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<< back to the 2004 archive listing << Food Protection Trends A View from Wisconsin “In order to realize our goals, we will need you, our members, to become
part of the team working on accomplishing our objectives.” My family and co-workers will attest that I am a listmaker. I am a goal-orientated person who is intrinsically motivated by being able to check something off my “to-do list.” Crossing out the daily chores on my list are great for instant gratification, but progress on lifelong goals such as professional development, seeing my sons safe, successful, and enjoying the educational and cultural abundance around us, and spending time with my husband, family, and friends, are all items that are continuously on my list of priorities. IAFP similarly develops short and long-term goals and measures our successes by our progress against those objectives. Our association developed a Strategic Plan in 1993 and reviewed progress in 1997. The primary objectives of the plan were to: Expand the Membership; Develop an Enhanced Education Program; Enhance Product and Services Offerings; and Develop a Formal Financial Plan. Certainly, many items from our original plan have been accomplished and can be checked off our collective task list, but the essence of these long-term goals provides our vision for the future of IAFP in 2010. Undoubtedly, the development of our educational program extends across all the target issues, is vital to our growing success, and must be maintained. As part of the education program, members of the Executive Board are regularly invited to conferences hosted by affiliates to deliver lectures in their area of expertise. The Speakers Bureau not only brings food safety experts to the local level, but also allows the leadership of your association to learn first hand the needs of the professionals who serve on the front line. Consequently, the Association can direct efforts to develop products and services that provide value to our international and affiliate members. Our Professional Development Groups (PDGs) and our partnership with the ILSI North America Technical Committee on Food Microbiology have flourished, developing the symposia and workshops which serve as the foundation of our Annual Meeting. The strong scientific program has allowed our Annual Meeting to enjoy phenomenal growth, increasing from an annual attendance of less than 1,000 only seven years ago to a record attendance of 1,584 attendees witnessed at this year’s meeting in Phoenix. The growth in attendance, numbers of exhibitors, and financial sponsors, in turn, are partially responsible for a movement toward financial stability. Certainly, while we are pleased with our past and current successes, we know that we cannot depend on reputation alone to sustain us. This brings us to our April 2004 planning session, during which the Board and staff collaborated to identify specific issues for growth such as: International Commitment; Publications; Affiliates; Outreach and Education; and Foundation Fund. Daniel Burnham, a 19th century US architect said, “Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood…Make big plans, aim high in hope and work.” We have no illusions that budget may be a hurdle to realizing some of our goals. Nevertheless, we aimed high and are excited about the potential we are about to see unfold. These are the initiatives for IAFP 2010. International Commitment: Publications: Affiliates: Outreach and Education: Foundation Fund: Our strategic plan is more than just a to-do list, it is the Vision for IAFP
2010. In order to realize our goals, we will need you, our members, to become
part of the team working on accomplishing our objectives. Review the list and
think about how you can help. I welcome your ideas and look forward to working
with you. Please feel free to email me at kglass@wisc.edu and let me know your
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