When I reflect on my year as ADA President, it occurs to me that the term reflection applies not only to me, but to ADA as an organization as well, along with the word, renewal.

At the beginning of my term I asked our members to honor our past accomplishments and role in bringing about landmark expansions in our scope of practice and achievement of the Au.D. as the first professional degree for all graduating audiologists.  At the same time, I asked us to consider what the future will hold if we do nothing but cling to past accomplishments.  During Larry Engelmann’s presidency we had begun the process of creating ADA’s Vision for the profession as a draft document, focusing on practice ownership.  It became clear to our Board that we needed to be thinking about what our future direction would be, and that using this document as one basis for discussion, our members should help decide the next steps.  Our Spring Summit held (no fooling) on April Fool’s day in 2008 saw 70 ADA members (fellows, associates, and students) convene in Charlotte, North Carolina to spend a full day brainstorming about ADA’s destiny.  Using the Vision document as fodder for discussion, and Glenn Tecker as  facilitator, we touched on everything from student education and training issues to the challenges, needs, and outlook for practice ownership in the profession.  The thoughts collected were then taken to the Board in June to further distill them and to create a new strategic plan for the Academy.  In that process the concept of practice ownership was then placed as one means towards a broader aim, which is for audiologists to ensure ownership of their profession.

Along with this renewal of mission, Spring of 2008 brought us a transition to new management under the capable executive direction of  Stephanie Czuhajewski and staff of Symbiotix Management Strategies.  They are a fledgling organization, a nimble crew that can work with new ideas and bring them to market quickly and capably.  They have exceeded our expectations and are an excellent fit to the ADA culture.  The search process was arduous, with more than 30 candidates vying for consideration, but I believe our efforts have been well-rewarded.

The publication in late Summer of our whitepaper, "Ensuring Audiology’s Future in Healthcare: Owning the Profession through a Culture of Practice Ownership" was well-received by most of those who read it; and although sometimes controversial in academia, it did bring about some very stimulating dialogue and thinking about how we train future audiologists.  A number of audiology programs are now requiring students to read this document.

By Fall 2008, many new projects were in process, especially in the ‘virtual’ environment of our website, such as: a ‘wiki’ for practice management; ADA-Connect, a new member listserv; contracting with Audiology Resources and Kim Cavitt to be available to our membership for reimbursement and practice management issues; and the completion of the design and content plan for our new quarterly magazine for practitioners, Audiology Practices.  By the time we arrived at Convention in Las Vegas at the sumptuous Green Valley Ranch Resort in November, our members could feel excitement and changes in the air besides just the cooler weather.

At the same time as our many new beginnings, there was one notable ending.  The National Association of Future Doctors of Audiology (NAFDA) announced their dissolution as they planned a migration into the AAA Student Organization, then in the process of formation.  Much like ADA, NAFDA had been essentially a grassroots organization, accomplishing much on their own and filling an information void for the new type of audiology student pursuing the Au.D. degree.  ADA has had a mutually-rewarding relationship with NAFDA through our Student Mentorship program, and this was felt by many members of both groups as a loss.  Our plan is to continue to maintain links with students through expansion of our mentoring program, distribution of Audiology Practices to students, and a regular ADA Faculty Newsletter.

Finally, in the theme of renewal, I cannot fail to observe that we have seen an influx of many new audiologists (and practitioners) as ADA Fellow members at the same time as many of the original core of members are retiring or transitioning to new beginnings in their lives.  The perspective they will doubtless bring to ADA will carry us forward in new and exciting directions.

After completing not only my presidency, but seven years on the ADA Board, it is bittersweet for me to make an exit.  While I certainly welcome the additional free time this will bring, I will also greatly miss the joys and privileges of working with a dedicated and supportive Board and executive staff, and getting to know many more of our members and friends in industry.  I am excited about our accomplishments over the past few years and can’t wait to see what the new generation will bring.