A Letter from the President

Dear TAGITM Members,

We’re coming in hot off after another record-breaking annual event, and what an event it was! A little birdie whispered we crossed the 1k attendee threshold, which is a new high-water mark for TAGITM. Having been a part of every annual event since 2017 this is nothing short of incredible. (Quick side note: hey Scott, did you know we broke a record?!)

All kidding aside, it was a phenomenal week. The vibe was outstanding, and the chatter online was touting TAGITM as the hottest ticket in town. How cool is that? It was a particularly special event for me, and words cannot describe what an honor it is to serve as president of this incredible organization. It is easily one of the highlights of my career, and I want to ensure I do right by the folks that entrusted me with this responsibility, in my own special countrified way of course!

There’s a wonderful team of people committed to making TAGITM the best it can possibly be behind the scenes. I cannot thank past presidents and my friends Chris Lee and Tony Gonzalez enough for their leadership over the years. Of course, my sincere thanks go to the entire board, committee chairs, volunteers, CMP, membership, and our many partners that have all worked together in building this very special organization. TAGITM has an energy unlike any other, and it’s because of all of you! We work hard and play hard, and many have taken notice. I say we capitalize on our incredible momentum and see where it goes!

When I was up on-stage at the conference, I was speaking from the heart when I mentioned it was Beth Ann that spent a few minutes with me explaining how the organization works, essentially establishing my TAGITM path early on. I would like to similarly be a positive influence for others who may want to get more involved with the inner workings of the organization. Anyone debating on volunteering, I encourage you to pursue it. Give me a call, shoot over an email, put up the bat signal, or simply volunteer through the TAGITM “Get Involved” page on the website. I’ve long thought it was a privilege to have a voice in driving the future of the organization, and for anyone else out there thinking the same I can confirm it’s totally worth it!

My goal over the next year is simple. I want to keep the positive momentum moving forward as we finish out our last year at La Cantera in 2025 and begin prep to move our merry band of IT outlaws to JW Marriot Hill Country in 2026. Build on what’s working for us and drop what’s not. Clearly TAGITM has an exceptionally bright future as we march towards a larger venue to host more opportunities, more growth, and at the end of the day more awesomeness. It’s exciting stuff to say the least. Thank you all for the support and the opportunity to lead this incredible organization. Now that we got the formalities out of the way, I say “let’s get it y’all!”

Shane McDaniel
TAGITM President