August 1, 2007

Washington, D.C.

 

Dear Colleagues:

 

It’s hard to believe that it’s been a little over a month since many of us gathered in the great and historical city of Philadelphia for the Annual Meeting of the National Association.  A huge thank you goes to Kazumi Teune, Executive Director of JAS-Philadelphia and her two staff, Sam Malissa and Matt Mayer for all the preparation beforehand and the generous support throughout our gathering.   

 

I thoroughly enjoyed the chance to get together with those who were able to come.  Although there are many ways to keep in touch, it’s so much more rewarding and enjoyable to be able to share ideas and experiences in person.  I hope everyone attending was able to say by Sunday noon that it was time well spent.

 

Several of us were meeting for the first time.  Inevitably, there was a sad good-bye, this time to Earl Okawa who was President of the Hawaii JAS for over 15 years.  He was recognized at the Friday evening reception by all of us, as well as by the Japanese government for his extensive contributions to mutual understanding between the US and Japan.

 

The “Working Sessions” on Saturday provided an opportunity to learn a lot from one another about the many aspects of running an effective society, including governance, program and membership development, and educational outreach.

 

The NAJAS Board meeting was held on Sunday morning, June 24.  Agenda items included the tenure of NAJAS Officers, annual reports and a lively discussion of how best to commemorate the 30^th anniversary of formally organizing as a National Association, coming up in 2008-09.  Minutes of the Board meeting are attached. Hard copies of the Annual Report, the NAJAS Audit, the Board Meeting minutes and other materials will be mailed to each society in the next few days.

 

 

Best, Sam Shepherd