Hello everyone. I am delighted to have this opportunity to share with you my thoughts on the future of SLA and how I would work towards securing this future as your President during the 2004-2005 term of office. I would like to thank the Nominations Committee, Chaired by Barbara Semonche, and the Board of Directors, for agreeing to accept my name as a candidate for President-Elect.

This past summer and fall I visited the Pittsburgh, Montreal, Hudson Valley, and Central Connecticut Valley chapters to listen and respond to member questions and concerns. I also had the opportunity to answer some interview questions for my Boston Chapter newsletter and the January 2003 issue of “Information Outlook.” Each of these opportunities was a time to refocus on my commitments to the profession and to the Association. At the Pittsburgh Chapter I was really put to the test when one of the members asked a very simple question – “Why do you want to run for President?” No one had asked me that question before! I stood there for a few seconds grasping for words until the simple answer dawned on me – I am committed to the profession and to this organization. I could not have experienced the many successes during my career without the assistance of SLA. It is my turn to give back to the Association and how better to accomplish this mission than to lead the Association as President. That was my answer in Pittsburgh and they seemed to accept it!

I recently read a quote from Peter Drucker – our keynote speaker from the June 2002 conference – wherein he described the Salvation Army as the “...most effective [organization] in the US...” and how “..no one even comes close to it with respect to clarity of mission, ability to innovate, measurable results, dedication, and putting money to maximum use.” After reading this, I wondered what he would say about SLA. The traits described in his thoughts regarding the Salvation Army can be restated as questions for SLA to answer. They are:

• Is SLA the most effective information industry association in the world?
• Does SLA have a clear mission?
• Does SLA provide innovative products and services?
• Does SLA provide measurable results?
• Is SLA dedicated to its mission and vision?
• Does SLA administer its funds to their maximum use?

These are very tough and thought-provoking questions. We are spending the majority of our time here in New Orleans probing the issues surrounding these questions. In the short time I have this afternoon, I would like to give you my thoughts on the following topics. I would divide them into the following areas:

• Mission and Vision,
• Products and Services, and
• Future Directions.

Mission and Vision: Whenever the SLA Board of Directors meets, they always devote time to a strategy-sharing session. Discussions concerning revised mission and vision statements have been a major part of these meetings, and we will be drafting these statements here in New Orleans. I propose that the SLA vision statement read:

“To be the leading professional association in the information industry” This is the essence of our current vision statement. I propose a mission statement that reads:

“To advance the leadership roles of our members in their organizations by providing innovative products and services and an environment for collaboration and networking”.

Products and Services: We must ask the same kinds of questions of SLA that we routinely ask in our professional roles about our products and services.

• Are they meeting the needs of our members
• Do they provide measurable results?
• Are they priced fairly?
• Are they sacred cows and do we need them?
• What should we be offering instead? and
• What innovative products and services can we afford to offer?

It will be up to the President, the Board of Directors, the Executive Director, the SLA team at headquarters, and the Unit Leaders to work together and identify those products and services that provide value to our members, that encourage innovation, enhance our collaborative capabilities, and that allow us greater connection opportunities with our colleagues. The Board and SLA are inventorying the current offerings, and I would be pleased to work with the team in developing the innovative products and services that our members need.

Future Directions: Some of you have heard my opinion on SLA’s Organizational Life Cycle. The December 2001 issue of “Association Management” includes an article that describes the 5 stages of an organizational life cycle. SLA is at Stage 5: Review and Renew. In order to complete Stage 5 we have some tough challenges to overcome:

• Completing the search for an Executive Director,
• Deciding on a brand that sends the message to our existing members and prospects that we are the leading professional association in the information industry,
• Developing and funding the key products and services that enable our members to advance their leadership roles in their organizations, and
• Making some difficult decisions regarding the financial health of SLA.

I am confident we will have our new Executive Director in place by the June 2003 conference in NYC. We will have a new brand, one that has been successfully positioned with other competing brands, by the fall 2003 and would have begun the process of promoting the new SLA. We will have a plan in place by June 2003 that identifies the innovative products and services needed to fulfill our mission and vision, and the fiscal choices needed to make this all work will have been proposed.

I am confident that as a team, we can make all these changes and get a favorable response if we were to ask Peter Drucker what he thinks of SLA!

I would like to end with another quote, this time from the former First Lady of the United States, Rosalynn Carter.

• A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader take people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.

I would be honored to have the opportunity to lead SLA down that path of where we ought to be to serve the profession and the Association as your President. Thank you and have a good afternoon.