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Secretary's Report July 2020As we approach the end of July, we all are experiencing continued upheaval in our professional and personal lives as we are beset with ongoing uncertainty and predicted waves of coronavirus infections as the pandemic stays with us. I hope that you will look to the ATA and our friends and colleagues within our society for support and encouragement as we continue our efforts to provide engagement, professional activities, and educational opportunities in this challenging time. One educational offering that we are delighted to announce is a Virtual Ridgway Program which will take place this Fall on Friday, October 16. We are very grateful for the energy and enthusiasm of Aime Franco and Tracy Tylee as they develop this program. Our trainees and early career members will also now have an opportunity to connect year round in the new ATA Career Connections virtual trainee networking sessions. These monthly events will launch on August 26 and include interactive discussions, career advice, flipped classroom venues and "How to" series. Stay tuned for the roll out of the components of this program!
We have several exciting events to look forward to in September. These include our virtual business meeting on September 12 and the Van Meter Lecture on the same day. Please RSVP here! As part of the business meeting we will highlight the progress made by one of our newer task forces: the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion task force. As you will see, the plans and accomplishments of the co-chairs (Regina Castro and Ernest Azamoah) will be important for equipping our society to navigate our responsibilities and face the challenges as we make a clear statement about the ATA's vision of social justice. We will also be highlighting the activities of our Val Galton Fund raising team, led by Megan Haymart and Peter Kopp, as we build up to presenting the first Val Galton Award in September, 2021.
Our journals continue to receive a record number of article submissions. Our EICs are exploring ways to keep these publications innovative and thought-provoking. As an upcoming feature we will be highlighting articles that our EICs feel are illustrative of the relevance and quality of our journals' contents. There has been discussion among ATA members as to whether we should consider re-naming, and potentially re-designing, the two newsletters that you are accustomed to receiving on a monthly basis: Signal and What You Need to Know (WYNTK). Stay tuned as we reach out to members in the coming weeks seeking your ideas about new names for these newsletters that will truly resonate with our members. I wish all our members health and safety as we seek professional and personal fulfillment. Please reach out to our wonderful, dedicated ATA staff lead by Amanda Perl to thank them for their tireless work and to provide them with ideas and feedback as to how the ATA can serve your needs.
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