by Deb Cook Lewis
For me, the question of where we have been and where we are going is much more than my morning fog before coffee. It’s a pretty consuming thought process that has been with me ever since I became president of ACB just over a year ago.
I started my thinking with analyzing what it means in practical terms to be a member-driven organization. I hope you’re making plans to attend the upcoming convention either in person or virtually, because I plan to focus my opening remarks on this very topic, so I can’t give it all away right now. But give some of your own thought to what member-driven means in a modern world for a membership organization that is a chief influencer in the world of issues facing people who are blind or low vision. How we see this issue will impact the future of our organization.
In January, the ACB Board adopted a statement clarifying the roles and responsibilities of both our affiliates and our committees. It is so critical that we define roles and boundaries both to give direction and to empower our committees in particular. In the next few months we will undergo some committee restructuring, and will provide an environment for goal and workplan development. Our committee structure is based currently on 9 areas of service, which will be expanded in the coming year to include at least one more. If you are interested in serving on one of ACB’s committees, stay tuned for more information on how to apply to serve and what will be expected. We could not do the volume of work we have before us without the faithful participation of our committees along with our excellent staff.
One of our exciting endeavors this year has been hiring our new executive director, Scott Thornhill. Again, if you’re with us in person at the convention, I hope you’ll have an opportunity to get to know him. It is a unique and valuable experience for ACB to hire an ED who has not been part of us. Scott brings a new perspective that will be invaluable as we move forward in these changing times.
And I can’t comment here without talking about the future of our annual convention. As you know, the challenges of holding our in-person convention following the pandemic have been a significant dilemma to all of us. This year we will be combining our efforts with the Blinded Veterans Association, which will offer increased opportunities for attendees from both organizations, but will also significantly help both organizations to offset the increased costs. In the fall, we will begin exploration of what future conventions will look like after Dallas in 2025. As you attend this year’s convention, consider carefully what is most important to you and what features might be just as effective happening outside the convention structure. We’ll want to hear from you about this very soon.
And speaking of hearing from you, the ACB Board will be adopting a process for member input at its July meeting in Jacksonville. This will likely include both email and telephone channels where members can give feedback on any issue, with emphasis on those issues facing the board at a given moment.
There’s lots to appreciate and lots to look forward to in the next months. We definitely face challenging times, but energy is high and I hope you’re excited about the future of ACB.