146TH ANNUAL SESSION
Dr . Stephen T . Radack III ,
INCOMING PRESIDENT , ADDRESSES THE HOUSE
What a year it has been since our last Annual Session . Who would have imagined the governance changes that were voted in by our House of Delegates ( HOD ) last year in Hershey ? As a member of the Governance Task Force ( GTF ), I was hopeful , but as a member of the HOD who has seen some of the skepticism of the house for change , I was not completely optimistic the changes would be adopted . Since we adjourned last year , the Speaker of the House and the Bylaws Committee of the Board of Trustees ( BOT ) crafted the bylaws changes to implement the new governance model . The speaker vetted the changes through district and local leaders and the BOT . I was part of those various SoNet forums and of the debate regarding these bylaws changes . I am hopeful that this vetting process will have produced a final product that will pass this HOD with the required 2 / 3 majority . The GTF 2.0 has also been working hard on the details that need to be nailed down if our governance model is to change . At the pleasure of President Hoffman , I served as a consultant on the task force and believe they have done a good job . There were many issues that needed to be ironed out and questions that needed to be answered based on the model that was passed last April . Many of those questions had to do with the new annual meeting format . I believe the GTF ’ s new Annual Session format will produce an exciting meeting that will attract members who have never attended our governancebased Annual Session in the past .
With the loss of the HOD , there are some who have said we will be “ disenfranchising ” members or limiting leadership opportunities . I do not think so ; I believe it is just the opposite , because we are opening our annual meeting up to ALL members who will now have a voice and a vote for our officers . I look forward to saying goodbye to an old friend , the House of Delegates , and hello to a new Annual Session and a new way of doing the business of our association .
Since we last met , the PDA has moved forward and beyond the financial turmoil that we experienced in 2012 . The association is living within its “ means ” spending
only what we take in during the association ’ s fiscal year and not using the dues money for the next year to pay the prior year ’ s expenses . In 2013 , we even finished with a surplus and were able to pay for upgrades in technology and infrastructure at the headquarters without tapping our reserves . We will continue to live on what we take in for 2014 and should thank the treasurer , the CEO , the controller , the finance staff and all the PDA staff for the great job they have done . I encourage you to read both the PDA treasurer ’ s report and the PDAIS report for the good financial news of our association .
And speaking of PDAIS , it has been my privilege to serve on the PDAIS board for the last six years , serving as both a director and the treasurer . The board is a dedicated group and the staff has been wonderful to work with . I have also been a policyholder of PDAIS products since it was formed . I encourage all members to give PDAIS a look when it comes to your insurance needs . Also take a look at the products and services that have been endorsed by PDA and PDAIS . I believe you will be pleasantly
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