Cindy Cole - President

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 President's Report

As we enter into 2014, I am excited to move forward with the planning and implementation of the three-year Strategic Plan that is in its final stages.

The CSAO Board of Directors met in Toronto on October 24 & 25, 2013. A facilitated strategic planning session was held with Chris Ward of Riverhorse Brand Advisors on Oct. 24. It was a great session with many of the same areas of focus identified such as membership, education and recognition. Chris will have the final plan ready within the next month. Communication will go out to all members with more detail on the final plan when it is ready.

Summary of the Board of Director Meeting:

Board of Director Position Descriptions and the Chapter Executive Position Descriptions have been reviewed, updated and posted on the website. With this being an election year, please refer to these documents if you're interested in becoming involved at any level. Feedback from the conference was that many members liked the CSAO logo t-shirts that the Board of Directors wore and wished to have them available for purchase. A link will be placed on the website where merchandise with the CSAO logo will be available for purchase. The election process was reviewed, updated and posted on the website. Nomination forms for Chapter Executive are available on the website in each Chapter section. Board of Director Chapter Representative and Vice President Nomination forms will be posted on the website February 1.

2013 Conference evaluations were reviewed with the overall results being very positive. The workshops on Sunday afternoon were well attended with positive feedback. A decision was made to follow a similar format for the 2014 Conference. There will be a National MDR Conference in Winnipeg, MB in October, 2014. A discussion resulted in consensus that CSAO will attend as an exhibitor to promote our educational courses and textbook/workbook. The 2014 Conference Theme is: MDR Getaway - Learn and Play. There were many names brought forward for potential speakers for our 2014 conference. Directors will be following up with each one to confirm a speaking engagement at our next conference. Further discussions brought forward ideas for entertainment that will be followed up on.

The next Board of Director Meeting will be held in Toronto on January 16 & 17.

Wishing everyone a very happy new year!

Cindy Cole

CSAO President