Three months from now, CLEAR will be holding its 28th annual conference in Anchorage, Alaska. Attendees from more than 20 professions and 22 jurisdictions have already registered for what will be a valuable and memorable event. It will cap an exciting year for me as president and for the organization more broadly. Since my last column, I attended the World Health Professions Conference on Regulation in Geneva, with over 400 attendees from more than 60 nations. It was an honor to truly feel part of a global community of regulators and to see the vital work of public protection that is occurring across the world. CLEAR presented a poster display at the conference and CLEAR’s Executive Director, Adam Parfitt, and I had an opportunity to showcase all that the organization has to offer, as well as to promote the International Congress on Professional and Occupational Regulation, which CLEAR will host in Dublin, Ireland on July 2-3, 2009. Registration will soon open for this event and additional information will be sent to all list serve subscribers shortly. For those of you who were unable to attend the event in Geneva, you may be interested in reviewing the presentations which are now accessible online.

Earlier this month, CLEAR’s Board of Directors held its annual retreat at Lexington, Kentucky and accomplished a great deal. The organization’s governing documents were revised; a series of changes to CLEAR’s annual conference structure and session review process approved; and a number of organizational priorities identified. I want to draw your attention to one in particular: to encourage additional information-sharing opportunities among the administrators of regulatory agencies, colleges and boards, a series of bi-monthly conference calls will be held to discuss a particular area of interest. The first of these will be held on Monday, August 18 from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. EST and will focus on policies and practices, and challenges and solutions, around the topic of criminal background checks. These teleconferences will provide examples of how other jurisdictions have dealt with a given issue and should ensure that no administrator is left to “reinvent the wheel” as they encounter new challenges. There is no charge for the call, which is open to all regulatory administrators. Additional information will be provided shortly, both via e-mail and on CLEAR’s website.

Immediately prior to the Board of Directors meeting, I was privileged to welcome CLEAR members Jonathan Bracken and Marc Seale from the United Kingdom’s Health Professions Council to the Virginia Department of Health Professions. It proved an important opportunity for two-way information sharing and demonstrated again the value of our shared involvement with CLEAR. I would like to draw your attention to another important opportunity to share information with one another, through a series of surveys CLEAR will be issuing prior to the annual conference. These will focus on the following topics: online initial applications; the use of videoconferencing; electronic verification of credentials; and compliance with continuing education requirements including audit and enforcement. The first survey is now available for your input and the responses for each will be discussed in detail at the Regulatory Agency Administrators Discussion Group on Friday, September 26 at the annual conference. Survey results will also be published in CLEAR’s Discussion Forum, so please complete the document whether or not you will be able to attend the conference.

Before we get to Anchorage, there are several learning opportunities to help us better serve the public we protect. The first is the June 25 webinar The Americans with Disabilities Act Policy and Practice, taking place from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. EST, which will be followed on July 16 with another webinar Screening Foreign Credentials, again from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. EST. For those involved in compliance and discipline, I am delighted to announce offerings of CLEAR’s renowned NCIT Basic and Specialized Programs taking place in Austin, Texas from July 14-16.

CLEAR is thriving because members of the regulatory community like you have chosen to become involved as we collectively promote regulatory excellence. Whether for the first time, or the fiftieth, I invite you to sign-up for committee service for 2008-9 as we continue to grow and develop as an organization. Similarly, I ask you to consider service on CLEAR’s Board of Directors, as well as the position of 2008-9 President-Elect, nominations for both of which close on Friday June 27, 2008. 

Kathleen (Kate) Nosbisch                  
CLEAR President