President Perspective - Summer 2023
President Perspective - Summer 2023
Whoa, I cannot believe it's been a year and that as of this writing I have less than a month before I am officially past president - it's been a ride. There are so many things about being president that you think you know or understand, until you're there. Before you're there you look at it and look at the other presidents and think, “What's going on? This can't be that difficult.”
Then it's your turn.
In addition to your work life, your family/personal life, you now have this presidential life. As a board member, you are a liaison for committees, you get involved with chapter business, and once a quarter, you join other board members via zoom or in person, hyperfocused and prepared, for two days of that board meeting. As president, though, it is a commitment and an experience like nothing else on the board to that point. Was I ready for it?
I’m not sure; I did it, I'm almost done. Looking back at every other President, I think “Wow! What else did they have going on?” This experience has given me a greater understanding of how important our Executive Director Rose Epperson and her team at Epicenter Management are - they really are.
I don't think I made a single deadline by which to get the President's Perspective column turned in. I know it gave our Editor Linda Chalker-Scott, Layout Coordinator Kathleen Falamino, and Rose fits. Sorry about that and I appreciate you all. John Lennon once said, “Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans.” It wasn't that writing the column wasn't important. It was, “Oh, I need to do that.” Then the rest of life happens. I cannot emphasize enough how grateful and appreciative I am of everyone who is behind the scenes pushing this along that it cannot be fully relayed or conveyed effectively. Alas, here I am trying.
I encourage anyone who has not volunteered for the board to do so. I know everything else you've read up to this point hasn’t been a ringing endorsement for “Oh yeah, that sounds great. That's exactly something that I would like to do,” but it is so, so worth it. You learn so much about how this organization functions. Everything that goes into making the Western Chapter, in my humble opinion, the best chapter in all the ISA. So this understanding that I've gained will forever make me look at how the organization is run with a whole new respect.
Nothing in the Western Chapter occurs by happenstance or luck; there is a lot of heart and soul that goes into this organization. Not just from Epicenter or the board, but all the other people who take their time to chair our committees or be members of those committees. All our committees are very important from the perspective of how they shape each individual aspect of our chapter. We try to give every possible aspect or individual section of the chapter its own committee so that everyone has a voice, a way to contribute.
To everyone who's been there, supportive along the way, said “Hello,” it's been an adventure.
Thank you.
Daniel Goyette, President 2022-23
“So long, & thanks for all the fish” - Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001)