President-elect message.

Redican, Kerry J.

This past July the VAPHERD President, President-elect Division Vice President-elects had the opportunity to attend the Southern District AAHPERD Leadership Conference in Virginia Beach. In addition to educating state association officers on the Southern District strategic plan, of which we play an important role, the conference provided VAHPERD leadership with two important opportunities: First, to examine the VAHPERD strategic plan and second, to listen and participate in informative sessions with important implications for VAHPERD. This message will highlight the VAHPERD strategic plan and the key points from two important presentations.

Often times, development of strategic plans wind up being just time-consuming exercises and the written final product winds up getting filed away and never used. The summer leadership conference provided us with an opportunity to revisit our 2005-2010 Strategic Plan. What we rediscovered in our examination was that our Goals were solid. Our strategic plan has six goals: to promote best practices within the fields we serve; to provide members with appropriate services; to provide information and support to groups and individuals who share our goals and mission; to develop marketing and promotion strategies; provide leadership mentoring to members of VAHPERD; and maintain a useful structure to the organization. When we inventory the work we do as VAHPERD members, it is clear that our activities are directly related to achieving our goals.

Professional involvement is a VAHPERD core value. One topic I found extremely helpful was the characterization of involving future professionals and young professionals. The presenter identified characteristics of professionals as (1) being active in their professions; (2) being active in their communities; (3) getting involved in local, state, and national associations and standing for office; (4) encouraging others; and (5) offering feedback and recognition. While we've heard these characteristics many times, it is good to be reminded and especially to ensure that our activities continue to provide a solid vehicle for the development and refinement of these characteristics, especially for our future and young professionals.

Fran Anthony Meyer made an excellent presentation entitled "United Forces to Make a Difference." In her presentation Fran emphasized that to make a difference we need to employ successful strategies that have been consistently validated in promoting change. These strategies included identifying what is keeping our state from being helath or arts promoting; an assessment of what has been done to promote change; an examination of what needs to be done to promote change; and using social marketing to promote change. I would like to see us use these principles unite forces and make a difference. This is a not a short term activity but an ongoing process that becomes a strategic component of VAHPERD activities.

VAHPERD is in a unique position to (1) provide an avenue for professional growth and development and (2) make a difference. Ownership for professional growth and development and making a difference is not just for VAHPERD officers but for all VAHPERD members. As such, I would like us continue the dialogue begun in Virginia Beach emphasize these two important concepts in both VAHPERD activities and in reaffirming the value of VAHPERD membership.