MY FINAL ADDRESS AS YOUR PAST-PRESIDENT

OMEA Past-President/Treasurer

Post-Conference Update

I hope everyone is having an outstanding spring. Thank you for attending the OMEA 2020 Conference and encouraging your students to participate in one of the All-State Honor Ensembles. Congratulations to Jeremy Zander, Branden and Megan Hansen, and the entire Conference Planning Committee for running a very successful All-State Conference. There were several challenges with new venues and rising costs, but everyone handled the planning and execution with grace and determination.

Post-Conference Update

From here on out, we will continue to be in Eugene using similar facilities we used in 2020. Your Conference Chair, Kristi Stingle, the All-State Ensembles Co-Chairs, Branden and Megan Hansen, the Executive Board, and the Conference Planning Committee have already started working to bring you another outstanding conference in 2021. If you have any suggestions, please reach out to them. If you have ideas for sessions or presenters in mind, fill out the online conference session/performance submission forms on the OMEA website.

Executive Board and Award

We will be accepting nominations for the 2nd Vice President (two year position) and the OMEA Annual Awards. Nominations are open from June 1-November 1. You will find the online nomination forms on the OMEA website. Please consider outstanding teacher-leaders in your district/region to nominate.

Thank You

As I complete my last year as Past-President, I would like to thank everyone that has helped me navigate the various board positions. You have been amazing to work with and I couldn’t have done it without your help. When asked to serve, please say YES. For years I said no. I was swamped. My schedule was packed. I had various life changing events, new jobs, and it seemed like every time someone asked me, I had a valid excuse to pass on the nomination or the appointed position. When Tom Muller asked me this last time six years ago, I finally said YES. I’m so glad I did. I now realize I could have said YES much sooner. The board is very efficient and so many things are already locked in place. We do the majority of our business through email and meet a few times per year. When you say YES, you will not regret it. In fact, you will learn so much and gain so much from these experiences. Plus, the board needs your voice. We need a diverse group of people that think differently. So, say YES! Step up and be willing to serve your colleagues and students through leadership positions in OMEA. When I was asked to take over the treasurer position from Dave Becker this past year, I said YES! So, I will now continue to serve you and OMEA as your treasurer. We all owe a huge thank you to Dave Becker for his eleven years as the treasurer. He has created great systems in place that I plan to follow and maintain for years to come. Over the past seven months, I have been learning these systems and plan to keep learning and growing so OMEA can continue to maintain our financial stability, security and consistency. Please, when asked to serve, just say YES!