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2024 Quarter 4 President's Message

Published in the July 2024 issue of the ISHA Voice.

By Jordan Bowman, President

 

“How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard” – A.A. Milne, Author, Winne the Pooh

It has been a tremendous honor (and a great adventure!) serving you all as ISHA President during the 2023 – 2024 fiscal year. In my former experiences serving on the ISHA Board and ISHA Committees, I felt very connected to the Committee Members and the ISHA Members, patients, clients, and families we served through our specific volunteerism. Serving as President this term, I had the great pleasure of experiencing firsthand the incredible work that every other ISHA Division and Committee does daily, in their free time, to serve the association and our Members. It’s truly incredible to experience the passion you all have for supporting clinicians in the state of Illinois. This has been an unforgettable adventure and I will always remember all the lives you have touched through your commitment to advocacy and volunteerism.

I’d like to thank our Board Members for their servitude this past year. And sincerest thank you to those members whose terms have come to a close. I know I will see each of you as you continue to stay involved in ISHA Committees and activities. Thank you to Angi Martin-Prudent (VP Audiological Affairs), Beth Leggitt (VP Educational Development), Janet Olson (VP Legislative & Regulatory Affairs), Jessica Zulueta (VP Professional & Consumer Communications) and Patty Boyd (VP Professional Services).

A very special thank you to my Presidential mentor and friend, Maria Claudia Franca (Past President). I’m forever grateful for your generosity, your kindness, and your guidance. And I could not (absolutely could not) have done this role without the support of Paul Doggett at Bostrom. Paul, you helped keep me positive and organized over the course of this year. And thank you to everyone at Bostrom including Bryan White whom I “grew up” with at ISHA over the past decade (or more!). And of course, thank you to the very knowledgeable and very patient, Jim Morphew, our ISHA lobbyist. Jim, the amount of time you so graciously gave to me, the Board, and the Committee Members is honorable. 

All of us (together) have achieved great things! One of the many reasons I love ISHA is that you feel like your efforts are meaningful no matter what role you find yourself in. Below are some of the activities we, as an organization, achieved this fiscal year. Please know this is not an exhaustive list. So much incredible work has been done and many great projects and task forces are in motion. Stay tuned in by reading our monthly ISHA Voice for updates on all things ISHA.

  • ASHA Grant to support our lobbying efforts
  • NEW Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice (IPECP) Task Force
  • NEW Assistant Task Force (To support SLPAs and AAs in IL)    
  • ISHA Corporate Membership Prospectus
  • Leadership Development Program ongoing and successful
  • Mentorship Program ongoing and successful
  • Incredible advocacy efforts!
  1. HB 4672 is amending the school code to allow the Praxis exam to substitute for the ISBE SLP content test- this was not moved out of the committee so a vote will not be called this legislative session
  2. HB 5057 amending the school code to allow students to “student teach” before they pass the ISBE content test passed the House
  3. SB 3467 amending the SLPA practice act passed the Senate and is scheduled for a third reading in the House

As I close out my final President’s message, I can’t help but think “How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard” – A.A. Milne, Author. But I know this is not goodbye! Many more ISHA adventures are in store for me. I look forward to stepping back into Committee Member roles and continuing to serve our organization and our membership. I love brainstorming with Committees on new initiatives to promote SLP and AuD practice. I hope you all will join a great adventure with me by joining an ISHA Committee today!

Volunteer Here

Thank you for giving me this opportunity to serve you. – Jordan Bowman