President's Podium

Abstract

As your new CAO President, it is both exciting and humbling to be taking the reins of our national association from Dr. Lil Linton. I am following in the footsteps of a great number of high quality leaders in this role. Lil is no exception. She has presided in her own forthright style, always friendly, building and maintaining relationships. She is a diligent and consci­entious worker, approaching every issue with a "git er done" attitude. This has been evident during her long tenure serving the optometric profession, with the New Brunswick Association of Optometrists, with the CAO, and particularly tn her many years as chair of our N3tional Public Educa­tion Committee. Lil deserves to be very proud of how NPEC has evolved, adjusting and changing to garner full national participation, under the new public identity of Doctors of Optometry Canada.

Dr. Linton's contributions to our profes­sion were recognized a: our recent CAO Congress, in Edmonton. The Alberta Association of Optometrists, and local organizers. Dr. Larry Gies and Dr. Femida Visnani, with their army of volunteers, did a great job putting on this event. Also recognized that weekend was Glenn Campbell, retiring after 15 years as Execu­tive Director of CAO, preceded by an equal length of time at the helm of the AAO. Glenn has been another extremely dedi­cated contributor to Canadian Optometry, and he will be sorely missed at the CAO office and at the council table.

Glenn's successor is Ms. Laurie Clement. She has big shoes to fill, but she has the skill set, the experience, and the attitude to pick up the ball and run with it. We will ensure that she ,as the resources and support that she needs.

It is extremely helpful for both Laurie and myself, as we begin our terms, that the CAO is holding a Strategic Planning Session in September. That session will delineate the priorities that our members want us to achieve actions on. Our deliberations will be guided by our recent survey of members, for which we were happy to receive a very good response. as well as surveys of provincial associations and industry partners. At all times, however, the CAO is open to input from our members, please feel free and encour­aged :o contact myself, our executive director, or your provincial CAO represen­tative whenever you have a suggestion, a concern, or even a compliment. Everyone enjoys compliments.

In strategic planning, it is important to identify and understand all of our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. We must be looking forward, planning for the future, not trying to get back to a past that doesn't and can't exist anymore. We will prevail.