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As my time as president of the Association for Conservation Information comes to a close, I want to take a moment to say thank you for the trust you’ve placed in me to help lead this incredible organization over the past two years. It’s been an honor to serve alongside such dedicated, creative, fun, and passionate professionals who care deeply about conservation and communication.
Over the past two years, we’ve accomplished so much. Through our logo design contest, we rebranded ACI with a fresh, modern look. In addition, we are on the verge of launching a brand-new website that better reflects our identity and mission. The new site will be launched and revealed at the annual conference in Atlantic City, NJ! We’ve grown our membership to its highest numbers, and our awards program has never been better as we continue to see high participation year after year. We started a brand-new podcast, “The Outdoor Communicators”, which is currently 11 episodes strong. We have made the ACI Conference more efficient by streamlining processes for both organizers and attendees. By establishing a dedicated conference bank account and enabling our conference hosts with all the tools they need for event management, I am confident our conference will continue to offer attendees a rewarding and fun experience. Furthermore, our implementation of the Whova app will be a game changer as it gives attendees access to an interactive conference agenda, speaker info, networking tools, and real-time updates. With this growth and momentum, we continue to also be financially healthy, ensuring that ACI will remain the premier organization for natural resources communicators and help build a stronger, more connected ACI community.
As we look ahead, I encourage you to join us at this year’s ACI Conference in Atlantic City the week of July 21. It’s a chance to not only celebrate ACI’s momentum, but to also learn, share, laugh, and recharge. If you are able, please consider bringing an auction item or experience (like a guided trip, vacation package, outdoor gear). The auction is always a fun event and it serves as an important and beneficial way to support the conference.
Although I am wrapping up my time as president, I will still be involved with ACI any way I can. This organization has allowed me to grow both personally and professionally, given me confidence, sharpened my leadership skills, expanded my skillset and most importantly, connected me with some amazing people who many I consider lifelong friends.
For those reading this, I hope you too can find similar value in ACI. As I conclude, I encourage you to get involved whether that be joining one of several committees (awards, grants, communications, conference, auction and fundraising), serving on the board of directors, presenting at a future conference, or providing content for our Balance Wheel newsletter.
Thank you again, it’s been a privilege I won’t forget. I hope to see you in New Jersey!
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