President's Message: October 2024
Published in the October 2024 issue of The ISHA Voice
“Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much” – Helen Keller
Collaboration, connection, community are three words that come to mind when I think of my experiences as an ISHA member, volunteer, and now president. Collaboration is so essential to ISHA that the word appears in the mission statement which states:
To empower aspiring and practicing audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and assistants through advocacy, education, collaboration, mentoring, and networking.
For me, collaboration began very early as I volunteered for the Multicultural Affairs Committee as a new ISHA member. I remember being very nervous to walk into a committee meeting in one of the big conference rooms at convention. However, I was quickly made to feel welcome and quickly put to work. I assumed the multicultural affairs track coordinator position for ISHA Convention. That volunteer role would lead to collaboration with ISHA Convention co-chairs and various expert speakers. I was able to establish some professional collaborations and get to meet some experts that I had admired from a distance. This collaboration made me feel increasingly connected to ISHA as an organization.
Connection to ISHA became deeper when I joined the ISHA executive board as a vice president for association affairs. I was able to connect to the other components of the mission statement like advocacy. ISHA volunteers and the team from Bostrom are consistently and deeply involved in advocacy work. This includes making our voices heard in Springfield through legislation, initiating conversations with rule-making entities in Illinois, and establishing partnerships with other associations and constituency groups. The depth of the connections that are involved in advocacy efforts were crystalized when I joined the community of ISHA leaders through the executive board.
Community has been a personal gift that ISHA has provided to me. I have been honored to serve as president-elect the past year sharing the president title with past president, Maria Claudia Franca, and president, Jordan Bowman. Maria Claudia Franca is my colleague, collaborator, and friend from Southern Illinois University. We are both Salukis and both passionate about our profession. Maria Claudia has been the best professional partner, and I am forever grateful to her. Jordan Bowman is an inspiring mentor. She has an energy in what she does as a leader that is infectious. She is brilliant and humble. The combination of energy, intelligence, and humility has resulted in a very productive presidency. I have been so honored to build community with these two individuals.
As president elect, I connected with the community in representative council, or RC, as it is frequently referred. The representative council is comprised of area group representatives from across Illinois. The work of the representative council creates opportunities for collaboration among area groups and establishes a true statewide connection of clinicians. Getting involved with an area group provides ISHA members with opportunities for education, networking, and mentorship. The volunteers within area groups are eager to connect with practicing and aspiring speech-language pathologists and audiologists. An area group is a great first step to gain experiences within ISHA. To learn more, check out the RC page of the ISHA website.
Collaboration, connection, community – the gifts of ISHA for me. I had no idea when I walked into the multicultural affairs topics room, that I would find my way to the role of ISHA president. I am honored and humbled to serve this wonderful organization and the great individuals who are aspiring and practicing audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and assistants. The community of ISHA provides the ability for us to make an impact on our profession that alone could never happen. I encourage you to volunteer on a committee, join an area group, come to convention and see what the ISHA community can offer. Let’s have a great year!
- Valerie Boyer, President
