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<< back to the 2002 archive listing << Dairy, Food and Environmental Sanitation Commentary From The Executive Director We look forward to seeing you at IAFP 2002 As we progress through the winter months and look forward to spring, then summer, plans are rapidly advancing for IAFP 2002 in San Diego. We hope that you have reserved the dates June 30 to July 3 to be with us at the 89th Annual Meeting. This month, in addition to giving an update about IAFP 2002, I want to bring to your attention the Secretary election that is now underway. Let’s cover the election first, and then come back to IAFP 2002. In this issue of DFES, our candidates for Secretary are announced on page 118 where you will also find their biographical sketches. We have always been fortunate to attract willing Secretary candidates with the highest of ethics and dedication to the Association. This election is no exception. The candidates are J. Stan Bailey and Jeffrey M. Farber. Both Stan and Jeff have been long-time Members of IAFP and have been highly active in their support of the Association. It may be helpful to you for me to explain the election process. Ballots were mailed to all voting Members on February 1. Your completed ballot must be received at the Association office not later than March 22 to be considered valid. Other instructions are included with the ballot so be sure to follow the instructions. The most important instruction is to carefully review the candidate’s biographical information when making your voting decision. Your sealed ballot will be forwarded to the IAFP Teller, Lloyd Bullerman for opening and counting. Election results will be announced in the May issue of DFES and will be available at the IAFP Web site toward the end of April. We look forward to the election of either Stan or Jeff to serve on the Executive Board and we know we can be assured that the other will continue to be active in IAFP in many ways! Best of luck to both candidates! Now for an update on IAFP 2002. On page 156 of this issue, registration information and an attendee registration form appears. Be sure to make your hotel reservations early to be assured of a room at the host hotel, the Hyatt Regency on San Diego Bay. Also, you may take advantage of our secure, online meeting registration at the IAFP Web site. At the time this issue went to press, we only had proposed symposium topics for your review (presented on page 153), but as always, you may check the IAFP Web site for the most up-to-date program information. By the time this issue reaches you, accepted symposia and technical presentation titles will be available at www.foodprotection.org. The Program Committee, under the direction of Frank Yiannas from Walt Disney World, met in mid-January to review submitted technical presentations and proposed symposia. This Committee works many hours before, during and after the actual two-day Committee meeting to bring together the program content for our Annual Meeting. This year we received a record number of technical submissions, which meant an extra burden for each Committee member. By the end of the two-day meeting, the Program Committee has reviewed all abstracts and accepted or rejected them, categorized them into similar topics for presentation, arranged program presentations for all three days, analyzed the program for possible speaker time conflicts and agreed upon the preliminary program. It is an astonishing process to watch from beginning to end and is truly what makes the IAFP Annual Meeting shine! We owe so much to the Program Committee for their hard work and dedication. Without the commitment of these individuals and the willingness of their employers to allow them to volunteer their time, it would be impossible to put together a program for IAFP 2002. We want to say, “Thank you!” to the entire Committee. In addition to the program planning, our staff has planned events to provide social opportunities for you at IAFP 2002. The Opening Reception will take place Sunday evening in the Exhibit Hall immediately following the Opening Session and the Ivan Parkin Lecture. On Monday evening, don’t miss the Social at the World Famous, San Diego Zoo. The Zoo will be open for our exploration after enjoying dinner in a private area. This is sure to be a night to remember! Tuesday night remains open for your enjoyment followed on Wednesday with the Annual Awards Banquet. Besides the evening events, daytime tours are planned for companions to see San Diego by land and by sea, to visit La Jolla and to see behind the scenes at the Wild Animal Park. On Saturday, we have a special tour planned to visit Temecula Valley Wine Country, so be sure to bring your spouse, your family or a friend along to enjoy these tours and the San Diego area. Our hotel, the Hyatt Regency, provides beautiful views of San Diego Bay, is adjacent to Seaport Village restaurants and shopping and is a short walk to the historic Gaslamp Quarter providing more dinning, shopping and nighttime entertainment. Lastly, we want to point out that this year we will have a room available for retired Members to gather for conversation and games. As a result of a recommendation from the Past Presidents’ Committee, there will be a room set aside for this type of social interaction. If you are a retired Member, we want you to know that you are always welcome to attend the Annual Meeting and we hope that this special room will provide another appealing benefit to your attendance at the Annual Meeting. We look forward to seeing YOU at IAFP 2002 this summer! |