On the website, we have added some new features and will continue to enhance them. Please check out the photo gallery from the Providence meeting, and be sure to look at the Case of the Month, which highlights the good work done in our training programs. You may also see the heading ‘Distance Learning’ – soon we will give everyone the opportunity to listen to lectures from the most recent annual session. Stay Tuned!

Structurally, NESO has changed too. Instead of each component President sitting on the NESO board, we now have a director from each component. While this may seem like semantics, we have found that often, component Presidents were more oriented toward their own component society and not as active in NESO – but the new directors are by definition interested and invested in NESO affairs. Our board meetings are lively! Having directors has also allowed more people to get involved in leadership, which is great! I’d focus on the positive, a Component Director for 2 years to represent you.

We also have an eye to the future, realizing that we must develop new leaders to keep our society strong and to keep new ideas flowing in. This October we held a OUR FIRST NESO Leadership conference, which was designed to help young professionals develop leadership skills. This was an exciting weekend and we anticipate that this will be just the beginning of a long and strong tradition for NESO of preparing interested members for available short- and long-term leadership roles. Please contact me for information on NESO volunteer opportunities.

Finally, please mark your calendars for the 2009 NESO meeting to be held in New York at the New York Hilton: November 12-15. More information will be available soon, but we look forward to a stimulating educational session and all the fun and flavor of New York.

See you there!

Leslie Will
President