and energetic throughout the year and thus can pat themselves on the back for a job well done!

We started out the year with a great Reading Rally held at the Baptist Children’s Home in October and who can forget the outstanding Mini Silent Auction held in December at the prestigious Madison Hotel. In February we combined a New Member Reception with a first rate tradeshow. This was followed by the Executive Luncheon in April and the Tribute to Juvenile Court, Judge Turner and Betty Loveless. Then in June we presented our ASIST Awards to 2 very deserving candidates: Rath Hong and Shavita Jackson. To top it off, Shavita also was selected as a corporate ASIST winner and received an additional $2,500 in addition to the $3,000 she received from our Memphis Chapter. We also recognized and awarded our 2005 Rep of the Year Scholarship to Krissie Heuer. In July, our membership voted to sponsor a Spring Conference in April 2006 and the nominations for the 2005/2006 Board were presented to the Chapter.

The decision at the August Chapter meeting to send the Delegates and Alternates to LCAM “uninstructed and informed” was a huge victory for our Chapter. This decision certainly lends credence to the fact that our Chapter has great trust and confidence in the elected delegates and alternates to represent them at LCAM. A good round of discussion also took place regarding this year’s Proposed Bylaw Amendments in August. Our Membership Directoralso installed 7 new member firms, 2 second reps and 2 replacements reps through August. We also have 2 more installations planned for September which would bring our total to 9 new member firms total for this year.

We also experienced yet another successful Golf Tournament on September 10th. Planning for this momentous event began in February and meetings were conducted once a month in the months that followed. Again, this is more evidence of how hard work and teamwork leads to success.

Words cannot express my deep appreciation and heartfelt thanks to the 2004/2005 Board members. We worked hard and yet had a lot of fun during our journey. Deep relationships were formed and 6 members will continue to serve on the 2005/2006 Board. Our successes were a result of team effort, commitment, loyalty and hard work. This Board deserves a huge round of applause and should all be congratulated for a “job well done.”

I look forward to seeing you all at the September Chapter meeting to help us celebrate the installation of the 2005/2006 Board members.