Dear Friends,
Can you feel it? Change is in the air! Summer fun has given way to the start of a new school year, the spectacular fall foliage show is transitioning to frosty (snowy?) winter mornings, and our Executive Board is on the cusp of starting the next Fiscal year with a new group of Board Members. As we start a new board calendar, it's a great time to look back at what we've done and what lays ahead. I'm proud of what we have accomplished over this past year and thankful to all of those who have made it possible including our board members, volunteers, partners, and especially our Sponsors.

 
In this issue of the ASLA Newsletter we'll look back at our Rocky Dale Nursery Tour, education opportunities, and the fantastic Doug Crowell Lecture with Keith Bowers of Biohabitats. Looking ahead we have our Holiday Gathering, another slate of Chapter Awards coming, and the annual Ski Night. And we always continue to work on important issues for our members including the advocacy and promotion of our profession, finalizing the next Chapter Strategic Plan, Chapter Budget, and member benefits.
The vibrancy of our Chapter depends on organizing and hosting events and activities that promote our profession, increase the knowledge of our members, and raise awareness of issues. What matters to you our members though? Is there a social or fellowship event you'd like to attend or a vendor educational webinar? Do you want to learn more about professional opportunities?
One thing I've noticed this year is the amount of job postings we have listed on our website. The profession continues to expand nationally and locally and the strength of the job market is bright given investments happening in residential and commercial development, green infrastructure, and in parks, recreation, and open space projects. This should lead to a strong group of new hires/emerging professionals moving to our state. (Understanding that the national market is extremely competitive at the moment.) Already we have several women who are recent transplants getting involved with the Chapter at a committee level and being strong members of ASLA. I would love to build on their passion and energy and use it as a springboard to motivate other young professionals to get involved. Social and educational opportunities are a critical way to gather our members together in our rural state and we will seek to expand these in the future.
As we head into the final quarter of the year, let's all remember to be thankful for the opportunities that lay ahead of us and optimistic for our future. It's time to renew and refresh after a busy year! Thank you to Ted Adams for his dedication to the Chapter as Member-at-Large over the past two years and welcome to David Raphael as the new Member-at-Large. Your commitment to volunteering as part of the Chapter Leadership is invaluable!
For those of you headed to Nashville for the ASLA National Conference in a couple of weeks- Enjoy! Until then- look forward to what lies ahead.

Best,
Tom Hand