I want to begin my term as the new Chair by thanking Bill Taunton, FCSI, our past Chair, for his hard work and dedication to The Americas Division during his tenure as the Chair. It is because of Bill's hard work and determination that we have had the pronounced membership growth in Latin America.  Bill has been leading the charge for TAD's Latin America development for several years and this past year has seen a realization of his efforts. I, along with the current Board, are dedicated to continuing Bill's program and goals for new Latin America members. 

I also want to thank three members of the Board whose terms have just ended, Ian Jameson, Tracy Taraski and Barb Pyper. Each represented the members well and it has been my pleasure to serve with them. I welcome the new Board members, Stu Bellingham, Brent Hall, Kristin Sedej and Ken Schwartz. I want to offer a special welcome to our new Latin America Trustee Member, Marco Amatti. You will have the opportunity to meet Marco and all the new trustees in April at our Conference. These folks, along with the returning Board members, are here to represent you. If you have ideas, questions or issues, contact them or our great staff, Wade Koehler, Penny Price and Kimberly Kissel.

Speaking of our conference, this year's conference in Nashville will be another banner event for FCSI. The schedule and programs are set, the entertainment is ready and the speakers are standing by just waiting for you to get there. Our conference planning committee has been working for over a year to build on their success at Phoenix and Anaheim. This is a great time to come be with your FCSI friends, learn from others and be inspired. Anyway a trip to Nashville is always fun. I personally want to thank our conference sponsors who support FCSI and we all look forward to seeing you. 

We have been reviewing the members survey and, as you may expect, with all the comments it is apparent that we truly have a diverse membership. The Board will be building on this report to make sure the value of your membership in FCSI is truly a VALUE to you. 

As I tell our clients, "we never close, we only doze", so contact me or our FCSI staff if we can help you.   

I look forward to talking to you soon.