I am pleased to report that the three month’s since CLEAR’s successful annual conference in Atlanta have been both productive and rewarding. In addition to offering three Basic and three Specialized NCIT programs and one CLEAR Call webinar, CLEAR has begun planning for its first meeting outside North America. Our organization has been enriched by the increasing involvement of regulators in Europe and Australasia and is now ready to sponsor a regional meeting in Dublin, Ireland in the summer of 2009. The process of developing content for the meeting will begin at CLEAR’s upcoming midyear business meeting in Charleston, South Carolina and we envision a 1 ½ day meeting in which processes, practices, approaches and strategies will be discussed and exchanged. Additional information about the meeting will be shared as details are finalized but I wanted to inform you about this important meeting at the earliest opportunity. 

Before Dublin, there is much to do to prepare for CLEAR’s annual conference in Anchorage, Alaska, which will take place September 25-27, 2008. The focus of the conference will be Promoting Regulatory Excellence, with sessions, training programs and networking of direct relevance to regulators across jurisdictions and professions. CLEAR’s Basic and Specialized NCIT Programs, Executive Leadership Program for Regulators and newly-redesigned Board Member Training Program will be offered immediately prior to the conference, providing attendees with a host of learning and networking opportunities in an inspirational setting. An informational flyer for the conference will be arriving to you in early Spring, and I look forward to welcoming you to Anchorage. 

One of the benefits of belonging to CLEAR is the opportunity to ask questions and share our expertise with the community of regulators. CLEAR is pleased to offer its members the opportunity to survey regulatory colleagues about important issues they may be facing. A question regarding the use of community service as a disciplinary sanction is awaiting your response and all survey results will be added to CLEAR’s website as we continue to foster the exchange of information. Member organizations are encouraged to contact CLEAR staff with questions that they would like to share.  

CLEAR’s important work is sustained by a community of approximately 100 committee members, who will meet next month to develop the program for the 2008 conference in Anchorage, begin planning for Dublin in 2009 and to work on the varied projects in which our organization is engaged. There is much to be done and I close with an invitation to further your involvement with CLEAR. The midyear business meeting will take place from January 10-12, 2008 and I hope to see you in Charleston. 

In the meantime, I wish you a happy holiday season and a great start to the New Year.