OUTGOING PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE 
By Lisa Russell Hahn

This letter was initially intended to greet you with your registration material as you arrived in San Antonio for our conference but due to the tragic attacks of September 11, 2001, we found it necessary to cancel the CLEAR Annual Conference. My thoughts and prayers go out to all the victims and their families. I remain saddened by these attacks but am encouraged by the unity and strength of our great country, as well as the support offered by so many other nations around the world.

I would like to personally commend our staff for the way they took care of the CLEAR conference attendees, vendors and presenters. Some folks had already arrived in San Antonio, some folks were diverted to different cities and others had not yet boarded the planes. Staff had their hands full to say the least. They also were quite effective working with the hotel to cancel the September conference.

Due to the cooperation and work efforts of the CLEAR Board of Directors, the Program Committee and staff, the 2001 CLEAR Annual Conference has been officially rescheduled for January 10-12 in San Antonio, Texas. To the extent possible, the program planned for September will be presented in January.

Donna Mooney, Sandra Greenberg and Gail Siskind developed an outstanding program with the assistance of numerous volunteers that have given their time and efforts for many months. We honestly believe that it will be one of the finest conferences ever! We hope that you plan to attend!

I am especially pleased that we will still be able to honor Dr. Benjamin Shimberg at the opening session in January. The Chauncey Group International - Experior Assessments has produced a wonderful video honoring Ben. I know that he and his wife, Helen, are excited to attend as he receives his well-deserved recognition for many years of distinguished service.

As I serve my last days as president, I wanted to take the opportunity to reflect on the accomplishments made this past year and touch on the various projects that are underway. One of my goals during my presidency has been to improve communication within the CLEAR community and externally. I think we have made great strides and believe that those efforts will continue to bear positive results.

One of the first changes to be made this year was the implementation of the new time line for conference preparation and our call for session proposals. It facilitated a more comprehensive planning process and resulted in developing the Annual program more effectively at our mid-year meeting in San Diego.

In May, board members and staff convened at the Brandermill Inn in Midlothian, Virginia for a retreat. I think it is very fair to say that all attendees were gratified with the camaraderie, openness and results. The broad areas that the group decided needed attention were: a better articulation of the roles and responsibilities of the Board members; more attention to the retention and growth of membership, including affiliation with other organizations; and, the need to develop new markets for CLEAR training opportunities and other products. I feel very strongly that this exercise will help CLEAR redefine itself and better plan its future growth and mission. A special thanks to those that participated in the retreat.

The past year has seen a real development in the CLEAR website from the creation of the Members-Only section and to a new home page to the constant update of services and information. The site now features more online publications, including CLEAR News and Resource Briefs. It is extraordinary what an effective and informative tool this has become.

The NCIT program continues to attract interest. We have held five Basic and four specialized programs this past year with both also being offered in San Antonio this month. To keep the program current and valid, we have revised the curriculum and the basic examination and have been testing new questions. On two related issues, we have completed a two-year contract with the Washington State Department of Personnel to provide investigator training. We have also begun negotiations with the Association of Appraiser Regulatory Officials (AARO) to offer investigative training to regulatory appraisers.

Another area that we focused on this year was membership and recruitment efforts. We created a task force, lead by Jim Guffy, utilizing the skills and knowledge of our past presidents. It was charged with the identification and recruitment of leadership talent, as well as the recruitment and retention of members. Meanwhile, staff is making a more concerted effort to contact new state agency directors that have not been active with CLEAR and whenever possible making site visits.

The Leadership Working Group, lead by Roy Swift, is in the process of developing instructional objectives that will become specific course content for the Executive Leadership Training. We hope to have our first offering next year.

In an important collaborative effort with the federal government, we are excited to announce that Robert Nebiker, Deputy Director of the Virginia Department of Health Professions was recently named by CLEAR to serve as a member of the Professional Certification Advisory Board (PCAB) for a two-year term. The PCAB's mission is to advise the Board of Directors of the National Veterans Business Development Corporation in the creation of uniform guidelines and standards for the professional certification of members of the Armed Services. The goal is to aid in their efficient and orderly transition to civilian occupations and professions, and to remove potential barriers in the areas of licensure and certification.

I would also like to comment on the importance of the participation of each member of CLEAR. Our organization is made up of volunteers who are critical in fulfilling our mission of improving the quality and understanding of regulation in order to enhance public protection. I am always amazed and delighted at the level of commitment people make to CLEAR through their committee participation and willingness to coordinate and impart their knowledge in the sessions at the annual meeting. With that being said, and well understanding the time limitations that people have, I want to ask each of you to encourage and support even more participation. As an organization that rotates Board membership, we are always looking for interested and active membership. Join us when you can, participate and reach out to your colleagues and friends to become a part of this special organization.

In conclusion, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to serve as your President. It has been a full and productive year, filled in part with carrying forward the work begun under Jim Guffey's leadership and with the beginning of many new projects. I am proud of our accomplishments and am so pleased to be able to be able to turn an organization that is healthy, viable and meaningful over to such a committed leader as Donna Mooney. Donna's many years of active involvement in all facets of CLEAR's activities and vision of the role of CLEAR in the regulatory community will only enhance the progress that has been made. I wish her the very best and look forward to continue to serve as a board member.

And finally, I want to express my gratitude to Pam Brinegar and her staff for providing me with the information and tools to complete my presidential responsibilities. Without their talent and dedication I simply would not have had the fulfilling and successful year I have enjoyed.

Looking forward to seeing you this January in San Antonio!

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