From the Executive Director

by Michelle Czosek, CAE

I am going to begin with the same opening line as in the last issue - I hope as you read this column that you and those you love are safe and healthy. A lot has changed since the last issue of Air Media and I don’t think anyone could have predicted what was to come for our industry and the world around us as we started this journey in mid-March.

When the decision to cancel the Technical Seminar was made, I never would have predicted that we would also have to make another tough call about our 2020 Annual Convention. In fact, I was very confident that we would be seeing each other socially distanced, but in person with the oceanfront as our backdrop. Who would have thought that we would be looking at an entire year without the opportunity to meet face-to-face?

The NAFA Board of Directors made the difficult decision to postpone our 2020 Annual Convention in Clearwater to November 2-4, 2021. We are in the process of finalizing dates for the 2021 Technical Seminar which will be held at the Embassy Suites Phoenix-Scottsdale. More information to come on both events soon.

On behalf of the Board and staff, I would like to thank everyone for their input and support for these tough decisions. And I extend a special thank you to our sponsors for their positive response to the various changes and requests made in this very different year.

We held another successful webinar, Hospital Air Filtration in the World of COVID-19, which attracted over 450 registrants. The panel discussion moderated by Jim Rosenthal covered such areas as the supply of high-efficiency filters, the safety of workers, recommendations from government agencies and concerns about isolating areas of facilities to ensure the safety of healthcare workers and patients - things that professionals in the filter industry are facing every day. And, our YouTube posting of Talking Air Filtration with Dr. Jeff Siegel, now has over 2,800 views.

NAFA has plans to provide additional virtual educational opportunities throughout the remainder of the year. We are currently working on our next offerings based on member feedback from our recent survey on educational topics (see the Top 5 Topics of Interest on page 19). If you want to help shape future offerings, please contact me and we’ll get you connected to the NAFA Education & Training Committee.

On Thursday, November 5 from 4-5:30 pm ET, we will hold our virtual annual business meeting (details will be available soon) where we will provide our association updates, introduce our new board members, and honor our scholarship and award winners. We have a new record of 47 nominations for the Clean Air Award!

As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me or any board member if you have questions, ideas for resources that we can provide to our community or if you just need to talk to someone that’s experiencing the same issues and challenges you are.

I hope that everyone will take care of each other as we continue to navigate these waters. While some people thrive in our new environment there are others that have lost their jobs, are alone, have lost a loved one or struggle with anxiety over what is happening around us.

In the words of one of my favorite authors, Bob Goff, “The most beautiful scenery in the world is when our friends come into view.” Remember that not everyone experiences our world in the same way that you do so be a friend to someone that may need an extra dose of kindness this week. ■

Take care,

Michelle Czosek, CAE

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