Seven years ago when I wrote my first column as your President, the occasion was marked by an orderly leadership transition. This past year has been anything but orderly. First, there was a void created last year when the only declared candidate for President-elect was forced to withdraw one week before the election. This led to a draft-Donna campaign on the part of several members. I accepted the nomination, and thanks to your votes, I am here before you as your President once again.

Second, like everything else in America, our annual conference was affected by the tragedy that occurred on September 11, 2001. Fortunately, most of our members had not begun their journeys to the conference. For those of you that had begun, we are happy you arrived safely back to your homes.

The Board of Directors has moved quickly to determine the best way to proceed in the face of adversity. The conference has been rescheduled for January 10-12, 2002. Plans were developed to ensure the elections could proceed, and the new Board could be seated as soon as possible. We chose to proceed with the scheduled transition in the presidency. For Lisa Hahn, I’m sure it was disappointing to have the fruits of her year's labor end so abruptly and without ceremony. But she and I agreed it was in CLEAR’s best interest to move forward as quickly as possible so the work of CLEAR could continue.

I am as committed now as I was 7 years ago to the mission of CLEAR. We are the premier organization for dealing with issues of licensure, enforcement and regulation. This year will be a pivotal one for CLEAR. We must all pull together to ensure a continued smooth transition and effective leadership within the organization.

CLEAR is a volunteer organization and the contribution each of you makes is what keeps us great. Over the last few years, committee participation has slowly dwindled. It’s time to ensure that new ideas and new people are incorporated into the committee structure. The committees are where the real work of CLEAR gets done and also a source of satisfaction to their members.

The Board is working to define its role and the direction in which it wishes to see CLEAR move. During a Board retreat, the members vowed to reassess our relationships to other organizations and to develop new products to deal with regulation in a changing society. We are in a globally interconnected world and we at CLEAR must begin to think globally. We identify ourselves as an international organization. However, international no longer means just Canada to CLEAR so we must continue to expand our reach to the European and Pacific Rim areas.

With all this in mind, I plan to lead a very targeted campaign, using a slogan:

Recruit - We must now actively identify and seek out those that can provide more depth to our organization. This will mean extending invitations to those countries that regulate differently. We can all learn from each other, and recognizing our similarities, as well as our differences will make us all stronger.

Reclaim - through the years CLEAR, like other organizations, has lost active members, even though our membership numbers have increased. Some due to attrition, but some is due to apathy. We must find ways to re-energize those who left and show them we are a valuable part of their existence.

Retain - we cannot forget those that have been loyal through the years, providing the day-to-day support to this organization. We must continue to strive to meet their needs, identify new areas for them to be involved, and reward their commitment to the group.

For me to push forth my agenda for CLEAR 2001-2002, it will take your continued support and commitment to work. I will be reaching out to you, the CLEAR members, over the next several months, in an effort to get more of you involved. I know I can count on you to come through and help CLEAR move forward. When asked to serve on a committee – SAY YES. When asked to lead a conference session – SAY YES. When asked to be present and just lend support – please SAY YES.

I look forward to seeing you all in San Antonio in January.